How to Locate Someone Using Only Public Records (Free)

Sites like BeenVerified, TruthFinder, and Spokeo charge you $20-$40 to show information that originally came from a free government record. They are middlemen. The actual source — the primary record — is almost always public and free. This is the core of how NU works: we rank by the record, not by who pays. Here is how to do the same thing by hand, citing exactly where each fact comes from.

<h2>Start with the strongest record: where the person physically is</h2> If someone is incarcerated, that is a definitive, free, name-searchable record. Do not pay anyone for it. <ul> <li>Federal prisons: The Bureau of Prisons inmate locator at bop.gov/inmateloc searches anyone in federal custody since 1982, by name or register number. It returns location and release date.</li> <li>State prisons: Nearly every state runs its own free VINELink or DOC offender search. Search "[state] DOC inmate search" — for example, the Texas TDCJ Inmate Search or California's CDCR locator. Statewide victim-notification at vinelink.com covers most jails too.</li> <li>County jails: Most sheriff's offices post a live "Who's in Jail" roster. Search "[county] sheriff inmate roster."</li> </ul>

<h2>Property records put a name to an address</h2> If you have a name and a region, the county assessor (or appraisal district) lists every property owner by name, for free, because property ownership and taxes are public. This is the single most useful free skip-trace source most people never use. <ul> <li>Search "[county] assessor property search" or "[county] appraisal district." Enter the name; it returns owned parcels and the mailing address taxes go to.</li> <li>The county recorder/clerk holds deeds, liens, and mortgages — often searchable by grantor/grantee name. This shows when someone bought or sold and who else is on title.</li> </ul>

<h2>Court records show disputes, divorces, and addresses on file</h2> Court filings list parties by name and frequently include a current address. <ul> <li>Federal cases: PACER at pacer.uscourts.gov indexes federal civil, criminal, and bankruptcy cases. The name search is free; documents cost $0.10/page, capped at $3 per document, and you owe nothing if your quarterly bill is under $30.</li> <li>State and county courts: Many post free online dockets — search "[county] court records search" or "[state] judicial case search." For nonprofit aggregation of opinions, courtlistener.com (run by the Free Law Project) is genuinely free.</li> </ul>

<h2>Business and professional filings</h2> People who own a business, hold a license, or sit on a board leave a free trail. <ul> <li>Secretary of State business search: Every state offers a free entity search. Search "[state] secretary of state business search." It lists registered agents and officers by name, often with addresses.</li> <li>Professional licenses: State boards publish license-holder lookups (nurses, contractors, attorneys, real estate agents). Search "[state] [profession] license lookup." State bar directories list attorneys with their firm address.</li> <li>SEC filings: For executives and major shareholders, sec.gov/cgi-bin/srqsb and the EDGAR full-text search expose names in filings for free.</li> </ul>

<h2>Identity, contact, and obituaries</h2> <ul> <li>Voter registration: In several states this is public; a few offer free official lookups. Treat with care and check your state's rules first.</li> <li>Obituaries and death: Legacy.com and local newspaper archives are free and frequently list surviving relatives by name and city — a strong lead for finding family. The Social Security Death Index (searchable free at familysearch.org) confirms deaths.</li> <li>Genealogy: FamilySearch (free, run by a nonprofit) holds census, marriage, and military records that tie relatives together.</li> </ul>

<h2>Be honest about the limits</h2> This approach is powerful, but do not pretend it is more than it is: <ul> <li>Coverage is uneven. Some counties have no online assessor portal; you may have to call or visit in person. A blank result is not proof of nothing — it is proof that this record set has nothing.</li> <li>Common names produce false matches. Confirm with a second independent record (e.g., a property record AND a court filing) before treating a hit as the same person.</li> <li>The law limits use. Using these records for credit, employment, tenant, or insurance decisions is governed by the FCRA. Stalking or harassment is illegal regardless of how public the data is.</li> </ul>

The pattern is always the same: ask "what government office is required to keep this fact?" and go straight there. The aggregators are just reselling these same free records with a markup. Cite the office you found it in, confirm with a second source, and you have done a cleaner job than any paid people-finder — for free.