FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS - PUBLIC RECORDS19

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

PUBLIC RECORDS

The Law Library Staff prepares "Frequently Asked Questions" for the convenience of our users to provide access to a variety of sources
addressing particular points of law. These are general legal information sources, and are not to be construed as a substitute for
personal legal advice from an attorney. Please seek legal counsel to help you determine the applicability of any of the information in
these resources to your specific situation. The Cleveland Law Library makes no recommendation as to whether you should purchase
any services offered by the websites contained in this FAQ.

I. Public Records Law

z Citizen Access Project: View and compare state public access laws. Rankings, from dark to sunny, are
assigned to the various aspects of state public access laws. Some of the state laws even provide case
annotations and citations to law review articles.

z National Center for State Courts: Links to statutes, rules, articles and dockets for the fifty states and U.S.
Federal Court.

z FOIA Advocates: How to file a FOI request, sample requests and sample appeals.

z Citizen's Guide to Using the Freedom of Information Act

z Freedom of Information Act Reading Rooms: This blog entry from the Moritz Legal Information Blog provides
links to electronic reading rooms for eleven federal departments and agencies. The reading rooms contain
response materials, and sometimes contain frequently requested documents.

z Department of Justice FOIA: Besides FOIA for the Department of Justice, this site provides links to the FOIA
sites for other federal agencies.

z Looking for Sunshine: Protecting Your Right to Know: Information on state and federal sunshine laws and
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Freedom of Information Act requests.

z Society of Professional Journalists: Open Door: FAQs on various aspects of FOI law, and an alphabetical list of
FOI issues involving particular types of documents.

z Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas: FOIA request forms, links and free 1-800 hotline.

z 2004 PD Article: Recent Plain Dealer article.

z Poynter Online: Everything you need to be a better journalist. Toledo Blade, Cincinnati Enquirer, Cleveland PD
plus 40 other papers pulled together to do this series on Ohio’s open records.

z Sunshineweek.org: Contains links to open government websites and a sunshine law blog.

z Ohio Attorney General: An Ohio Sunshine Laws Update.

z Ohio LSC Members Only: Article on Ohio public records law.

z Ohio Dept. of Insurance: Online Public Records Request

z Ohio Auditor of State: Ohio’s Open Government Unit

II. Finding Public Records on the Web

z Public Records Portals & Guides

{ Netronline: Contains public records links for the fifty states, broken down by county. Offers people
searches and background checks for a fee.

{ Searchsystems.net: Contains a search engine to locate the desired type of public record. Links by type
of public record and by state and Canadian province.

{ PublicRecords.com: Has a free people finder search that will give cities and state of residence, age and
possible relatives. There is a fee for any other information. Free search for bankruptcies and civil
judgments, but detailed information requires payment. Search for real property, divorce and marriage,
but these are limited to certain states and detailed information requires a fee. Real property search is
for 42 states.

{ Black Book Online: Links to free searches for phone numbers, assets, criminal records, state and federal
records and more. Links to both free and fee databases.

{ Virtual Gumshoe: A search engine allows you to select the jurisdiction and type of record you want, to
find an appropriate database.

{ Public Record Finder: Links to both fee and free databases. Arranged by topic and by state. Some
Canadian links.

{ BRB Publications: Links to free sites, arranged by jurisdiction. Links and hints for finding motor vehicle
records.

{ Merlin Information Services: Links for free public records and directory searches, including a state by
state breakdown.

{ Cleveland.com: Your Right to Know

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{ Virtual Chase Public Records Guide

{ Virtual Chase: How to Conduct a Background Check

{ The Art of Public Records Research: from the Virtual Chase. Discusses what is a public record and what
is private information.

{ Internet Research Digs Up Private Matters: by Carole Levitt & Mark Rosch, Law Technology News, Dec.
28, 2006, reprinted at Law.com. This article discusses how to use websites such as MySpace.com,
dating service websites, classmate websites, Google groups and power point presentations to find
information about people, including addresses, phone numbers and more.

z Birth/Death/Marriage Records

{ Ohio Department of Health: Information on ordering birth, death, marriage and divorce records for
Ohio.

