Business hours
The records division of the Elkhart County Sheriff's Department is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Due to the time necessary for processing, requests for fingerprints and handgun permits must be initiated by 3:30 p.m. Questions about the availability of records or ways to obtain information should be directed to records supervisor Linda Kronk.
Fees
The records division accepts cash payments, and checks and money orders must be made out to the Elkhart County Sheriff's Department. No credit or debit cards can be accepted at this time. The current schedule of charges at the records counter is:
• Crash report — $5
• Criminal incident report — $3
• Fingerprint card — $10
• Gun permit (four years) — $10, in addition to fees charged by the state
• Gun permit (lifetime with current permit) — $40, in addition to fees charged by the state
• Gun permit (lifetime without current permit) — $50, in addition to fees charged by the state
• Limited criminal history report — $3
• Returned check fee — $20
(Note: Crash reports are available for purchase on the Internet at buycrash.com, a private vendor contracting with the Indiana State Police. The Elkhart County Sheriff's Department has no affiliation or agreement with the vendor, in part due to higher prices charged for each report. Residents and business people are encouraged to receive reports directly from the ECSD records office, and continued use of our service will allow us to keep the local fee at $5 per report.)
Records requests
The laws for requesting public records and criminal histories are linked on the right side of this page. The forms for those requests are available online, also, and completed requests may be emailed as attachments.
The requests cannot be fulfilled, though, until the applicable fees are received. Payments may be sent to Elkhart County Sheriff's Department, Attn: Records, 111 N. Third St., Goshen, IN 46526, or delivered in person to the records division on the second floor of the building.
Handgun permits
State law governs the procedures for handgun permits. Applicants must be at least 18 years old and not have any felony convictions. Misdemeanor convictions on charges of domestic battery or violence also are not allowed.
To receive a permit through the Elkhart County Sheriff's Department, a person must reside in an unincorporated area of Elkhart County. A resident of another state, if employed full-time at an Elkhart County business, also may apply at the sheriff's department. To give clerks the opportunity to complete the paperwork prior to the close of business, no applications will be accepted after 3:30 p.m. weekdays.
Permits may not be renewed more than 180 days prior to expiration.
All applications are subject to a two-day waiting period for the completion of a criminal history. At the conclusion of the background check, the records division will mail the paperwork and other relevant information to the applicant. The applicant is responsible for sending the permit request and fees to the Indiana State Police for processing.
States honoring Indiana handgun permits:
Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Wyoming
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