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PROCESS GUIDE / 01

Find the record.
Keep the trail.

The fastest reliable search starts with a document, a jurisdiction, and the office that maintains it—not a broad promise to “search everything.”

Reviewed by PublicReports · Updated

FIVE STEPS

A source-first search protocol

Keep a short research log as you go: query, source URL, access date, identifiers used, and what the system says it covers.

  1. 01

    Name the record

    Describe the document or fact you need: a court docket, deed, parcel assessment, business filing, license status, or certificate.

  2. 02

    Place the event

    Identify the state, county, city, court district, agency, or other jurisdiction connected to the record.

  3. 03

    Find the custodian

    Look for the government office that creates or maintains that record, then open its official search or request page.

  4. 04

    Search with identifiers

    Use a case number, filing number, parcel ID, license number, event date, or narrow name-and-location combination.

  5. 05

    Verify before relying

    Check the source, coverage, update date, subject match, and whether you are viewing an index, image, or official copy.

SEARCH METHOD / VISUAL NOTES

Editorial illustrations clarify the workflow. They do not depict a specific office, person, or record.

Illustrative source-first research desk with an archive box, map, notebook, and search screen
ILLUSTRATIVEKeep a traceable route from the task to the official source and the result you reviewed.
Illustrative public information terminal with an abstract official-record search interface
ILLUSTRATIVEOfficial search tools vary in coverage, fields, and update timing.
Illustrative verification desk with four blank cards, a magnifying glass, and an archive box
ILLUSTRATIVECheck source, scope, date, and identity before relying on a result.

IDENTIFIER PLANNER

Use the detail that belongs to the record.

RecordStart withThen narrow
CourtCase number or partyCourt, case type, filing date
PropertyAddress or parcel IDOwner, tax year, legal description
BusinessEntity name or filing numberFormation state, agent, status
Vital eventEvent type and placeDate, names, certificate type
LicenseLicense number or nameProfession, regulator, state

ACCESS ≠ COPY

“Free search” can still lead to a paid document.

An agency may let you search an index without charge while charging for document images, printing, archive retrieval, or certification. PACER, for example, publishes separate federal access and fee guidance.

Confirm the cost and the exact thing you will receive before ordering. If you need formal proof, ask whether the result is an informational index, an uncertified copy, or a certified copy.

U.S. Courts · PACER access and fees ↗

IMPORTANT USE BOUNDARY

The Fair Credit Reporting Act regulates consumer reports used for employment, credit, insurance, housing, and other covered eligibility decisions. PublicReports is not a consumer reporting agency and does not provide a permissible-purpose, consent, dispute, or adverse-action workflow.

FTC and EEOC · Background checks for employers ↗

NEXT

Choose the next move.

01Browse record types↗02Choose a state↗03Build a public-record request↗04Verify what you found↗05Open the court records route↗