Understanding Public Records: What They Are & How to Access Them
Public records are documents and data maintained by government agencies that are available to the general public. They form the backbone of people search engines.
Types of Public Records
Government Records
- Voter registration — name, address, party affiliation, voting history
- Census data — demographic information (released after 72 years)
- Business filings — LLC registrations, DBA filings, corporate records
Court Records
- Civil court cases — lawsuits, divorces, name changes
- Criminal records — arrests, charges, convictions
- Bankruptcy filings — Chapter 7, 11, and 13 bankruptcies
- Judgments and liens — court-ordered debts
Property Records
- Deed transfers — property sales, ownership changes
- Tax assessments — property values, tax amounts
- Mortgage records — lender, loan amount, terms
- Foreclosure filings — default notices, auction records
Vital Records
- Birth certificates — name, date, parents
- Marriage licenses — names, date, county
- Divorce decrees — names, date, terms
- Death records — name, date, cause (varies by state)
Phone and Address Records
- Phone directories — listed numbers, names, addresses
- Change of address records — USPS forwarding data
- Utility connections — name and address (varies)
How People Search Engines Use Public Records
People search engines like ActualPeopleSearch aggregate data from multiple public record sources to build comprehensive profiles. The process involves:
- Collecting records from government databases, court systems, and other public sources
- Matching records across sources using names, addresses, and other identifiers
- Building unified profiles that combine all available information
- Making profiles searchable by name, phone, email, or address
How to Access Public Records Yourself
- County clerk's office — property records, court filings, marriage licenses
- State court systems — many have online case search portals
- PACER — federal court records (small per-page fee)
- People search engines — aggregated records, free to search
Privacy and Public Records
While public records are available to anyone, they are subject to certain restrictions. The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) prohibits using certain records for credit, employment, or housing decisions without proper authorization.