What are public court records? The basic definition is simply documents that are compiled and stored by various public offices and agencies, from the federal level down to the district courts and county courts, and is made available to the general public. Unfortunately, every type of record has a different path you’ll need to follow in order to access them – and this path can, and does, differ from state to state – and in some cases, from county to county. Luckily, the Internet has made many of these records available in a far more expedient timeframe without the need of actually going to the courthouse.

While there are a multitude of variances within each topic, the basic breakdown of court records that are available to the public are as follows:

1. Criminal Records – These include criminal records from federal, state, and local courts. These can vary from arrest records to correction records to state repository records. The United States does not have a complete and fully accurate compilation of criminal records at the federal level for public consumption. In order for you to locate criminal records, your best bet is to start at the courthouse within the locality the crime occurred.

2. Vital Statistic Records– These include marriage, birth, adoption, death, and probate records. Usually, vital statistic records are held at either the state level or the county level – and again, this will depend upon the state in question. In most cases, marriage and death records are available to the public in every state. Adoption records are sealed in all but five states within the U.S.

3. Financial Records – These include bankruptcies, liens, business information and real estate and are all open to public scrutiny. However, as in all types of public records, the laws will vary from locality to locality. Which court you’ll need to access the information from will likely differ depending on the exact data you require.

When you've decided to look into a court case, you have two immediate options; offline searches or online searches. Before you begin either, you’ll need to gather as much identifying information about the person as possible. The most basic identifying data you should have includes:

1. First, middle, and last names. Don’t forget maiden names, alternate names, and nicknames (i.e. Bill for William), if they exist.

2. Birth dates and birth locations.

3.Current physical addresses as well as the past three years worth of residences.

With this list, you can either go offline, and begin at the court system within the proper locality and work your way up, or you can start your search online. You have a few different possibilities in using the Internet to speed up your investigation. If you’re still mostly interested in an offline search, the Internet will allow you to check the various state and local court websites to discover which court records are held where, and they will also tell you how to access the information you’re looking for within that system. In this way, you’ll be able to determine where the records are that you’re after.

However, there are quicker routes! While there are multitudes of online investigation agencies, most of them don’t allow you to access their databases yourself. In fact, most of these online agencies will ask you for a fee and then they’ll do the searches for you, based on data you give them. In most cases, you’ll receive an automated report delivered to your email address. The downside to these types of agencies is that you have no factual way of knowing which databases were actually searched and you often have to wait up to three days to see the data gathered.

When you need information, you don’t want to wait for it. There is a far better method to receiving the information you want, the way you want it! Here, you have unlimited access to our databases. You have unrestricted access to ALL searches. We give you the control to search our huge databases to get the information you want on an expedited basis. From direct statewide up to direct nationwide criminal history records to direct bankruptcy, legal judgments and lien records – you will receive the data you require – directly from the source.

In this way, you can immediately see your results and then use any new criteria found in another search for more detailed data. You don’t have to wait for a report or pay another fee!

The path to accessing public court records may seem tedious, but it doesn’t have to be. Utilizing online sources can smooth the rocky road so you can achieve the documents you need in record time – when you want them!