Ketchikan Gateway County, AK

Alaska probate is handled by the **Superior Court** in the judicial district where the deceased lived (no separate probate court, no counties). Four judicial districts cover the state: First (Juneau/Ketchikan), Second (Nome/Kotzebue/Utqiagvik), Third (Anchorage/Palmer), Fourth (Fairbanks/Bethel). Search for probate cases at **Alaska CourtView** https://courts.alaska.gov/main/search-cases.htm — pick the district, then 'Probate' as case type. The Self-Help Center at https://courts.alaska.gov/shc/probate/index.htm walks through Informal Probate, Formal Probate, and Small Estate (under $100,000 personal property and $100,000 real property combined) — Alaska has one of the simpler probate systems in the U.S. Filing fee for opening probate is roughly $75–$125 depending on case size; certified copies of probate orders or wills are $10 first / $3 each additional. **Wills filed pre-1959** (statehood) are at the Alaska State Archives in Juneau or with FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Alaska_Probate_Records). Guardianship and conservatorship cases use the same Superior Court system; per AS 13.26 newly appointed guardians must complete 1+ hour of mandatory training within 30 days. Sources: Alaska Court System, FamilySearch, Alaska Statutes Title 13.

Alaska is structurally different from the lower 48: **no counties**, no county sheriffs. Warrants are issued by the Alaska Court System (Superior or District Court) and are served by either the **Alaska State Troopers** in unincorporated areas or by a **municipal/borough police department** (Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, Kenai, Kodiak, etc.). Three reliable lookups: (1) **AST Active Warrants list** at https://hotsheets.dps.alaska.gov/AST/Warrants — searchable by name, lists outstanding warrants in trooper cases statewide. (2) **Alaska CourtView** at https://courts.alaska.gov/main/search-cases.htm — every filed case shows whether a bench warrant has been issued for failure to appear; free, no login. (3) The **investigating agency** for the area — phone the city/borough PD records line or trooper post (full directory at https://dps.alaska.gov/AST/Contact). For city PDs (e.g., Anchorage Police 907-786-8500, Fairbanks PD 907-450-6500), records staff can confirm a warrant during business hours. If you might have one, get a defense attorney involved before showing up at a station — voluntary surrender on planned terms beats a traffic-stop arrest. Sources: Alaska DPS, Alaska Court System.

Same authoritative source as any Alaska criminal-history check: the **Alaska Department of Public Safety**, Records and Identification Unit. **Fingerprint-based** request $35; **name-based** request $20; each additional copy $5 if ordered together. Submit to AST HQ, 5700 E Tudor Rd, Anchorage AK 99507 (907-269-5511). Live Scan fingerprinting is available at any Alaska Trooper post or commercial vendor (PrintScan, IdentoGO). Add $18 if you need the FBI national check on top. Turnaround: 5–15 business days state-only, 4–6 weeks if FBI is included. For court cases (filed only) — free at Alaska CourtView (https://courts.alaska.gov/main/search-cases.htm). For active warrants — Alaska State Troopers warrant list at https://hotsheets.dps.alaska.gov/AST/Warrants. **Important limits**: the DPS check covers Alaska state convictions, NOT federal cases (PACER for those, $0.10/page), juvenile records, or sealed/expunged entries. For employment use, FCRA compliance is mandatory — written consent before, written notice if any adverse action follows. Most employers wrap this through Checkr, Sterling, or GoodHire so they get one consolidated report. Sources: Alaska DPS, Alaska Court System, Checkr.

Alaska marriage records live with the **Alaska Bureau of Vital Statistics**, part of the Department of Health, Center for Health Statistics, in Juneau. Order online via VitalChek at https://www.vitalchek.com/v/death-certificates/alaska/alaska-vital-records, by mail to Bureau of Vital Statistics, P.O. Box 110675, Juneau AK 99811-0675, or through the state portal at https://health.alaska.gov/en/services/vital-records-orders/. **Fees**: $30 for the first certified copy; $25 each additional copy of the same record ordered at the same time; $30 for a non-certified informational copy. Marriage license applications themselves cost $60 ($70 mailed) — that's separate from a record copy. Processing time is 2–3 weeks by mail, faster via VitalChek (3–5 business days express). Eligibility: marriage records 50+ years old are public; under 50 requires the bride, groom, immediate family, legal representative, or someone with a documented direct interest, plus a government photo ID. For a marriage that happened recently and isn't yet at the state office (~30 days lag), the Court Clerk's office in the borough where the license was issued may have the original. Apostilles for international use require the state office only. Sources: Alaska Department of Health, VitalChek, Vital Records Online.

For an official Alaska criminal history check, the source is the **Alaska Department of Public Safety**, Records and Identification Unit. Submit fingerprints (Live Scan at any Alaska Trooper post or commercial vendor like PrintScan in Anchorage) plus a completed Criminal Justice Information Services request form. **Fees**: $35 for a fingerprint-based search, $20 for a name-based search, $5 for each additional copy ordered at the same time. Mail to AST HQ, 5700 E Tudor Rd, Anchorage AK 99507; phone (907) 269-5511. Turnaround is 5–15 business days for state-only; add 4–6 weeks if FBI national check is requested ($18 extra). For court records (filed cases only), Alaska CourtView at https://courts.alaska.gov/main/search-cases.htm is free and instant. **Limits to know**: Alaska's criminal history check does NOT cover federal cases (those are at https://pacer.uscourts.gov, $0.10/page) and does NOT cover sealed/expunged or juvenile records. For employment use, the report must be FCRA-compliant — most employers use a vendor (Checkr, Sterling, GoodHire) that wraps the state, FBI, court, and county checks into one. For a personal review, you have a right to see your own record before agreeing to any third-party background check. Sources: Alaska DPS, Alaska Court System, Checkr.

Alaska is unusual: there are **no counties**, so warrants come from the **Alaska Court System** and are served by the **Alaska State Troopers** in unincorporated areas or by **city/borough police** elsewhere. Three places to check: (1) **Active warrants list maintained by AST** at https://hotsheets.dps.alaska.gov/AST/Warrants — this is a live list of warrants issued by the Alaska courts in AST cases; searchable by name. (2) **Alaska CourtView** at https://courts.alaska.gov/main/search-cases.htm — free public case search; if a criminal case is showing 'failure to appear' or 'bench warrant issued', that's an active warrant. (3) The **arresting agency** for the area: Anchorage Police Department, Fairbanks PD, Juneau PD, or the trooper post for that region (full list at https://dps.alaska.gov/AST/Contact). For a definitive personal answer, call the trooper post or city PD records line — they can confirm without an arrest if the warrant is non-extraditable or low-priority. If you might have a warrant, talk to a defense attorney before you walk into a station; turning yourself in on planned terms goes much better than getting picked up. Sources: Alaska DPS, Alaska Court System.