Missouri Sex Offenders
Missouri sex offenders must register with local law enforcement under state law. The Missouri State Highway Patrol keeps a public sex offender registry that you can search by name, address, or map. Each of Missouri's 114 counties has a sheriff's office that takes in-person registrations and tracks compliance. You can also use the national sex offender database to check records across state lines. This page covers how to search the Missouri sex offender registry, what the law says about registration, and where to find offender data in your county or city. All of this information comes from official state and federal sources.
Missouri Sex Offender Registry Facts
Missouri Sex Offender Registry Search
The Missouri State Highway Patrol Sex Offender Registry is the main public database for sex offenders in Missouri. The Criminal Justice Information Services Division runs this site. It holds records for every person who must register under RSMo Chapter 589. You can search it any time of day. There is no cost to use it.
The registry gives you three ways to look up sex offenders in Missouri. A name search lets you enter a first name, last name, date of birth, address, county, city, or predator status. A location search takes a street name, city, state, zip code, and distance radius to find offenders who live, work, or go to school near a given spot. The third option is an interactive map that plots sex offenders on a visual display. Not all offenders show on the map because some addresses are not precise enough to plot. The MSHP registry main page has links to each search type and extra details about the program.
Each sex offender record shows a status label. Compliant means the person meets all rules. Non-Compliant means they do not. Pending Registration means the process is still in progress. Absconder means the person has an unknown home address and is not following the law. Incarcerated means the person is in jail or prison. Moved Out of State means they left Missouri. The registry also keeps a list of absconders that law enforcement checks on a regular basis.
Sex Offender Alerts in Missouri
Missouri offers a free email alert system for sex offenders in your area. The Community Notification Enrollment portal lets you sign up for alerts. You pick a geographic zone to watch. When a sex offender moves into that zone or their status changes, you get an email. This tool is open to any Missouri resident at no cost.
To set up alerts, create an account with a valid email address. Then choose the area you want to track by entering an address, city, county, or zip code. The system sends you a note each time something changes for a sex offender in that zone. Schools, churches, and other groups in Missouri can also use this tool to stay informed about registered sex offenders near their buildings.
National Sex Offender Search
The Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Website (NSOPW) lets you search sex offender records across all 50 states at once. This federal tool is run by the U.S. Department of Justice. It pulls data from each state registry, including Missouri. You can search by name, location, or address radius.
NSOPW is useful when you want to check if a person has sex offender records in more than one state. Missouri data feeds into this system. The site also covers U.S. territories and tribal lands. By law, the data on NSOPW can only be used for public safety. You cannot use it to harass or threaten anyone listed in the database.
Missouri Sex Offender Registration Laws
Missouri law requires sex offender registration under RSMo 589.400. This statute applies to anyone convicted of, found guilty of, or who pled guilty to a qualifying sex offense since July 1, 1979. It also covers people required to register under federal, tribal, or military law. Juveniles age 14 or older at the time of certain serious offenses must register too.
Sex offenders in Missouri must register in person within three business days of moving to a new address, getting out of jail, or being placed on probation. They go to the sheriff's office in the county where they live. St. Louis City residents register at the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department instead. The initial fee is up to $10. Each address change after that costs up to $5. These rules come from the Missouri Department of Corrections guidelines.
Missouri uses a three-tier system to classify sex offenders. RSMo 589.414 spells out what offenses fall into each tier. Tier I sex offenders must register for 15 years. Tier II offenders register for 25 years. Tier III offenders register for life. A court can label someone a predatory or persistent sexual offender under statute 566.125, which puts them in Tier III no matter what the base offense was.
Sex Offender Tier Classifications
Tier I covers the least severe offenses in the Missouri sex offender system. These include second-degree sexual misconduct, certain forms of statutory rape in the second degree, second-degree sexual abuse, and some prostitution-related offenses. A Tier I sex offender in Missouri must register for 15 years. With a clean record, that can drop to 10 years under the reduced registration rules in RSMo 589.400.
