Find Court Records With a First and Last Name
Learn How to Find Court Records Online
There are official government records for every type court case criminal and civil. All cases that run through US court systems are generally considered public domain, unless the records pertain to juveniles, have been sealed or have expunged by the courts. Many of these records are available online, if you know where to look.
You can join in the conversation in our court records blog at the bottom of the page and find what you’re looking for. Feel free to reach out and ask any questions you have and we will do our best to assist you with your court records needs.
Types of Court Records
The federal, state and local courts maintain a variety of court records, including:
- Criminal court records
- Summons and complaints
- Arrest records
- Civil court records
- Family court records (such as marriage, divorce and custody)
- Bankruptcy court records
- Land deed records
What You Can Find in
- Names of all parties involved
- Names of attorneys
- Name of the judge
- Case number
- Court dates and location
- Case files
- Court Dockets
- Arrest warrant
- Supporting documents
- Final judgments
Unless the judge has sealed the court record, such as with juvenile cases, domestic violence cases, adoption and some civil cases, all the files pertaining to the case are available to the general public. Personal information, such as social security numbers, are typically omitted from all court records.
Start a Court Record Search With a First and Last Name
Reasons to Search for a Court Record
Attorneys and news reporters find court records on a regular basis. However, there are many different reasons why everyday people might need to search for a court record, such as:
- Criminal background check on anyone
- Check up on a date or a neighbor
- Check up on suspicious people
- Filing a civil suit against another party
- A civil suit was filed against you
- Requesting an expungement
- Getting remarried or divorced
- Check for land ownership
- Requesting a name change
How to Find Court Records Online
Before you begin to find court records online, you should gather as much information, such as names of individuals involved in the case or case number, county and state where court was held, and the type of court case requesting.
How you make an online request depends on which court the case went through.
Federal Court Records
All federal court records, including district court and bankruptcy courts, are available through the PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) website. You must start by creating a user account. You will be asked to enter your credit card information. However, you are not required to do so in order to establish an account or use the PACER website. Once you set up an account, you can follow the easy prompt to request the specific court record you need. PACER charges a nominal fee. You will be billed on a quarterly basis. If your quarterly bill is less than a certain amount, then the fee might be waived. If you do not have enough information to find the right court record, you can request a search, but it will cost a few bucks per search.
Where to Lookup State Court Records
Most states offer an online portal for obtaining state court records. Depending on your specific state, you also may be able to locate county records on the state site. The type of information available online varies from state to state. You can find the link to your state’s various courts at the NCSC (National Center for State Courts) website. Look for the Court Records link on your state’s portal and follow the directions for requesting a court record.
How to Obtain County Court Records
The availability of online county court records varies from location to location. In some cases, you may be able to view basic information, such as names of all parties involved and final judgment online, but you will have to make a written or in-person request for more court specific information. Check out your county’s Clerk of Courts Office website to see what records are available in your area. If records are not available online, see section below.
Third-Party Online Vendors
We are a third party online vendor. We provide instant access to court records along with unlimited searches and reports from our member’s area. We also offer a free trial.
Obtain Court Records In-Person
Due to the ease of ordering court records online, the federal court system has halted in-person requests. However, most public libraries offer free internet services, and in many cases, the library staff can help you make an online request through the PACER system.
Most state and local courts, however, do allow you to make a request to see or obtain a copy of a court record in person. Depending on your specific state, you may be able to simply stop by your local Clerk of Courts office and find court records in person. You must provide the Clerk of Courts with enough information about the case to make it easy to find. You can view the record right at the court’s office, but you will not be able to take it with you. However, you can request a copy of the entire record for a nominal fee per page. Most local offices also allow you to make this request in writing, but you will need to pay for the copies up front and provide a return envelope.
Court Record Frequently Asked Questions
Can I lookup court records for free?
Yes, it's possible to lookup someone's court records for free but the information may be somewhat limited. A complete court record, especially if it's a certified copy will cost a bit, typically it's a nominal fee. You can make your court record request from the clerk of the courts or you can also use online non-government websites to view court record information online. Since most all court records are public domain, everyone has the right to access public information via the FOIAHow can I get a copy of my court records online?
