Public Records Research
The federal and state governments in the United States have passed very specific laws on what information is to be made public. There is a wealth of knowledge available to those who want to search for it, and some of this information can be very useful in making personal or business-related decisions.
Specialized Resource Group can help you understand how to get information from public records research and the limitations of such research.
What Are Public Records?
Simply put, public records are any records that contain information about an individual or a business that are made public. Anyone can look at public records and can use the information as they see fit.
There are many types of information available as part of state and federal public records. Under the Freedom of Information Act, many records regarding government activity are now available, as well as personal information about people and information about businesses that has always been made public.
Examples of personal information available through public records include:
- Legal proceeding records. Any time someone is arrested, tried in a court of law, a party to a lawsuit or probates a will, there is a public record of the event filed at the courthouse in which the legal proceeding occurred. Divorces, real estate transactions and other information is all contained in courthouse records and is freely available to anyone who chooses to look at it, unless the court proceeding is sealed for some reason.
- Birth, marriage and death certificates. In California, marrying couples have the option of keeping their marriage certificate out of the public record, but most places keep marriage certificates as a matter of public record. In addition, any time someone is born or dies, the certificate is entered into the public record of that location. This means that in order to find a birth, marriage or death certificate, some research may be necessary.
- Public statistics. Economic activity and population are two examples of freely accessible information derived from public records.
- Some financial information. Some companies are required to file public notices about their financial activities, while some business transactions are made a matter of public record. Transactions involving real estate may not be required to show the amounts of compensation, but this can often be derived easily from the amount of taxes paid, a matter of public record.
- Salaries. Many public officials, teachers and others have salaries that are a matter of public record.
There is a great deal of information that can be derived from public records searches. Specialized Resource Group has the experience and knowledge to find information in the public records that may be of use to our clients. We can help you make sense of the report and find out the facts before you make a personal or business decision. We can also help you gather evidence for a case against another individual based on public information.
Contact Specialized Resource Group today for more information.