{ Cuyahoga County Probate Court Marriage License Index: Contains records for marriages from 1810 to
1998.

{ Cleveland Necrology File: A CPL database.

{ Northwest Ohio Obituary Index

{ Ohio Death Index 1913-1944

{ Social Security Death Index at Rootsweb.

{ National Center for Health Statistics: How to obtain vital records (birth, death, marriage) in all fifty
states.

{ Americas Obituaries and Death Notices: A CPL database, containing newpaper obituaries, mostly
starting in 1990.

{ Online Searchable Death Indexes

{ Vitalrec.com: Links and information on how to order copies of birth and death certificates, marriage and
divorce records in all fifty states.

{ For-fee databases such as Lexis, Westlaw and Accurint may provide access to marriage records. Lexis
has eight states available, not including Ohio. Not all states are up-to-date. Westlaw has 12 states,
including Ohio, and a combined file. Many states are not up-to-date. Ohio is 1972 to 2003.

z Corporation Records - Secretaries of State

{ National Association of Secretaries of State: Links to Secretary of State offices in all fifty states.

{ Resident Agent Information

{ Westlaw CORP-ALL database can search Secretary of State data for all 50 states at once.

z Property Records

{ All Types of Property

„ Westlaw ASSET-ALL database: For a fee, this database searches for real property, motor vehicles,
stock, aircraft, or watercraft in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the Virgin islands.
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{ Real Estate
„ Butler County Clerk Statewide Property Search: Links to recorder's office for each county in Ohio.

„ Medina County Auditor: Links to the auditor's website for each Ohio County.

„ Statewide Real Estate Tax Search: Also from Butler County Clerk's office, links to county auditors'
offices.

„ Neo Cando: Property, tax and transfer information for properties in Northeast Ohio. Search by
address, parcel number, census tract, ward or city.

„ Portico: search by each county.

„ Property Assessment Databases: search by each county.

„ Also, try some of the other public records portals, listed above, such as Netronline.

„ Lexis ALLOWN: for a fee, searches Tax Assessor, Deed Transfer and Mortgage Records for
selected states and counties. Can search all states and counties available at once.

„ Lexis OHOWN: for a fee searches Ohio tax assessor records, deed transfer and mortgage records.
Has real property data for 47 counties, which can be search simultaneously.

„ Westlaw RP-ALL: Fee database: Tax assessor records, county recorder's records and registrars of
deeds records. Includes records for transfer of property as well as foreclosure records. Coverage
varies by county. Can search on Ohio database separately.

„ OPENonline: For a fee, one can search real property records for 45 Ohio counties. Can also run
searches for 44 other states, with records from selected counties in those states.

„ Lexis ALLJGT: Combined judgments and liens. Also, Lexis has separate lien databases for each
state. "Free" on library's Lexis plan.

{ Airplanes
„ Portico

„ Landings

„ Lexis, Westlaw and OPENonline also have aircraft searches for a fee.

{ Boats
„ Portico

„ Ohio Department of Public Safety Online Vehicle/Watercraft Title Inquiry: Search for an owner of a
watercraft by title number or VIN number.

„ Lexis, Westlaw and OPENonline also have boat searches for a fee.

{ Horses
„ Portico

{ Motor Vehicles
„ Ohio Department of Public Safety Online Vehicle/Watercraft Title Inquiry: Search by title number
or VIN number.

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„ Carfax.com: Free search will tell you the year and make a vehicle, when a VIN number is entered.
There are free searches for manufacturers buy backs under lemon laws, and for recalls. For a fee,
you can find out how many people owned the vehicle and for how long, whether there are title
problems, odometer problems and whether the car was in an accident or stolen. Carfax reports
DO NOT provide the names of the former owners.

„ Lexis, Westlaw and OPENonline also have motor vehicle searches for a fee. One can search for a
person's name, unlike the BMV site above, to see what vehicles they own. The OPENonline site
requires knowledge of the person's social security number.

{ Unclaimed Funds
„ The following Plain Dealer article details how to find unclaimed funds, and discusses the websites
listed below. "On Your Own Unclaimed Funds" by Sheryl Harris, The Plain Dealer, June 5, 2006.

„ National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators: Search for unclaimed property in

thirty-five states at once, find search engines for each state.

