How To Perform A Public Records Search:
Public records often contain an incredible amount of important information about people and their lives. A public record is a recording or document of a milestone in someone's life but unlike sealed records (for example, medical records) public records are openly available to the public.
Traditionally, the only way to access a public record on someone was to visit a local court house or municipality and request the information in person. Technology has brought some of these records online, and for a fee you may be able to search for them with out leaving your home. However, many records and certificates can only be accessed locally, as such, we have tried to build a directory of government offices who provide them.
Facts To Know About Public Records
- Access to public records are governed by state and federal laws. Federally, the Freedom of Information Act (among other things) serves as a guideline for what information is within and outside of public record. However, the information that is readily available in each county may vary widely from state to state.
- Information that may be available includes but is not limited to: vital records (including birth, death, marriage, divorce and civil unions), Court docket/proceedings, adult criminal records (minors are typically sealed), child/sex offender registration, property records ( including assessed value), professional trade and business licensing.
- Since these records are public, anyone (sometimes you need a photo id) can visit a local government office and request records on themselves or someone else. Government offices such as courthouses, property ancestors office and other agencies often have specific procedures for how they allow information to be accessed. If you require an official copy or certificate, be prepared that the office will likely charge you a fee and then of course there is the time it takes you to locate the correct government office and travel there, but aside from this, access to public records is usually free.
If you are having a hard time finding particular information, remember, sometimes particular information is withheld from public documents and may not be part of the records that the public can view. If that is the case, be prepared, public records may not help you to find the answer you are looking for.
Looking For Public Records? 
Have you ever needed to conduct a public records search and not known how or where to go? Every month millions of people seek access to information contained in public records. Some of them are perhaps, are looking for copies of birth or death certificates. Others may be researching someone's marital status. In any case, this information can often be found publicly; you just have to know how to access it.
Finding Local Records Offices 
Depending on the type of record you are searching for you will likely be able to find it by accessing your local state or county records office. To aid you with this we offer a directory with contact information to many of these offices.
To access this directory and look for offices in your county or state, simply type in the state and county for which you are looking for records into our search box above. You can also visit our state records page, click the state which you reside and begin your records search that way.
Depending upon the size of your state and county, you may find the information you need on our state page. You also may need to dig further on our specific county pages. If this is the case, you can usually find a link to county pages at the bottom of our state pages.