What is a public records search?

A public records search is a tool you use if you want to find information that has been recorded or filed by a public agency (e.g. a government department or a court). That information might be about a person (e.g. criminal or marriage record information), a property (e.g. property tax or zoning information) or a vehicle (e.g. accident or inspection reports). 

There are various tools around that enable you to perform a public records search, including tools that enable you to search people’s public records free.

Do a public records search now

Most public records search tools are web based (i.e. appear on a website) but some public records search tools have their own mobile phone apps.

When would I use a public records search?

You might use a public records search if you want to find out:

• If a person is married
• What assets a person owns
• Who owns a particular property
• How much property tax a house attracts
• If a car you’re thinking of buying has been in an accident
• If a person has a criminal record
• If a person has committed any traffic offenses
• If there are any registered sex offenders in a neighborhood

How does a public records search work?

A public records search tool has a field where you can type a person’s name or phone number, an address or a vehicle identification number (VIN), and a button you click to start the search. 

When you click the search button, the tool searches through billions of public records across a range of databases, then presents you with a series of matches  —  much like a normal search engine. You then click on the record you want to see the details of.

What’s the best FREE public records search tool in 2022?

The best free public records search tools we’ve found are TruePeopleSearch, WhitePages and FastPeopleSearch. All three are pretty easy to use, but they provide only very limited information for free, and the accuracy of that information may be questionable. All three make you pay to access detailed reports and, not surprisingly, the most useful information is always in the detailed reports. Of the three, TruePeopleSearch and FastPeopleSearch provide the most free detail.

We believe if you’re serious about doing a public records search, you’re far better off with a paid tool.

Here’s a comparison of the information these free tools can provide vs the information a good paid public records search tool can provide.

	TruePeopleSearch Free	WhitePages Free	FastPeopleSearch Free	BeenVerified Paid
Name
Current address
Previous addresses
Email addresses
Landline telephone numbers
Cell phone numbers
Social media profiles
Person’s photo
Map showing person’s addresses
Current & previous vehicles
Names of family members
Names of associates
Names of neighbors
Person’s profile page shows details about relatives, associates & neighbors
Marriage record information
Divorce record information
Ancestry information
Criminal, traffic & other public police records
Bankruptcies
Jobs
Education
Assets
Judgements & liens
Download PDF of reports
Monitor person’s records for changes
Create lists of people searched
Add notes to reports
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What’s the best PAID public records search tool in 2022?

We’ve reviewed a lot of public records search tools, and in our opinion the best, bang for buck, is definitely BeenVerified.

Do a public records search with BeenVerified now

BeenVerified is a 100% anonymous public records search that can find the following information:

Information about a person	Information about a property	Information about a vehicle
First & last names Aliases Birth record information Marriage & divorce record information Court records Traffic tickets Sex offenses	Possible owners Possible residents Lot size Property type Number of bedrooms & bathrooms Property tax liable Deeds	Photos A detailed history Past and present owner details Sale listings Accident history Salvage records Theft records
Criminal record Assets Bankruptcies Household demographics Education, hobbies & interests Phone numbers Email addresses Current & past addresses Family members, neighbors, friends & co-workers More…	Liens Value Nearby homes Surrounding area (including demographics, income, occupation details, education level, marital status, natural hazards, safety e.g. known sex offenders nearby) More…	Title records Recalls Market value Ownership cost Vehicle specs Warranties Vehicle safety information More…

By Glenn Murray

Glenn is Super Easy’s Customer Experience Director. He plans and executes training programs, designs user experiences, conducts conversion rate experiments, sets our style and tone of voice, contributes to SEO implementation & strategy, and oversees important internal & external communications. He also manages our technical support team.Glenn lives on the Central Coast of Australia, just north of Sydney, and enjoys walking, reading, music, wine and craft beer.

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