Why Access Court Records?

How can court records be useful to you? There are a number of different court records that are open to the public and can easily be accessed. Many can be found at the county or federal courthouse, and some are now available online. Usually there is not a fee to just look at the court records, but it can cost to make copies. All court records are public except juvenile records or in special cases when the judge seals the records.

Court records encompass a wide variety of different records. These records include court case files for civil court and for criminal court. Criminal court records will tell you information on the complaint, warrant for arrest, trial proceedings and the resolution of the case. Other court records include pleadings, complaint or petition for a case, trial transcripts, deeds, mortgages, marriages, divorces, leases, petitions for things such as name changes, contracts, land records such as oil and gas leases and land surveys, probate of wills, tax liens and debtors liens. Some common uses of court records:

• Perform background checks
• Research a piece of property before buying it
• Find the owner of a piece of property
• Research family history and genealogy

Background checks are the most common use of court records, and can be beneficial in many ways. You can discover if a potential business partner has excessive debt, or if a contractor you intend to hire for work in your home has a clean record. You can ensure that your child care provider doesn't have a criminal background. One interesting use of court records is to research your family's history. This can be done by searching for previous property ownership, records of marriages and divorces, and probates, or estate records.