In general, public records are those records that the public can access - for the most part - without restriction. These records are made available to the public because they were voluntarily disclosed or because the government activity involved required disclosure. Often they contain personal or private information about individuals.
Government agencies at all levels, from local through state and even federal, keep public records. All of these records are supposed to be free because they were disclosed for the purposes of public access.
You have the right to access these records. Go to the agency in question, request the record you want, and wait for the response. In many cases the record will be found and you can have the information. In some cases you may be asked for a small fee, which will cover technical expenses.
How come some online sites charge more than a nominal fee, then, if these records are supposed to be free? Well, the answer is actually more than one answer. Different companies have different reasons.
First, some of these sites have paid the government to get the documents. They then charge you to cover their own costs.
Others don't charge for the document itself, but for the resources t hat go into searching and storing the information. Maintaining a complex database is not inexpensive.
People who need quick access to records but can't pay should not be worried. You can also get online access to these records for free. Try to find the right sites to use by going to a search engine and searching for "public record access free sites."
You can also find websites to government agencies that allow free online access to records. Some other sites maintain databases of free records. These are generally smaller though than the sites that will charge you.
Government agencies at all levels, from local through state and even federal, keep public records. All of these records are supposed to be free because they were disclosed for the purposes of public access.
You have the right to access these records. Go to the agency in question, request the record you want, and wait for the response. In many cases the record will be found and you can have the information. In some cases you may be asked for a small fee, which will cover technical expenses.
How come some online sites charge more than a nominal fee, then, if these records are supposed to be free? Well, the answer is actually more than one answer. Different companies have different reasons.
First, some of these sites have paid the government to get the documents. They then charge you to cover their own costs.
Others don't charge for the document itself, but for the resources t hat go into searching and storing the information. Maintaining a complex database is not inexpensive.
People who need quick access to records but can't pay should not be worried. You can also get online access to these records for free. Try to find the right sites to use by going to a search engine and searching for "public record access free sites."
You can also find websites to government agencies that allow free online access to records. Some other sites maintain databases of free records. These are generally smaller though than the sites that will charge you.
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