During the identification process, the value of incipient ridges depends on the clarity of friction ridge structures. Clarity also dictates whether incipient ridges may qualify as nonspecific or accidental characteristics. Incipient ridges are thin, fragmented ridges which appear in the furrows between normal, mature friction ridges. They are narrower in width, do not usually have the same height as normal ridges, and are reported to lack pore structure. Incipient ridges are often called false ridges when fingerprints are classified for ten print searching and filing purposes. Nonetheless, incipient ridges form in the same manner as normal ridges and have the same subcutaneous structures. Ridge units begin developing at different times and at various locations on friction skin. As incipient ridges are formed by ridge unit development, some incipient ridges will mature more than others. The location of ridge structure on the clarity spectrum dictates the level of detail that can be compared. Whether incipient ridges qualify as nonspecific or accidental characteristics depends on the clarity of ridge structures and on the examiner's ability to judge where ridge structures fit in the clarity spectrum. 7 references and 8 figures