Public Records Search

What Are Public Records?

They are documents, and various forms of information kept by government offices, which are mandated by law to store and maintain certain records. Public records, are available by law, according to the Freedom of Information Act, to any U.S. citizen that requests to see them.

We understand that you may not have a lot of experience with public records, these documents are very common and are used by people who research genealogy or legal matters. Some public records resources include:

Court Dockets: This is an official summary of the legal proceedings in a court of law. Court dockets provide lots of information on sentencing, convictions and criminal charges. They also help to determine if an individual is undergoing any court proceedings even though no charges may have been filed.

Census Records and Data : A census is performed every 10 years to record key statistics for tracking certain trends in the U.S. population. These metrics may include telephone number, gender, name, number of people living in a given household, ownership status of properties, ethnicity, date of birth, ethnicity and race. Often, this data is necessary for cross-referencing information and confirming residency or identity. In the national and state levels, it also used to legislate policy, and track demographic changes.

Criminal Records: Whether in the U.S. or abroad, when someone commits a crime, there is a record of it somewhere. These are public records which are kept at the county, state, or federal levels. Many countries keep their own records of traffic violations, felonies, and other misdemeanors, but the International Criminal Court maintains records and proceedings for crimes not limited to a single country (major crimes).

Professional and Business Licenses: Government agencies issue permits and commercial licenses to enable individuals or companies conduct business. Such records help to link certain persons to a commercial address or business. They are also useful to ascertain whether a company has broken the law in the past in the course of conducting business.

Sex Offender Databases: These databases are a list of any individuals which have committed a sex crime. An individual can never be removed from this registry, unless a reversal in convicition occurs, either due to emerging evidence or testimony. This database are useful when a household migrates to a new neighborhood, or looking to place their child in a different school. However, local law enforcement will fill you in whenever a sex offender migrates to your neighbourhood.

Voter Registration: These are necessary to ensure a healthy, thriving democracy, as well as associating individuals with any political party, state, or county. The rules may vary by state, however, any individual above the age of 18, must register with appropriate authorities if they wish to vote during an election. This information provided during registration becomes public record.

Real Estate Appraisal Records: This may often be referred to as a land violation, and simply denotes the value of a property or its official estimate. The appraisals are done by professionals and entered into public records. If you’re looking to get a new home or purchase a commercial building, Real Estate Appraisal Records will be very helpful.

Residential Addresses: This is an official address of an individual at any point in time. Over the course of an individual’s life, residential addresses change often, so records of past and previous addresses are very necessary.

Property Information: Aside appraisal records and addresses, other information regarding properties may also be useful to you, which include tax liens, previous ownership, purchase history and the neighborhood crime data. If you wish to locate an old friend or acquire a new property, its public record information should come in handy.

Bankruptcy Information: When it has been decided that a person can no longer pay their debts, they declare bankruptcy. Such declaration enables that person to be free from the debts, either through discharge or restructuring. This is an important public record, especially if you wish to ascertain the financial history of someone unknown to you.

What Does it Cost to View Public Records?

A lot of public records are made available to the public free of charge. In every functioning democracy, this is very necessary, as any individual, regardless of social status can access public records for both legal and personal uses. The following are the public records that are often free of charge:

However, to obtain these information from one place and in a timely manner may be strenuous. Often, some fees are charged to view public records at the courthouse, public records office, or county office. Usually, these fees are to cover for copying and printing, but in some states an additional levy is charged to access these records.

At CheckPeople, for a low monthly fee, you can access and perform a wide range searches of online public records. These records are obtained from a wide range of sources to enable you to affordably acquire the right information in a few clicks. So instead of paying higher fees to a public records office or courthouse when you require any public records, a low monthly fee with CheckPeople will provide you with as many searches as you want!

Are Marriage and Divorce Records Available?

Some happenings and occurrences are recorded by the state and available for public access. These include death certificates and other necessary documents. Marriage and divorce records are an important part of census data, they can be viewed by the public. Although, there are some divorce records which are made unavailable or sealed.

There is usually a specific reason divorce records are sealed, and only the courts have the power to do so. For example, if it involves abuse, the court may deem it necessary to seal such records to protect the identity of the victim. Also, when financial records are deemed highly sensitive and related to a divorce proceeding, a court may seal such records to prevent the public from accessing it.

Some allegations that are never proven to be true in a divorce case, may tarnish the reputation of the individual involved. Therefore the courts may seal this record, in case they are later proven false. Unflattering information about someone may not be sealed for that sole reason, and this is why, most of the time, the records remain public.

Are Criminal and Court Records Public?

After a case has been closed, its details are usually made available to the public. But when a certain cases has generated excessive public attention, press coverage or is particularly notorious, some exceptions may apply. Generally, for any individual who wants to view them, the following records are available:

Also, the public can access records of individuals accused of crimes in court cases. These criminal records contain in detail,prior convictions, or the defendant’s warrant for an arrest. However, they are not listed on the criminal record if the convictions are overturned.