How to search for sex offenders in District of Columbia
Two ways to check the District of Columbia sex offender registry: manually on the official state site, or programmatically across District of Columbia and every other US registry with a single API call.
Option 1 — Search the official District of Columbia registry
- Open the official District of Columbia sex offender registry public search.
- Search by last name (required), first name, or by city / ZIP / address.
- Open a result to see offenses, registration status, and known addresses.
- Note the record URL — it’s the authoritative source for that person.
The public District of Columbia site is best for a one-off, manual lookup. It won’t scale to bulk screening or cover other states in one search.
Option 2 — Search District of Columbia with the Offendersearch API
One authenticated request queries the District of Columbia registry plus the national NSOPW source, de-duplicates people across sources, scores each match, and returns provenance and freshness on every record.
POST /v1/search
{
"query": { "lastName": "Doe", "state": "DC" },
"jurisdictions": ["DC", "NSOPW"],
"locationScoped": true,
"freshness": "standard"
}This is a live demo of the API shape returning sample data. Real, scored results across every registry require a free account with billing enabled.
District of Columbia search FAQ
Is searching the District of Columbia sex offender registry free?
Searching the official District of Columbia public registry directly is free. The Offendersearch API is for teams that need programmatic, scored, multi-source results across District of Columbia and every other jurisdiction in one call.
Can I search sex offenders near an address in District of Columbia?
Yes. Provide a city, ZIP, or latitude/longitude with a radius and the API returns registrants near that location in District of Columbia, each scored and tagged with its source.
How current is District of Columbia registry data?
Every record returns a lastCheckedAt timestamp. Choose the Standard, Weekly, or Daily freshness tier depending on how recently District of Columbia data must have been re-verified.