„ Ohio Department of Commerce Online Treasure Hunt: To find unclaimed funds held by the State
of Ohio. After five years, funds held by county or local governments are required to be turned
over to the Ohio Department of Commerce. See ORC 9.39 and the Cuyahoga County Treasurer's
Webpage.

„ County Unclaimed Funds: Check for money not yet transfered to the State, or money not reported
to the State. Contact the County Auditor's office or Treasurer's office.
„ For Cuyahoga County, contact the County Treasurer's Office

„ Geauga County Auditor Unclaimed Funds Search

„ Medina County Auditor Online Search
„ Summit County Fiscal Office Online Search

„ FAQ Unclaimed Money and Assets: From the United States Treasury Department. Includes links to
online databases to find unclaimed U.S. securities and payments, HUD/FHA mortgage insurance
refunds, credit union unclaimed shares and pension funds from former employers (PBGC Missing
Participant Search). Provides a link to the United States Government Manual, which provides
contact information for federal agencies.

„ Internal Revenue Service: Information on tax refunds which may be due to you.

z Criminal Records

{ Inmate/Corrections information
„ Federal Bureau of Prisons

„ Corrections.com

„ Vinelink.com

„ Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections Offender Search

„ The Virtual Chase: Research Guide for Criminal Records

„ Lexis Criminal History Records (36 States) and Inmates Locators (selected states).

{ Sex Offender Registries

„ National Sex Offender Public Registry: Can search for names of sex offenders in multiple state

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databases at once. Does not have access to all states at this time. Can also generate lists of sex
offenders by zip code or city.

„ FBI's State Sex Offender Registries: provides links to state sex offender databases.

„ Sexcriminals.com: provides links to state sex offender databases in the U.S. and Canada.

{ Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated (OVI, formerly called DUI):

„ Hot Sheet News: from the Ohio Department of Public Safety. Monthly newsletter identifies repeat
OVI (DUI) arrestees. The information is submitted by law enforcement agencies, not the BMV and
is based on arrests, not convictions. The number of prior OVI arrests is given, but only detailed
information about the most current arrest is provided.

„ If there is a permissible purpose for obtaining the information, the past three years of OVI
offenses can be obtained from OPENonline.

{ Try searching court dockets, below

z Court Dockets

{ The U.S. Party Case Name Index (PACER)

{ Justia - Federal District Court Filings: Can search for name, lawsuit type and date of filing. Will give the
case number and basic case information, but not the docket. Can be used before going on Pacer to save
the initial search for the case number.

{ LLRX.com Court Rules & Dockets

{ Public Record Finder - Dockets

{ Virtual Chase Docket Resources

{ Know-X Civil Lawsuit Finder: For a small fee, you can search multiple county courts in a state at once.
Contains some jurisdictions not available on Lexis filings database.

{ Cleveland Law Library: Bankruptcy FAQ: How to find bankruptcy case information.

{ Virtual Chase - Case Information and Court Dockets

{ National Center for State Courts

{ Statewide Court Record's Search: The Butler County Clerk's office provides links to the docket of each
county common pleas court.

{ Cleveland Law Library: Links to Ohio dockets and court websites.

{ Lexis has "filings" databases for federal district courts, bankruptcy courts and some state courts. An
entry for each case will include case name, attorney name, name of judge, date filed and type of case
(subject matter).

{ Court House News: A subscription database which provides information on new cases filed in certain
courts. New case information is provided for Northern and Southern Districts of Ohio, Cuyahoga Court of
Common Pleas, and others.

{ Canadian Federal Court Docket Search

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z Voter Registration Records

{ Cuyahoga County Voter Search: When name and dob is entered, yields address of voter and polling
location.

{ Franklin County Voter Registration Search

z Political Campaign Donations

{ FECInfo: (Political Money Line) provides a donor look-up for federal campaign contributors.

{ Opensecrets.org: Donor name lookup for federal elections.

{ Ohio Secretary of State

{ Searchsystems.net: Links to various databases

{ Follow the Money.org: State political campaign donations.

z Professional Licenses

{ Ohio License Center: Obtain license information for numerous professions in Ohio. Can search by name,
license number or business name.

