You can access most public records for free by starting with online government databases, then filing a Freedom of Information Act request or its state equivalent when a database won’t do, and inspecting files in person when you want to skip copy fees entirely. Federal FOIA builds in cost protections that let non-commercial requesters pay nothing for the first two hours of staff search time and the first 100 pages of copies. State and local governments run parallel open-records systems with their own free allowances. The work is knowing which agency holds what you need, and which free tool to reach for first.
Find the Right Agency Before You Search
Records are scattered across federal, state, and local offices, and a request sent to the wrong one wastes weeks. Federal court documents, including bankruptcy cases and criminal trial records, live in the federal court system and are searchable through PACER.1Public Access to Court Electronic Records. Public Access to Court Electronic Records Birth and death certificates almost always sit with state health departments or county vital records offices. Property deeds, tax assessments, and ownership histories are held by a county assessor, recorder, or clerk of court. Business registrations are typically filed with a state’s secretary of state.
For older federal records, the originating agency may have transferred the files to the National Archives and Records Administration. NARA holds military service records, census pages back to 1790, immigration passenger lists, federal land records, and court documents from across the judicial branch.2National Archives. How to Obtain Copies of Records Anything more than a few decades old at the federal level is worth checking with NARA before you contact the originating agency.
Gather identifying details before you start. Full legal name and date of birth help for person searches. Property lookups need a street address or parcel number. Court records are easiest to find with a case number. The more precise your search terms, the faster you can filter through databases holding millions of entries.
Start With Free Online Databases
Many agencies publish records instantly through public web portals. The information is the same as what you’d get through a formal request, and you skip the wait.
Federal Court Records Through PACER
PACER gives the public electronic access to more than one billion documents filed in federal courts, including civil lawsuits, criminal cases, bankruptcy filings, and appellate proceedings.1Public Access to Court Electronic Records. Public Access to Court Electronic Records The system charges $0.10 per page, but fees are automatically waived if you accumulate $30 or less in a given quarter.3Public Access to Court Electronic Records. Why Does PACER Charge a Fee? That threshold is generous enough for most casual researchers to pay nothing. You’ll need to create a free account to start searching.
SEC Corporate Filings on EDGAR
For a publicly traded company, the SEC’s EDGAR database provides free access to annual reports, quarterly earnings filings, insider trading disclosures, and other corporate documents going back to 2001 in full-text searchable form.4U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. EDGAR Full Text Search No account is required.
Property and Local Court Records
County assessors and recorders increasingly offer online portals for property ownership, deed transfers, tax valuations, and liens at no charge. Quality varies widely. Some counties provide scanned images of original documents alongside a map-based search interface; others offer only a basic text index. For local court records, many state judiciaries maintain their own electronic case-search tools. Start with your county’s official website or your state judiciary’s homepage to see what’s available.
File a Federal FOIA Request Without Paying
When the records you need aren’t in a public database, a Freedom of Information Act request can compel a federal agency to search for them. FOIA applies to every executive-branch agency, military department, and independent regulatory agency in the federal government. It does not cover Congress or the federal courts.5FOIA.gov. Freedom of Information Act
Your request needs to reasonably describe the records you want. Be specific enough that a records officer who knows nothing about your situation can find the right files: names, date ranges, document types, reference numbers. A vague or overly broad request gives the agency grounds to push back or delay.
How the Free Allowances Work
FOIA sorts requesters into categories that determine what you’ll be charged. Commercial requesters pay for search time, document review, and copying. Educational institutions, scientific researchers, and journalists pay only for copying after the first 100 free pages. Everyone else pays for search time and copying, but the first two hours of search and first 100 pages of duplication are free.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 5 U.S. Code 552 – Public Information A focused request that doesn’t require extensive digging usually costs a non-commercial requester nothing.
Asking for a Fee Waiver
Even if your request will exceed the free allowances, you can ask for a full fee waiver. The statute requires agencies to waive fees when disclosure is in the public interest because it would contribute significantly to public understanding of government operations and is not primarily for your commercial benefit.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 5 U.S. Code 552 – Public Information Put the waiver request in your initial letter and explain concretely how you plan to share or use the information. Agencies are more receptive when you can point to a specific public audience, such as a community organization, news outlet, or research project.