You can visit the courthouse website where your court case was located and make a request online. Typically online court record requests take a few weeks to process and have a certified copy sent to you via mail.Comments
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Last Updated: 2021-11-22
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I’m trying to find out how much my deceased mother assets are worth
I need to get a copy of my old name change filing. It was filed in Virginia about 10 years ago, and I have lost my paper copy.
Elizabeth, if you’re looking to obtain a certified copy of your court record for your name change you will need to reach out to the Virginia courthouse where you filed this. You can call up the clerk of the court, or email them, and make an inquiry as to what you need to do in order to obtain a copy for your records and official purposes. Our public record resources are for online reference only and are cannot be used for official purposes. Please reach out if we can assist you with any court related inquiries in the future.
I have no.credit card and looking for divorce records out of sacramento ca
Kira, we can certainly verify a divorce record for you but if you’re looking to obtain a certified copy of your California divorce record you will want to contact the California Department of Public Health directly. their phone number is 916-324-6630
Im being harassed by Property manager/owner and I know im not the first and need to get any information on him and business what should i do? And does anyone know of legal representation or dept like dfeh?
I do not have a credit card.I thought the review was free for one time How can I get one free information on me?
We are happy to help you with a Free Court Record Search. If you can provide us with your full name, age and state of residence we can perform a court record search for you
Kenny
Kenny, if you can provide us with your full name, age and state and county of residency we can assist you with a court record search
what are the punishments against those people who misused the social media? Like facebook posting or else.
The punishments for misuse of social media can vary dramatically. If someone is harassing you via social media then they are susceptible to the same punishments as harassment in other walks of life. If someone is stalking you then it’s considered stalking just as though someone was doing it outside of social media. The only caveat to the punishment of these crimes is it’s sometimes difficult to track someone down or find out who the culprit is. If you feel that you’re the victim of a crime via social media then your best course of action is to contact the police and file a police report. Many police departments and courthouses have a cyber-crime division that will help you to navigate through the options to handling a crime via social media.
I AM TRYING TO FIND MY FANCES CASE NUMBER FOR WHEN HE WENT TO COURT IN 2009-2010 IN ALABAMA.
You will want to visit the Alabama Judicial System website and use the AlaFile Court Case Search Portal.
Find an Alabama Case Number
1. Visit the Alabama Judicial System website
2. Register with the AlaFile Court Case Search
3. Once registered search for court documents by name
4. Enter as much information as available
5. Find the Alabama Court Case Number
I need to find out how to file a civil action suit in the Athens-County State Court against insurance companies and attorneys. The parties are based in Atlanta, Ga.
but the incident occurred in Athens, Ga. I need to make sure of the jurisdiction before I file it. Can anyone help me?
If I am seeking record(s) for my great grandfather’s name change once he immigrated to America, how can I do so Is that something I can do on this website? Please advise. I know that it was likely sometime between 1915-1935 but if I had to I could expand the years.
I need his original surname because I can not trace my heritage without the surname he was born with.
Thank you for your time and assistance pertaining to this matter,
The public records that you are looking for are immigration records and is not a public record offered by our service. Your best bet to locate these immigration records is to visit the Archives.gov website. They are a government that archives most all American immigration records from the time frame you are looking for.
How To Find Immigration Records
1. Visit the National Archives website
2. Select Immigration Records research
3. Lookup immigration records by micro-film
4. You can also visit the National Archives in Person
Is there a way to get a copy of a 21 page brief written by Seth Waxman for several companies including Apple, Inc., AMici, Cisco Systems, Inc, Facebook, Ins., Google, Inc., and so forth? My husband needs some of the information for his Federal Appeal he is working on. He has been trying to get out for 6 years and the brief may help.
Thanks,
Unfortunately we don’t have that type of information in our court records database. If you can provide us with additional information as to what type of brief you’re inquiring about we can certainly research this and try and assist you as best we can. Additionally our court record resources are for reference only and cannot be used in a court of law for legal purposes. That being said we can point you in right direction if you can elaborate some more on the court records briefing you’re interested in.
My last name is ‘”Burnside” I misspelled it in first post
I need to speak to an actual person.
Hello Tyhesha,
I understand your concern however we do not offer certified copies of divorce record papers. We offer online access to divorce records, marriage records and court records but they are not certified copies of the original. That being said, if you can give me the state and county you originally received your divorce papers from, I can research where to get certified divorce record copies from.
Best Regards,
The Search Quarry Team
How can I get copies