What information can show up in a background check?

In the age of the Internet, there is a lot of information that could show up in your background check report. For example, it may contain information about:

    Criminal convictions;
    Other court cases you were involved in (for example, lawsuits, small claims court cases, money judgments against you, etc.)
    Your driving record;
    Previous employment;
    Education records;
    Property ownership records;
    Bankruptcies and tax liens;
    Professional licensing records;
    Previous addresses;
    Past evictions; AND
    Personal references from people who know you (such as past employers, private landlords, neighbors, etc.).

Although anyone can look up public records or information on the Internet about you, there are special laws that limit WHO & WHEN someone can run a background check on you if they use a private (“commercial”) background check company. In general, the people who can run a private background check on you include: employers, private landlords, insurance companies, professional licensing agencies, creditors, anyone with a court order or subpoena, and anyone seeking child support payments from you. (For a list of who can legally run a background check on you, see PG. 948.)

In addition, there are laws that protect you by limiting the information that can show up in a private background check report, and give you the chance to correct any errors that show up. For a list of what information CAN & CANNOT be included in your private background check, see PG. 942-943.