Choose the San Francisco or California product the requester actually requires
A San Francisco background check can mean a local SFPD clearance letter, your local San Francisco RAP sheet, an authorized California DOJ applicant background check, or a Superior Court criminal record. These products have different custodians and scopes, so use the requesting employer, licensing agency, consulate or other recipient's instructions before ordering one.
For employment or licensing, start with the authorized requesting agency's Live Scan form
California DOJ says the authorized applicant agency begins the process by giving the applicant a completed BCIA 8016 Request for Live Scan Service form. The agency information must be correct, including the ORI, purpose/applicant type and authorized recipient information. Take that form and valid photo identification to a Live Scan provider; the operator captures and transmits fingerprints to DOJ.
Keep the Applicant Transaction Identifier (ATI) issued after fingerprinting. DOJ's applicant-status tool uses the 10-digit ATI and date of birth for status checks. Background-check results are sent to the authorized agency that requested them, not handed to the applicant as a substitute personal record-review copy.
SFPD clearance letters are local and free
SFPD says its clearance letter shows that the subject has not been arrested or convicted of a crime in the City and County of San Francisco. The letter is free. In-person applicants go to the Identification Unit at 850 Bryant Street, Room 475 with valid photo ID and should expect fingerprint identity verification; SFPD says a qualifying in-person letter can be issued the same day.
For a mailed request, SFPD requires a notarized request letter with the legal name, other names used, date of birth and phone number, a copy of government photo ID, and a self-addressed stamped envelope. A local clearance is not a statewide or nationwide background check.
For your own local history, request the San Francisco RAP sheet
SFPD's Identification Unit maintains local fingerprint-verified criminal history and provides a process for an individual to request a copy of that person's San Francisco RAP sheet or booking photo with proof of identification. The unit describes this as roughly a six-week application process. For your broader California DOJ record review, use DOJ's separate BCIA 8016RR process instead of the employment/licensing applicant workflow.
Use Superior Court search and records-request tools for a particular prosecution
San Francisco Superior Court provides a Criminal Case Query by case number, defendant name and attorney name, plus a cumulative criminal index updated weekly. Once you identify the case, the court's criminal-records page allows a request through its GovQA Records Request Portal; criminal records are then picked up in person at the Hall of Justice or mailed.
If you do not have a case number, the court advises obtaining a local RAP sheet first. Its records request form supports plain or certified copies of items such as a complaint, disposition or abstract of judgment; the court currently lists a Certificate of the Record at $40 per court number.