State Resources
State Resources
One page per state covering the investigative resources that matter: Secretary of State, business registration, UCC filings, property and land records, courts, criminal records, professional licensing, vital records, unclaimed property, and whatever that state offers that others don’t.
- Alabama Alacourt is statewide and paid. The records law is one of the weakest.
- Alaska No counties at all. One court system, one statewide recording office.
- Arizona Statewide lookup that excludes Maricopa and Pima superior courts.
- Arkansas Free statewide CourtConnect, and a records law with criminal penalties.
- California No criminal record check on anyone but yourself. Free business and UCC search. 58 separate county courts.
- Colorado No free statewide court search. The criminal history check is open to all.
- Connecticut Free criminal conviction search by defendant name, and a Freedom of Information Commission with enforcement power.
- Delaware A million entities registered, and the state names nobody behind them.
- Florida Instant $24 statewide criminal history, the best free business search in the country, and a strong Sunshine Law.
- Georgia GSCCCA indexes deeds, liens and UCC across all 159 counties in one search.
- Hawaii Conviction records searchable online, and one land office for the whole state.
- Idaho Statewide iCourt portal — but the public tier shows less than the courthouse.
- Illinois 102 counties, but Cook alone is 40%. UCIA sells anyone a conviction check.
- Indiana Free statewide MyCase, and a $16.32 criminal history that only covers arrests.
- Iowa Free statewide courts, and a Public Information Board that can order compliance.
- Kansas Free statewide CaseSearch, and a $30 KBI criminal history anyone can order.
- Kentucky No public case search — but the courts sell a statewide record report.
- Louisiana Parishes, not counties. Civil law changes what exists to find.
- Maine A $31 online criminal check that includes pending cases, and a court portal that charges by the page.
- Maryland One free property search covering all 24 jurisdictions. Rare.
- Massachusetts The annual street list, masslandrecords, iCORI limits, and the best records-appeal process in New England.
- Michigan ICHAT gives anyone a criminal history for $10. Three trial courts to search.
- Minnesota A free public criminal history search. Almost no other state gives that away.
- Mississippi Chancery clerk holds the land records. Chancery and circuit are separate courts.
- Missouri Case.net has been free and statewide for years. MACHS sells the rest.
- Montana A constitutional right to know, and statewide property assessment.
- Nebraska One court system covering both trial tiers. Four business days on records.
- Nevada Two counties are 88% of the state. The business records hide ownership.
- New Hampshire No notary needed for the public conviction check, and an ombudsman who can order compliance.
- New Jersey Every civil judgment in one statewide index. OPRA got weaker in 2024.
- New Mexico One search covers three court tiers. IPRA carries daily damages.
- New York Free WebCivil and WebCrim court searches, ACRIS for city property, and a $95 criminal history search.
- North Carolina eCourts went statewide in all 100 counties. The $25 record search is one county, not the state.
- North Dakota Free statewide case search, binding AG opinions, and no voter registration.
- Ohio No statewide case search. 88 county courts, plus a second municipal tier most people miss.
- Oklahoma OSCN is free and does not cover every county. ODCR has the rest.
- Oregon Paid court search, free business search, and a Public Records Advocate.
- Pennsylvania Free statewide UJS Portal, $22 PATCH check, and a real appeal route.
- Rhode Island A $5 state criminal check that includes pending prosecutions. Everything else is municipal.
- South Carolina SLED CATCH sells anyone a criminal history, returned on screen.
- South Dakota Limited court access, and the country’s leading trust-privacy state.
- Tennessee 95 counties, three court tiers each, and a citizens-only records law.
- Texas A $3 criminal history search on anyone, a free statewide court portal, and a records act that presumes disclosure.
- Utah XChange is a subscription. GRAMA has a free binding appeal.
- Vermont A $30 conviction report on anyone, and land records held by 246 town clerks.
- Virginia Statewide case search — but the FOIA only works if you live there.
- Washington WATCH returns a criminal history for $11, instantly. Strong records act.
- West Virginia Severed mineral interests are the asset everyone misses.
- Wisconsin CCAP, free and deep — and it shows dismissals, which cuts both ways.
- Wyoming Invented the LLC and still hides the owners. Only 23 counties.
Course
The Ultimate FOIA and Public Records Course
Writing the request, handling the fee estimate, and appealing a denial without a lawyer. The part that decides whether you actually get the records.
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