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Government Public Records Available Online

By Claire Dowell


The United States federal and state regulations dictate what US records are accessible to the public and the means for citizens to obtain them. New York public records consist of an assortment of records of birth, death, military, property, and so on. Essentially, anything that the state, county, city or federal agency recorded can be available to the people. The Freedom of Information Act and the Privacy Act depict the types of files that are open to public. Because of the number of agencies drawn in the events, several agencies keep the records.

Public information at the local level is generally related to public agency records such as local building permits, ballot applications, ordinances and city council meeting minutes. The majority of personal records such as birth and marriage certificates are handled at the county or state level. Apart from city records, churches and cemeteries may have local records you are looking for.

For events that occurred recently, the county clerk's office may be the first place to go to. These records are issued at the county level but they get transferred to the state eventually. The state is your next stop if you need to find older records of birth, death or marriage. For instance, if the person whose birth certificate you are looking for was recently born in New York, you would have to search the county clerk, assessor or recorder in New York.

All states have an office that maintains public information. The public health department of the state has a division for this named the Office of Vital Statistics. To get a copy of the public documents like marriage licenses, birth and death certificates, an application form must be filled out. First off, you have to confirm if you are qualified to ask for a record. For instance, if the person's records have not been on public domain, sufficient proof must be provided to gain access to it.

In order to qualify, you must be the person whose name appears on the birth certificate or are the legal custodian or agent. There is a fee to be paid for every search and print of the record. The records at the federal level compose of federal court levels, immigration records, military records, etc. The corresponding agency maintaining the records should be contacted.

Trying to figure out who is in charge of the records you need can be the hardest part about looking for public information. US residents have other options to do a free public records search. The internet delivers public data online through numerous online records providers. State and federal agency sites, genealogy sites and membership sites are among the several options for finding public records in the United States including New York City. A good way to find the records is to use the services of a records provider on the internet with its guaranteed fast results.




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