Emery County Criminal Records and Background Check

Emery County is a rural county in east-central Utah with roughly 10,000 residents and the county seat in Castle Dale. Running a background check in Emery County involves the Emery County Sheriff's Office, the Seventh District Court, and the Utah Bureau of Criminal Identification. This guide walks through how to access criminal records at each level, how to submit a public records request under Utah's GRAMA statute, and what the statewide criminal history process through BCI looks like for Emery County residents.

Emery County Sheriff and Records Access

Sheriff Greg Funk leads the Emery County Sheriff's Office, which serves as the primary law enforcement body for unincorporated Emery County. The office is headquartered in Castle Dale and holds arrest records, incident reports, booking data, and warrant information for cases worked by county deputies. Because Emery County is large and rural, the Sheriff's Office covers most of the county's land area.

To request criminal records from the Emery County Sheriff's Office, submit a written GRAMA request. Visit the office in person during regular business hours or contact the office to ask about submitting by mail. Include the subject's full name, date of birth, any known incident dates, and case numbers if you have them. The office must respond within ten business days under Utah law.

Incidents handled by the Huntington City Police, Castle Dale City Police, or the Utah Highway Patrol are held by those agencies separately. A thorough Emery County criminal background check may require contacting more than one agency depending on where the incidents occurred.

How to Run a Background Check in Emery County

A complete Emery County background check draws from three main sources: the Sheriff's Office arrest records, the Seventh District Court case history, and the BCI statewide criminal history database. Combining all three gives the most complete picture of a person's criminal record in the county.

The Utah Bureau of Criminal Identification maintains fingerprint-based criminal history records for all of Utah, including Emery County. Under the Right of Access provision, any individual can request their own record for $20.00 (effective July 2025). Submit requests to BCI's Criminal Records Section at 3888 West 5400 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84129, or visit in person at 4315 South 2700 West, Suite 1300, Taylorsville, UT 84129. Phone: (801) 965-4445. Hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. BCI accepts cash, check, Visa, Mastercard, and money orders.

For Emery County residents, mailing the BCI request is usually the most practical approach. The process is the same whether submitted by mail or in person, though in-person visits to the Taylorsville office tend to be processed faster when the volume of requests allows.

GRAMA provides Emery County residents with a formal right to request public records, including criminal records and incident reports, from state and local agencies.

Note: Third-party access to BCI criminal history follows separate authorization rules under Utah Code Section 53-10-108; the Right of Access process is available only for self-requested records.

Seventh District Court Records in Emery County

The Seventh District Court serves Emery County and handles criminal filings, civil cases, and other legal matters for the region. Court records are public under Utah law and include case filings, charges, pleas, verdicts, sentencing orders, and probation conditions. These records document the outcome of criminal proceedings that originated in Emery County.

The Utah Courts system offers two online tools for case research. MyCourtCase is free and open to anyone without registration. Search by name or case number to view basic information for active and closed matters across all Utah districts. For access to document images and detailed filings, XChange is the subscription service provided by Utah Courts. XChange charges per search and requires an account, but it provides a much fuller view of case history.

Utah Courts tools including MyCourtCase and XChange allow the public to search Seventh District Court case history covering Emery County criminal records.

Inmate and Booking Record Lookups

The Emery County jail is operated by the Sheriff's Office in Castle Dale. Booking records are public. Contact the Sheriff's Office directly to ask about current inmates or recent bookings at the county facility. The local jail holds individuals arrested by county deputies and those awaiting court appearances or transfers to state facilities.

For individuals who have entered the state prison system or who are under active Utah Department of Corrections supervision, a separate Offender Search tool is available through the Department's website. Vinelink provides a free public search tool for inmates and former inmates across many Utah county and state facilities. You can search by name or offender ID and set up notifications for custody changes including releases and transfers.

Note: The local Emery County jail roster reflects only those currently held in the county facility and does not show historical bookings automatically.

Warrant Checks in Emery County

Warrants in Emery County are issued by Seventh District Court judges and entered into the BCI Statewide Warrants file, the SWW. The Utah Bureau of Criminal Identification manages the SWW, which aggregates active warrants from agencies across all Utah counties. Public warrant inquiries can be made by calling the Emery County Sheriff's Office during regular business hours.

Bench warrants are issued when someone fails to appear for a court date. Arrest warrants are issued when a judge approves a law enforcement probable cause request. Both types are entered into the SWW after the issuing agency processes the paperwork. A short delay between the issuance of a warrant and its appearance in the database is possible.

The Seventh District Court clerk can also confirm whether a warrant exists in connection with a specific open court case. Contact information for all Utah district court locations is available on the Utah Courts website.

GRAMA Records Requests in Emery County

Utah's Government Records Access and Management Act, at Utah Code Title 63G, Chapter 2, gives any person the right to request public records from government agencies in Emery County. The Sheriff's Office, county clerk, and other local offices are all covered. Each must respond to a written GRAMA request within ten business days.

Submit your GRAMA request to the records officer at the specific Emery County agency holding the record you want. Identify the document precisely. Include names, dates, incident locations, and case numbers. Vague requests take longer and may result in clarification delays. Copy fees for paper records follow the standard state schedule.

The Utah GRAMA Portal at openrecords.utah.gov supports online submissions to participating agencies. Confirm whether the specific Emery County office you are targeting uses the portal. If it does not, submit by mail or in person.

Expungement of Emery County Criminal Records

Utah's expungement law, Utah Code Title 77, Chapter 40a, allows qualifying individuals to seal their criminal records after meeting the required waiting period. Waiting periods by offense type are: ten years for DUI, seven years for felonies, five years for Class A misdemeanors, four years for Class B misdemeanors, and three years for Class C misdemeanors and infractions. The period runs from conviction or release from supervision, whichever is later.

Start by applying for a Certificate of Eligibility from BCI's expungement unit. The fee is $65.00 per offense, and the process typically takes four to six months. The Certificate is valid for 90 days. Once you have the Certificate, file a petition with the court that originally handled the case. For Emery County criminal cases, that is the Seventh District Court. The court reviews the petition, may hold a hearing, and issues a final order if approved.

Utah's Auto Clean Slate program may automatically seal some qualifying records from cases resolved after May 1, 2020. BCI reviews these cases. Not all offenses qualify. A licensed Utah attorney can help you understand which records in your history are eligible and what the process involves.