Search Public Records

The SearchQuarry.com Public Records Database

In the SearchQuarry.com member’s area you will find access to various types of public records including criminal records, liens, bankruptcies, court records, birth records, death records, marriage records, divorce records, driving records, vehicle records, people search, and phone number lookups.

What Are Public Records?

The idea of a government maintaining public records is as old as civilization itself; Babylonians scratched birth, death, and marriage records into clay tablets. Then, as now, the mere existence of a public record doesn’t mean it’s easy to find. In today’s world, computers and the Internet have reduced the necessity to physically visit real-world record archives, though the task of sifting through the mountain of digital information can seem at least, if not more, formidable. Knowing which databases to search and how to construct a decent search string can help cut through the clutter and make the task more manageable. The first thing we need to assess, though, is what exactly constitutes a public record?

Public Records
As you would probably surmise, a public record is the reporting of facts from an official government source. These facts are freely available to any member of the community. He or she has only ask for them. Though public records contain information you, as a member of the public, have a right to see, government bodies often choose to place restrictions on: 

* What types of information can be made public
* How it can be stored
* How it can be distributed

The two broad categories of public records are those containing information about individuals and those with information related to companies and government agencies. Let’s take individuals first.

Individual Public Records
Some people get a little ill when they first comprehend the sheer amount of information gathered on them by different governments’ and agencies simply as a matter of living life in the modern age. Unless you strive to live an “off the grid” existence, there is a prodigious digital trail following you throughout your life. A partial list of the types of information anyone can find out about you include:

* Name
* Address
* Birthday / Age
* Names of family members
* Political party affiliation
* Past arrests
* Businesses or websites owned

As mentioned, don’t consider this a conclusive list. There almost certainly is additional information about you available to anyone motivated to conduct a thorough search, employing paid databases or private investigators. Individual information can be gleaned from records such as birth and death records, marriage and divorce records, deeds and other property records, professional and business licenses, driving and criminal records, sex offender status, court records, voter registration, and more.

Corporate/Government Public Records
These types of records can usually be found on documents created by the business or agency itself through the maintenance of mandated public records. Normally more statistical than individual records, here is the type of information you should be able to find: revenue, number of employees, “doing business as” names, collection efforts, business credit score, payment history, business ownership, and more. 

Public records you should focus on to find such information would be real estate appraisals, census records, government spending reports, legislative minutes, consumer protection information, liens, judgments, bankruptcy filings, as well as Uniform Commercial Code filings. 

Before You Search
There are a couple of important ideas to keep in mind before embarking on a search of public records. Early in your endeavor you will almost certainly stumble across companies who can do the search more thoroughly and faster - for a fee. These types of companies, which include us here at SearchQuarry.com, can provide you with this information much easier than it would be to go out and search the various government offices. However, you should know that anything that is a matter of public record will be provided free through a government agency somewhere, you just need to know which government agencies to check. Using SearchQuarry.com for public records access is much more efficient, saving you a lot of time.

 
There also exists a little piece of legislation you might have heard of called the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). This is federal legislation forcing a government agency to release public record information to any member of the public who requests it. Keep in mind this relates only to the release of information. There is no requirement to create new records, conduct research, analyze data, or answer questions. The FOIA applies at the local level also but your task becomes more granular. Requests often must be made through specific municipality resources like town halls, municipal courts, county clerk offices, etc.

Google It
Your first method of search should be Google. This mega-search engine knows as much about what’s going on in the world as anyone, and is an excellent way to begin uncovering public data. Enclose the name of the person or business in quotes when you search (“John Dillinger” or “The Widget Company”). Don’t forget you can use the Google Phonebook to find addresses and phone numbers for residential and business listings.

If you can’t find the information that you are looking for directly from a search engine, we feel like we here at SearchQuarry.com are an excellent option for consumers of information. Our service is affordable and efficient.