Nebraska Criminal Records

This guide explains how to find Nebraska criminal records, arrest records, court records, inmate information, and the public sex offender registry, and how Nebraska's background-check and record-clearing laws work. It was last reviewed in June 2026 using official Nebraska sources, and it points you to the state and county agencies that hold each type of record. You can also start a name search using the tool on this page.

How do I look up a criminal record in Nebraska?

There are three main ways to find Nebraska criminal-record information:

• Nebraska State Patrol online background check. The Nebraska State Patrol's Criminal Identification Division runs a public online background check service. Anyone can request a Record of Arrest and Prosecution (RAP) sheet for a person of interest by name, date of birth, and optionally social security number. The fee is $30 per name searched, non-refundable, and reports with no record found are usually returned within minutes. Reports requiring additional research take up to three business days. See the Nebraska State Patrol Criminal History Record Requests page to get started.
• Court records at the county level. Individual case files filed in Nebraska's 93 county and district courts are generally public and can be searched through the statewide JUSTICE system (see the court-records question below).
• An online people-search tool like the one on this page, which compiles public-record data from many sources into one report. These tools are for personal knowledge only and are not a substitute for an official RAP sheet or an FCRA-compliant background check.

The State Patrol search uses name and date of birth and may return matches that belong to someone else. A fingerprint-based search provides the highest certainty that a record belongs to a specific person.

Are Nebraska criminal records public?

Most adult criminal records in Nebraska are public under the Nebraska Public Records Act (Neb. Rev. Stat. § 84-712 et seq.). The State Patrol's RAP sheet is available to any requester for a fee. Court case records filed in Nebraska's trial courts are presumptively public and can be accessed through the statewide JUSTICE system. The main exceptions are sealed records (which courts remove from public access under specific statutes), juvenile records that meet the criteria for automatic or petition-based sealing, and records expunged due to law enforcement error.

Where can I look up arrest records in Nebraska?

Arrest records are kept by the agency that made the arrest, such as the Omaha Police Department, the Douglas County Sheriff, or the Nebraska State Patrol. County sheriffs often publish an online jail roster showing who is currently in custody. The State Patrol's RAP sheet lists Nebraska arrests where the individual was fingerprinted, along with resulting dispositions. Remember that an arrest record is not a conviction record: it shows that a person was taken into custody, not that they were found guilty.

How do I find court records in Nebraska?

Nebraska uses a unified online system called JUSTICE (Judicial Uniform Statewide Technology Integrated Court Enterprise) that covers criminal, civil, traffic, juvenile, and probate cases filed in all 93 county and district courts statewide. You can run a one-time case search by party name at the Nebraska JUSTICE One-Time Case Search portal for a fee of $17 per search; results are available for three calendar days and return up to 30 cases. Frequent users can subscribe for ongoing access. Free public terminals are also available inside each courthouse. Newly entered cases take up to 24 hours to appear in the system.

How do I look up warrants in Nebraska?

Warrants are issued by the courts. The most direct approach is to contact the clerk of the county or district court in the county where charges would be filed, or the local county sheriff. Some county sheriffs post warrant information online. Warrants can also surface through the JUSTICE court-case system or a State Patrol RAP sheet request, but the issuing court is the authoritative source for whether an active warrant exists.

Do arrests show up on background checks in Nebraska?

For employment, tenant, and credit screening done through a consumer reporting agency, the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) controls what can be reported. Nebraska does not have a stricter state-level overlay that shortens the federal lookback period, so the FCRA rules apply directly. Under the FCRA, arrests that did not lead to a conviction generally cannot be reported once they are more than seven years old (for positions paying under $75,000 per year). Criminal convictions can be reported indefinitely under federal law with no hard cutoff, though the seven-year limit on non-conviction items still applies. A State Patrol RAP sheet includes all fingerprinted Nebraska arrests and their dispositions, so an arrest that was later dismissed will still appear there for official purposes.

How far back does a background check go in Nebraska?

Nebraska follows federal FCRA rules without adding stricter state limits. The key points:

• Non-conviction information (arrests that did not lead to a conviction, dismissed cases) generally cannot be reported after seven years when the position pays under $75,000 annually.
• The $75,000 salary threshold removes the seven-year cap, allowing older non-conviction items to be reported for higher-paying jobs.
• Criminal convictions can be reported regardless of age under federal law; there is no Nebraska state cap on reporting convictions.
• The clock on the seven-year limit runs from the date of disposition or release, not the end of probation.

How do I find someone in jail or prison in Nebraska?