{ Ohio.gov Professional License Verification: Lists professions and provides links to search engines for
license verification.

z Physician Licenses/Disciplinary Actions

{ Citizen.org

{ Doc Finder

{ Ohio Medical Board Disciplinary Actions

z Attorney Licenses/Disciplinary Actions

{ Daily Legal News: Find out if a lawyer is licensed in Ohio

{ Ohio Supreme Court cases: Can be searched for attorney disciplinary actions back to 1993

{ Ohio Supreme Court: Attorney Information Search

{ ABA - Directory of Lawyer Discipinary Agencies: Provides phone numbers and sometimes web addresses
for lawyer disciplinary agencies in the fifty states.

{ National Lawyer Regulatory Databank: For a fee, one can search nationwide for disciplinary actions
against an attorney.

z Stock Broker Licenses/Disciplinary Action

{ SEC - Check Out Brokers and Advisors

{ National Futures Association's Background Affiliation Status Information Center (BASIC).

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{ NASD Brokercheck: Contains information gleaned from industry registration and license Forms BD and
U-4. Address and registration information is available immediately. Information on disclose events
(convictions, bankruptcies, etc. can be delivered in two days.

{ Certified Financial Planner Look-up

{ SEC - Investment Advisor Search

{ Ohio Department of Commerce: Securities Division: FAQ discusses obtaining information on brokers
from the state.

{ Zimmerman's Research Guide on Investment Advisors

{ Zimmerman's Legal Research Guide on Brokers

z Accountant Licenses/Disciplinary Action

{ Accountancy Board of Ohio License Look-up

{ Ohio Disciplinary Actions: The Accountancy Board of Ohio lists disciplinary actions from 1990 to the
present, as a result of formal hearings conducted under Chapter 119 of the Ohio Revised Code.

{ AICPA Disciplinary Actions

{ Search Systems.net: To find license look-ups for other states, click on the state in question, and look for
Licenses: Accountants. If the state does not provide an electronic look-up, call the Accountancy Board.

{ AICPA Links to State Board of Accountancy: The state board of accountancy has information on licensing
and discipline of accountants.

{ A search of state case law may yield more information on a disciplinary action, if it was appealed. Try
the state court's website, Lexis, Westlaw or Loislaw.

z Social Security Numbers

{ Search Bug: Tells whether a Social Security Number is valid.

{ Carnegie Mellon Social Security Number Watch: Tells whether a Social Security Number is valid, state
and date of issue.

{ Social Security Death Index: Verifies social security numbers for deceased people.

{ Resources for Social Security Numbers: by SearchEngineZ. Contains a table showing the first three
digits of the social security number, and which ones correspond to which state. This page identifies
eight states that use Social Security Numbers as drivers license numbers, but this practice has been
outlawed by the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004.

{ Social Security Number Verification: The Social Security Administration runs this site. Employers input
names and social security numbers, to varify the social security numbers. Site requires registration.

{ Privacy Rights Clearinghouse: "Your Social Security Number: How Secure is It?" - discusses whether
you must provide the government or a business with your social security number.

z Your Credit Report

{ Your Access to Free Credit Reports: Information from the Federal Trade Commission on how to obtain

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your free annual credit report. (Credit reports are not public records)

z Federal Government's Excluded Party List

{ Federal Government's Excluded Party List: Find out if person has been blocked from receiving cetain
types of financial or nonfinancial assistance from the federal government or is blocked from applying for
government contracts.

z Finding U.S. Military Personnel

{ Find People in the U.S. Military: an article from pibuzz.com.

{ Service Members Civil Relief Act Search Engine: From the Department of Defense. Indicates whether a
person is on active duty. Social security number required to perform a search.

{ National Archives Historical Military Personnel Information: Most information dates from the 1981 and
before. Includes military honors,deaths, wounded and POW information.

III. Document Retrieval Services

z Global Securities Information, Inc.: Look under "Order Documents" to order documents from courts and
agencies.

z Public Record Retriever Network

z Findlaw Marketcenter

z Legal Directories

BACK TO FAQs

Created on: August 16, 2004 - Last updated: 10/03/2007 15:47:27

Site has changed since last visit!

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