Public Records Can Provide Insight into a Person’s Life

Public records are documents filed and maintained by government agencies. The information available can provide accurate and official documentation for individuals and businesses to obtain. But what exactly does your public record show?

Depending on the jurisdiction, the public records that a government body maintains can vary. For private investigators, we request various different documents to provide us with a glimpse into a person’s life. Here are a few common documents that are considered public records.

Vital Records

Vital records are documents that provide a record of a person’s life, such as a birth certificate, death certificate, and marriage license. For adoption records, these records are sealed after the adoption process. This means you must receive a court order to obtain these documents. 

Criminal Records and Court Records

Not to be mistaken with police records, criminal records can also be found on a person’s public court record. Police records, on the other hand, are a record of contact an individual had with a police department, which is not documented in your public record but rather in the police record database.

Civil Lawsuits and UCC Filings 

Civil lawsuits – such as contract breaches, negligence, defamation, and driving under the influence – are all recorded on a person’s public court record. Other court documents from a case will also be disclosed in an individual’s public court record.

UCC filings are often used by investigators, like the ones at Chilton Gibbs & Associates, to help look into assets and what a person or business is using to pay for a commercial loan. In some instances this can help reveal hidden assets.

Remember, Access to Public Records Vary By State

Although the term “public record” may sound it like these records are easily available to anyone, the level of access an individual may be able to gather varies by state legislation. For example, Georgia has an Open Records Act, which gives Georgia residents the right to access various public records. 

However, a government body has a right to refuse your request, which can happen if your request is unclear or if the information you request has been sealed as confidential by law or court order.

Need Help Obtaining the Public Records and Information You Need? Call Chilton Gibbs & Associates

We are a licensed investigation firm that serves businesses, individuals, and law firms throughout Georgia and South Carolina. If you need to an experienced team of experts to conduct a thorough background check or conduct a fact-based investigation, contact our investigators today!