It depends on where the person is held:

• State prison. Use the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services (NDCS) free public Incarceration Record Search to find a person in state custody by name or NDCS ID number. The search returns custody location, charges, and release or eligibility dates.
• County jail. People awaiting trial or serving shorter sentences are held in a county jail; check that county sheriff's online inmate roster. The Douglas County Sheriff's Office, for example, publishes an online jail list for the Omaha area.
• Federal custody. For federal cases, use the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator instead of the NDCS tool.

How do I find out if someone is on probation or parole in Nebraska?

State parole is supervised by the Nebraska Board of Parole, and a person's general custody status may appear in the NDCS inmate search. Probation is handled by the sentencing court and the Nebraska Probation Administration, so the sentencing court's records are the best starting point. Probation allows a person to serve a sentence in the community under court-set conditions rather than in prison or jail.

What crimes are felonies in Nebraska?

Nebraska divides felonies into ten classes under Neb. Rev. Stat. § 28-105, ranging from most to least serious:

• Class I: Death penalty.
• Class IA: Life imprisonment.
• Class IB: Up to life; mandatory minimum 20 years.
• Class IC: Up to 50 years; mandatory minimum 5 years.
• Class ID: Up to 50 years; mandatory minimum 3 years.
• Class II: 1 to 50 years.
• Class IIA: Up to 20 years.
• Class III: Up to 4 years, plus 9-24 months of post-release supervision.
• Class IIIA: Up to 3 years, plus 9-18 months of post-release supervision.
• Class IV: Up to 2 years, plus up to 12 months of post-release supervision.

All felony sentences of one year or more are served in a Department of Correctional Services facility. Common felonies include murder (Class I/IA), robbery, sexual assault, and human trafficking.

What crimes are misdemeanors in Nebraska?

Nebraska misdemeanors are classified into seven levels under Neb. Rev. Stat. § 28-106, all served in county jail:

• Class I: Up to 1 year imprisonment and/or up to $1,000 fine.
• Class II: Up to 6 months and/or up to $1,000 fine.
• Class III: Up to 3 months and/or up to $500 fine.
• Class IIIA: Up to 7 days and/or up to $500 fine.
• Class IV: Fine only, up to $500; no imprisonment.
• Class V: Fine only, up to $100; no imprisonment.
• Class W (DUI/implied consent): Tiered by prior convictions - 1st offense up to 60 days (7-day mandatory minimum) and $500 fine; 2nd offense up to 6 months (30-day minimum) and $500 fine; 3rd offense up to 1 year (90-day minimum) and $1,000 fine.

Common misdemeanor examples include simple assault, shoplifting below the felony threshold, public intoxication, and a first-offense DUI.

Are traffic violations crimes in Nebraska?

Many routine traffic offenses in Nebraska are infractions (civil violations), punishable by a fine only with no jail time and no criminal record. More serious driving offenses - such as driving under the influence (DUI/DWI), reckless driving, or driving on a suspended license - are charged as misdemeanors (or in some cases felonies for repeat or serious offenses) and do create a criminal record that can appear on background checks.

Is the sex offender registry public in Nebraska?

Yes. Nebraska maintains a free public Nebraska Sex Offender Registry managed by the Nebraska State Patrol. You can search by name, county, city, zip code, or within a geographic radius. Registrant profiles show photos, current address, offenses, and registration status. Subscribers can sign up for email notifications about address changes or new convictions for offenders they are tracking.

How long must a sex offender register in Nebraska?

Nebraska law (Neb. Rev. Stat. §§ 29-4001 through 29-4013) sets three registration periods based on offense severity:

• 15 years: Registrable offenses that are not punishable by more than one year of imprisonment (primarily misdemeanor-level offenses).
• 25 years: Registrable felony offenses not involving aggravated circumstances and with no prior sex offense.
• Life: Registrable felony offenses involving an aggravated offense, or where the registrant has a prior sex offense conviction (felony or misdemeanor).

Only 15-year registrants may petition for early removal. After completing 10 years of registration following discharge from incarceration, probation, or parole, a 15-year registrant may petition to reduce the registration period to 10 years if they have completed an approved sex offender treatment program, avoided new serious convictions, and have no new sex offense convictions. Registrants required to register for 25 years or life cannot petition for early removal.

How do I clear my criminal record in Nebraska?