Where to Submit
FOIA.gov lists more than 100 federal agencies and links to each one’s submission portal or designated contact.5FOIA.gov. Freedom of Information Act Many agencies accept requests by email or through their own online forms. If you send it by mail, use certified mail with a return receipt so you have proof of the date the agency received it. That date starts the response clock.
State and Local Open-Records Requests
All 50 states have their own public records laws requiring state and local government bodies to disclose records upon request. Names vary. Some call theirs freedom of information acts, others use open records law or right-to-know law. Response deadlines, fee structures, and exemptions vary too, so check your state’s specific statute before filing. Most state attorney general websites publish a plain-language guide to their public records law, including sample request letters.
The process mirrors federal FOIA in broad strokes: you write to the records custodian, describe what you want, and the agency has a statutory deadline to respond. Many states set shorter response windows than the federal 20-business-day standard. Some also provide the first batch of copies free or cap per-page fees at low amounts. Your request should explicitly state that it’s being made under your state’s public records law so it gets routed to the right person.
What Happens After You File
Federal agencies must decide whether to release records within 20 business days of receiving your request.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 5 U.S. Code 552 – Public Information The clock starts when the correct component of the agency gets the request, but no later than 10 days after any part of the agency first receives it. The agency can pause the clock once to ask for clarification or resolve fee questions, but the pause ends as soon as you respond.
Complex or high-volume requests routinely take longer in practice. Agencies are supposed to assign tracking numbers and provide status updates, so follow up if you haven’t heard anything. If the deadline passes with no response, you’re generally considered to have exhausted your administrative remedies and can go directly to court, though a follow-up letter to the agency’s FOIA Public Liaison first often shakes things loose without litigation.
Keep copies of everything: your original request, any tracking confirmation, follow-up correspondence, and the agency’s responses. This paper trail becomes essential if you need to appeal or take legal action later.
Records the Government Can Withhold
Not every government document is available. FOIA includes nine categories of exempt information that agencies may withhold, and most state laws have similar carve-outs.7Department of Justice. What Are the 9 FOIA Exemptions? The categories cover classified national security material, internal personnel rules, information other federal statutes make confidential, trade secrets, internal agency deliberations, personal privacy, law enforcement investigative records, financial institution oversight, and geological data on wells.
The personal privacy and law enforcement exemptions account for the vast majority of denials. Agencies often redact names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, and home addresses from otherwise releasable documents rather than withholding the entire record. A partial redaction response should tell you which exemption justifies each blackout.
Appealing a Denial for Free
A denial doesn’t have to be the end. If a federal agency withholds records or you’re unhappy with how your request was handled, you have at least 90 days from the date of the adverse determination to file an administrative appeal with the head of the agency.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 5 U.S. Code 552 – Public Information The appeal is a fresh review by a different person within the agency. Reference your original request number, identify which records were withheld, and explain why you believe the exemption was applied incorrectly. The agency then has another 20 business days to rule.
You can also contact the Office of Government Information Services at the National Archives, which provides free mediation between requesters and federal agencies. OGIS acts as a neutral third party; it doesn’t advocate for either side, but it helps open communication and can often resolve disputes that feel stuck.8National Archives. Mediation Program Reach OGIS by email at ogis@nara.gov or by phone at 202-741-5770. You can ask for OGIS help at any point in the process, not just after a denial.
Inspect Records in Person to Skip Copy Fees
Walking into a county assessor’s office, clerk of court, or other government records office lets you inspect files without paying copy fees. Most offices maintain public computer terminals or kiosks where you can browse electronic indexes during regular business hours. For older records that haven’t been digitized, you can typically request to view the physical files in a reading room under staff supervision.
Some offices require visitors to sign a logbook or show a government-issued ID. Staff will retrieve the requested volumes and may ask you to handle documents at a designated table to protect the originals. Viewing hours are often limited to a window like 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, so call ahead or check the office’s website before visiting.
Whether you can photograph records with your phone instead of paying for copies depends on where you are. Some states explicitly allow personal photography of non-exempt public records, with restrictions only when fragile documents could be damaged. Other jurisdictions let the records custodian set their own rules, and a meaningful number prohibit personal cameras or scanners entirely. If avoiding copy fees matters, ask about the photography policy before your visit. Taking detailed handwritten notes is almost always permitted regardless.