Public Records Search Directory

How public records work

Public records are the documents government creates or keeps in the course of its work and that the law opens to the public: court files, deeds and mortgages, birth, death, marriage and divorce records, criminal history, professional licenses, business filings and property tax rolls among them. Each is kept by a particular office, and that office decides how you see it, online, in person or by written request.

Two sets of laws apply. The federal Freedom of Information Act covers records held by federal agencies. Each state has its own public records law, often called an open records or sunshine law, for state and local agencies, and court records are open under the rules of each court system. The state law says what is open, what is exempt, how fast the office must answer and what it may charge.

Not everything is open. Medical records, juvenile cases in most states, sealed and expunged records, tax returns, Social Security numbers and financial account details are withheld, and many states limit certified copies of recent birth and death records to the person named, close family and legal representatives.

Looking at a record at the source is usually free. Offices charge for copies, certification and sometimes for search time, and some court and recorder systems charge per page. A certified copy comes only from the office that issued the record.

A record used to decide on a job, an apartment, credit or insurance is a consumer report under the Fair Credit Reporting Act and must come from a consumer reporting agency that follows that law. This directory is not one. The background check questions page explains the rules, the expungement guide explains how a record is sealed, and the privacy guide covers your rights.