Nebraska offers several forms of relief, but true expungement (destruction) of a conviction record is very limited:

• Set-aside (Neb. Rev. Stat. § 29-2264). A person sentenced to probation, a fine, or community service may petition the sentencing court to set aside the conviction after successfully completing the sentence. People sentenced to imprisonment of one year or less may also petition for a set-aside once the sentence is complete, provided no charges are pending, they are not required to register as a sex offender, and no set-aside was denied within the previous two years. A set-aside does not destroy the record but removes many collateral consequences.
• Record sealing (Neb. Rev. Stat. § 29-3523). Criminal records are automatically removed from public access when no charges were filed (after one year from arrest), when a diversion program was completed (after two years from arrest), or when charges were dismissed or resulted in an acquittal. People who received a pardon, victims of sex trafficking with a set-aside, and some pre-2017 dismissals may also petition to seal records.
• Expungement for law enforcement error. A person arrested due to a law enforcement error may petition the district court to expunge the arrest record by clear and convincing evidence.
• Pardon. The Nebraska Board of Pardons (the Governor, Attorney General, and Secretary of State) may grant a full pardon. The waiting period is 3 years after completing a misdemeanor sentence and 10 years after completing a felony sentence, with a clean record throughout. See the Nebraska Board of Pardons application page for forms and requirements.

Do I need a lawyer to clear my record in Nebraska?

You are not required to hire a lawyer to file for a set-aside or a record-sealing petition, and the Nebraska Judicial Branch publishes self-help materials and court forms. That said, the eligibility rules are specific and vary by offense type, sentence length, and prior history. A mistake can cost you the opportunity to have the record removed, so many people consult an attorney or a free legal-aid organization, especially for felony set-asides or pardon applications.

How long does a felony stay on your record in Nebraska?

A Nebraska felony conviction stays on your record permanently unless you obtain a set-aside, a pardon, or have the record sealed under one of the narrow grounds described above. There is no automatic time limit that removes a conviction from the record. The FCRA seven-year rule discussed above limits what a background-check company may report for non-conviction items; it does not erase the underlying record, and convictions can be reported indefinitely under federal law.

Are juvenile criminal records private in Nebraska?

Juvenile records in Nebraska are generally sealed automatically when certain conditions are met. Under Nebraska law, a juvenile record is automatically sealed if no charges were filed, if charges were dismissed, or if the juvenile satisfactorily completed a diversion, probation, or rehabilitation program. Records can also be sealed by petition if the juvenile has demonstrated sufficient rehabilitation, either upon reaching adulthood or after waiting at least six months after the case closed. Once sealed, the record is not available to the public, and the individual can respond to most inquiries as if the offense never occurred. Law enforcement, prosecutors, and the courts retain access in limited circumstances.

Douglas County criminal records

Douglas County is Nebraska's most populous county, home to Omaha with more than 517,000 residents, and it generates a large share of the state's court filings. Douglas County criminal records - including cases filed in both the Douglas County District Court (felonies and serious cases) and the Douglas County Court (misdemeanors and traffic) - are accessible through Nebraska's statewide JUSTICE One-Time Case Search for $17 per search. The Douglas County Sheriff's Office publishes a current jail roster for people in county custody. For official certified copies of case documents, contact the Douglas County Clerk of the District Court or the County Court clerk directly.

Official Nebraska criminal record sources

• Nebraska State Patrol: Criminal History Record Requests - public RAP sheet search; $30 per name; online, in-person, or by mail.
• Nebraska JUSTICE One-Time Case Search - search criminal, civil, traffic, and more across all 93 Nebraska county and district courts; $17 per search.
• Nebraska NDCS Incarceration Record Search - free public search for people in Nebraska state prison.
• Nebraska Sex Offender Registry - free public search by name, city, county, or zip code; managed by the Nebraska State Patrol.
• Nebraska Board of Pardons: Pardon Application - forms and requirements for applying for a pardon; 3-year wait for misdemeanors, 10-year wait for felonies.
• Neb. Rev. Stat. § 29-3523 - the record sealing and automatic removal statute.
• Neb. Rev. Stat. § 29-2264 - the conviction set-aside statute.
• Nebraska Judicial Branch - court self-help resources, rules, and public access information.

Disclosure: criminal.com may earn a commission when you use the people-search tool on this page, which is powered by a third-party background-check service. Results from such tools are for your personal knowledge only and may not be used to make decisions about employment, housing, credit, tenant screening, or any other purpose covered by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). A mugshot or arrest record is not proof of guilt. This page is general information about Nebraska public records, not legal advice; for advice about your situation, consult an attorney. Information was last reviewed in June 2026 and laws may change.