



Click to viewYou can use the web to find lots of things: information, videos, books, music, games, and yes, even public records. While our most private information can (usually) not be found online, you can track down items like birth certificates, marriage and divorce information, obituaries and licenses on the web. Keep reading to learn where to find public records online.


A brief note

All of the following web sites and methods of discovery are absolutely free, unless stated otherwise. There are many sites out there that advertise themselves as being free, but charge for their services - and they are not providing anything that you can't find yourself. If you do end up having to pay for something, it will most likely be at a physical location (i.e., a courthouse) in order to procure a copy of a particular public record.


Google

You can use Google to find a lot of preliminary information about someone. Simply Google their name - "Betsy Wetsy" - and you can start a good trail. If you know what clubs, workplaces, interests, etc. that the person is affiliated with, you can make this search a little bit more productive. You can also use the Google Phonebook to find both addresses and phone numbers (if they're listed); rp 555-121-1234 for residential listings, bp 555-121-1234 for business listings.

Google School: Phonebook lookups Find residential or business phone book listings using Google's rphonebook and bphonebook… Read more

Zabasearch

Controversial search engine Zabasearch gives some people the heebie-jeebies; however, Zabasearch ONLY returns results from what is already publicly accessible on the web (just all in one place). For instance, Zabasearch returned my last two known addresses complete with phone numbers along with a Google search for my name. For anything more substantial than that, I was asked to pony up some money for Intelius, a well-known pay-for-play investigative service. No, thanks. Zabasearch is great for finding names, addresses, and phone numbers (and sometimes birth dates) quickly and easily.


ZabaSearch people search Recently-launched Zaba Search uncovers a whole lot of information about people given their first… Read more

Vital records

Here are the best vital records mega-sites for starting a vital records search:


Phone books

If you're looking for something other than an unlisted or cell phone number (yeah, sorry), you can find it online using these directories:


Licenses

Need to find a professional license for someone? No problem:

FindLaw's Legal Directory

AMA Doctor Finder

You can also do a simple Google search to find other licensed professionals, i.e., Oregon contractors


Obituaries

You can use the web to find an obituary:


Criminal

Criminal records are somewhat easy to track, though it varies by state.


Miscellany

There are so many more great sites for public records. Here are a few more of my favorites:


This list is by no means conclusive. Got a favorite public records search site? Please share in the comments.

Wendy Boswell, Lifehacker's Weekend Editor, gets most of her public records search savvy from Agent Jack Bauer. Subscribe to her feature series Technophilia using the Technophilia feed.