People Search, the Official-Records Way

Commercial people-search sites resell stale public records. The official-records route — voter rolls, property indexes, court dockets, business registries, vital records — is slower but free and verifiable, and the state guides sequence it: which records are open in that state, and in what order to run them.

All 51 jurisdiction guides linked below are maintained individually. Content reviewed July 30, 2026 by the SearchSystems editorial team.

How the States Differ

Findability is a state trait. Florida's sweeping public-records law makes it the easiest state in the country to locate someone; Oklahoma pairs free court records with an open death index; Wisconsin's CCAP court search is so complete residents treat it as a people-finder. California is the paradox — enormous data, much of it locked or fee-gated.

The FCRA line applies here too: none of these tools, official or commercial, may be used for employment, housing, or credit decisions. That requires a consumer reporting agency.

Pick Your State

AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareDistrict of ColumbiaFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyoming

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the single best free starting point?
County property and voter records for where someone lives; statewide court search for history. The state guide orders them for that state's strengths.
Are people-search sites accurate?
They're aggregations with lag — addresses stale, relatives misattached. Use them as leads, verify against official records.
How do I find someone who died?
Death indexes, obituaries, and probate dockets — the death records hub covers the routes.

Related National Directories

The building blocks: voter records, property records, court records, and vital records.