Guide

How to look up court records for free

Court records in the United States are public by default, and you rarely need a paid people-search subscription to see them. What the subscription sites are selling is convenience: the records themselves usually sit on free government websites. This guide covers where they live and how to search them directly.

Understand where records live

There is no single national court database. Records are kept by the court that heard the case: county trial courts for most civil and criminal matters, state appellate courts for appeals, and federal district courts for federal cases. That structure dictates the search: you look up the person in each state and county where they have lived or done business.

State case search portals

Most states operate a free statewide case search. Searching the state name plus "case search" or "judiciary case search" usually finds the official portal; make sure the domain ends in .gov or the state's official domain before trusting it. Portals typically show the case number, parties, charges or claims, key dates, and the outcome. Coverage differs by state: some include every county court, others omit certain counties or case types.

County clerk websites

For anything a state portal does not cover, go to the county. The office is usually called the county clerk, clerk of courts, or superior court clerk. Many publish free searchable indexes; others let you request records by mail or in person for a copying fee. County records are also the most current and authoritative source, so if a record will influence a real decision, confirm it here.

Federal cases: PACER

Federal civil and criminal cases live in PACER. Technically it charges 10 cents per page, but charges are waived entirely if you accrue less than $30 in a quarter, so occasional personal use is effectively free. Many federal opinions are also free on CourtListener, which archives PACER documents that others have already purchased.

What you will not find

• Sealed and expunged cases are removed from public view.
• Juvenile matters are confidential in nearly every state.
• Many family law details (custody evaluations, financial affidavits) are restricted even when the case itself is listed.
• Arrests that never became charges are police records, not court records, and are handled differently by every agency.

Practical tips

• Search name variants: full legal name, initials, and maiden or former names.
• Note the case number of anything relevant so you can pull the full docket later.
• Check both civil and criminal indexes. Evictions, small claims, and restraining orders are civil cases and often more revealing than criminal ones.

Searching every state and county by hand is doable but slow. A Little Birdie runs those searches at once across all 50 states and links each finding back to the original source so you can verify it yourself.