Public Records 101: How to Find the Information You Seek

The ability to search public records is a powerful tool for anyone who would like to learn more about another person or even about himself. The term "public record" is a rather broad one, and it can refer to a wide array of publicly accessible information. Information from one's criminal history to genealogy records is regarded to be public record. Some information is readily searchable online, while some must be purchased from an independent source for a fee.

Reasons for Searching through Public Records

The two groups of people who most often utilize public records are employers and landlords. It is important to note that credit scores are indeed public record; many people are under the misconception that their credit score is private information. However, you do not need to be an employer or landlord to access public records. Some people make a routine of searching court records when they begin a new relationship or are considering a new roommate.

How to Access Public Records

There are several ways you can access public records, depending upon the type of information that you seek.

• Official vs. Private Searches - In most states and regions, public court records are available through the courthouse, state and county offices, or state house's publicly accessible website. If you are searching court records on a site that ends in ".gov," then you can be quite sure that you are searching the state or city's official database. However, some information, such as birth, death, or genealogy records, is not readily available for an online search in all states. Thus, this information is often available via a third party, who will usually charge a fee for the information procured.


• Ancestry and Cemetery Listings - One of the greatest benefits about searching your own public records is that you can discover information about your ancestry. Searching your family's name in birth records or immigration records allows you to discover fun facts about your ancestry and heritage. Public cemetery records can also be extremely useful if you want to find out where your ancestors or early relatives were buried.

Public records are extremely useful for many different purposes. However, if you are using a paid service to discover public information, make sure that the service is reputable. While many public records do indeed require a fee for the procurement of information, there are many scam websites that make empty promises they cannot fulfill. Practice common consumer sense, and you can easily use the internet during your public records search.

Not All Information is Usable

It is important to remember that not all public records are usable. While you may be legally able to search for certain pieces of information, you may not legally be allowed to use it against the person (i.e. when hiring or renting an apartment). For example, any charges that were dropped against a person cannot be used against him or her during a hiring or renting process. Even if a dropped charge seems serious, such as gun possession, it is completely unlawful to discriminate based upon the dropped charge.

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