Best ways to search public records online without getting scammed

[Matias Baker]

Hey all, I’m looking for reliable ways to search public records stuff like court cases, property ownership, licenses. I know some of this is available through local government websites but honestly the user interfaces are all over the place and sometimes borderline unusable.

I’ve seen some sites and a few others that promise full reports but they all seem to be either super vague about what you’ll get or immediately ask for payment before showing anything useful.

I’m not doing anything shady or trying to dig into people’s personal lives. I just want to understand what’s publicly available and how to access it efficiently for research purposes. Ideally something that’s legit.

Is there a trustworthy way to search public records that you’ve actually used and would recommend?

 

[Sariah Daugherty]

Start with your state and county websites directly. Most court systems have online portals clunky, yes but free and accurate. Avoid third party all in one services unless you know they’re legit.

 

[Turner Norton]

Beenverified, truthfinder and intelius all promise the moon but mostly give broad summaries unless you pay. If it’s not for legal reasons stick to official sources.

 

[Kylee Bowman]

Pacer is great for federal court records but it’s clunky and charges by the page. Still it’s the real deal if you’re looking for legit civil or criminal filings.

 

[Alice Baldwin]

If you’re after property records go to your local county assessor or recorder of deeds site. It’s slow but it’s where the cleanest data lives.

 

[Jaiden Coffey]

Licensing boards are usually public too. I’ve checked medical licenses, contractor licenses even cosmetology certs on state run portals.

 

[Paola Sullivan]

The trick is to start with .gov or .us domains. If a site ends in .com and immediately asks for money, be skeptical.

 

[Evan Dillon]

Check nclamp.gov if you’re in North Carolina, tons of court and civil info. Other states have similar legal aid or court access portals.

 

[Laurel Contreras]

Been stung by a few shady background sites. They show a fake loading bar and then demand $30 for a report that’s 90% guesswork.

 

[Emilio Jensen]

Lots of data nerds share public resources and legitimate ways to dig through records.

 

[Jane Murillo]

Don’t forget FOIA requests. Takes longer but you can get a surprising amount of info legally and for free.

 

[Jonas Chung]

OpenCorporates is great for searching business registrations internationally. Free and pretty straightforward.

 

[Scout Lucas]

Check your state’s department of corrections or sex offender registry directly. Most are public and searchable.

 

[Emely Simon]

Avoid any site that uses language like you won’t believe what we found on this person. Total scam bait.

 

[Turner Wilkinson]

County tax collector sites often let you pull up property history, sale amounts and even maps. Very underrated

 

[Andi Ramos]

Local newspapers sometimes have digital archives you can search for past legal notices or court decisions.