Public Records Can Reveal a Wealth of Information for Personal and Professional Purposes

NEW YORK - May 22, 2013 - PRLog -- Public records are documents which are not considered confidential. The government collects and stores certain information. The following types of information are generally considered part of public record and are available under the Freedom of Information Act:

•   Business Licenses
•   Census Records
•   Criminal Records
•   Consumer Protection Information
•   Court Dockets
•   Government Spending Reports
•   Legislation Minutes
•   Professional Licenses
•   Real Estate Appraisal Records
•   Sex Offender Registration Files
•   Voter Registration

Vital Records Search of Public Records

Public records can also include birth, marriage, divorce and death records. Each state sets its own rules about when these types of vital records may be released to the public.

In some states, birth records will only be released to the person named on the certificate, his or her parents, a sibling, or a legal representative acting on his or her behalf. This policy was implemented to combat identity theft.

Marriage and divorce records may also be restricted to the people named on the certificate for a certain number of years. Once the restriction period has passed, anyone can order a copy of the record.

Death records may also be restricted to family members and legal representatives only. Access to these official records may be limited for a certain time limit after the person's death. After that point, the record may be ordered by anyone who wishes to obtain a copy of the record.

Why Order Public Records

The information contained in public records can be used to conduct background checks for employment purposes. A company may wish to confirm that a candidate applying for a job has the credentials he or she claims to have on a resume. Conducting a business or professional license search can confirm the person's qualifications quickly. Anyone who will be working with children or the elderly should be screened to make sure that they do not have a criminal record and that they are not on the Sex Offender Registration Files.

Someone who wishes to hire a private contractor to come into his or her home to perform child care, gardening, pool care, bookkeeping or another personal service can also order a criminal record check before making a hiring decision. That way, they are not bringing someone into their home who may be a potential threat.

These records can provide useful information for people wishing to conduct genealogical information. The dates on the records can help to fill in the blanks on a family tree. They can also confirm the correct spelling of a family member's name.

Ordering Public Records

Public records can be ordered in person, by mail or online. Ordering records in person involves going to a government office and standing in line waiting for counter service. Mail orders take time to process and return to the requestor by return mail.

The quickest, most efficient way to receive this information is by placing the order online. A person can place an order on a 24/7 basis and receive the results in his or her in box electronically a short time later.

Recommended reading:

http://gov-record.org/