Tier II sex offenders include those convicted of enticement of a child, sexual exploitation of a minor, possession of child pornography, and certain forms of child molestation in the third or fourth degree. Missouri requires Tier II sex offenders to register for 25 years.
Tier III is the most serious level. It includes first-degree rape, first-degree sodomy, first-degree child molestation, sex trafficking of a minor, incest, and child kidnapping. Tier III sex offenders in Missouri must register for life. A person can petition for removal from the registry after set waiting periods under RSMo 589.401. Tier I offenders can petition after 10 years. Tier II after 25 years. Tier III can only petition if the offense was a juvenile adjudication.
Sex Offender Rules in Missouri
Missouri places strict rules on where sex offenders can live and go. Under RSMo 566.147, certain offenders cannot live within 1,000 feet of any public school, private school, childcare facility, or victim's home. Separate statutes bar sex offenders from being within 500 feet of childcare centers (RSMo 566.148), school property (RSMo 566.149), and public parks, pools, or athletic areas mainly used by children (RSMo 566.150).
Halloween brings extra rules for all registered sex offenders in Missouri. Under RSMo 589.426, they must avoid all contact with children on Halloween. They have to stay inside from 5:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. unless work or a medical emergency calls them out. They must post a sign that reads "No candy or treats at this residence" and turn off all outside lights after 5:00 p.m. These rules apply statewide to every sex offender on the Missouri registry.
Note: Probation and parole officers in Missouri can check a sex offender's home computer under RSMo 589.042 to watch for child pornography or other illegal activity.
Missouri Sex Offender Court Records
You can look up court cases tied to sex offenders through Missouri Case.net. This is the statewide court records system. It covers all Circuit Courts in Missouri. Search by name, case number, or filing date to find charges, court dates, dispositions, and sentencing details. Case.net is free for basic searches.
The Missouri Sunshine Law (Chapter 610, RSMo) makes most government records public. Sex offender registration records, compliance status, court proceedings, and conviction records all fall under this law. Anyone can request these records. You do not need to give a reason. Some exceptions apply for active investigations, sealed records, juvenile files, and victim information. You can file a records request with the custodian of records at any agency. They must respond within three business days.
Missouri Sex Offender Safety Resources
The Missouri Department of Public Safety oversees the Highway Patrol and the sex offender registry program. They train law enforcement on registration rules and compliance checks. If you need to report a concern about a sex offender, call the Sex Offender Registry hotline at 888-767-6747. You can also email mosor@mshp.dps.mo.gov.
The Missouri Family Care Safety Registry checks whether a caregiver is a registered sex offender. This matters for childcare workers, elder care staff, teachers, and health workers. The FCSR connects to the Highway Patrol sex offender database and the Criminal Justice Information Services Division. For more details, call 888-767-6747.
Missouri also has a Crime Victims Compensation program through the Department of Public Safety. The hotline is 800-347-6881. This covers medical costs, counseling, and lost wages for victims of sexual offenses. If you suspect a child is being abused, report it to local child protective services. The national sexual assault hotline is 800-656-HOPE.
Penalties for Not Registering
Missouri takes failure to register as a sex offender seriously. The first offense is a Class A misdemeanor, unless the conviction was for a Class A or B felony or involved a child under 14. In those cases, it jumps to a Class E felony. A second failure to register is a Class E felony, or Class D felony for more serious underlying offenses. A third failure to register is an unclassified felony with 10 to 30 years in prison. Law enforcement in every Missouri county runs compliance checks to make sure sex offenders stay on the registry and keep their information current.
Browse Missouri Sex Offenders by County
Each county in Missouri has a sheriff's office that handles sex offender registration. Pick a county below to find local contact details and resources for sex offender records in that area.
Sex Offenders in Major Missouri Cities
Residents in large Missouri cities can find sex offender information through their local police department or county sheriff. Select a city below for details.