Making the Most of Georgia Public Records

Find information on individuals or property with GA public records

Making the most of Georgia public records will require you to have a guide or referral. You can conduct Internet searches of many government agencies for free but you will spend a lot of time looking at irrelevant links and websites if you have no idea where to start.

You will first need to obtain some basic information on the individual or property for which you are seeking Georgia official records. For example, if you are seeking information about an individual, it will be helpful to know some addresses where that person has previously lived.

There are three general types of public records in Georgia:

1. Georgia criminal records that include files on registered sex offenders, past convictions or information on current inmates in a particular prison. These records can help you perform a Georgia background check on prospective employees.
2. Georgia vital records such as census records, consumer protection information or legislation minutes. You may find these records helpful when researching a product or political candidate.
3. Real estate records like property appraisals, ownership and taxes. These types of records can be useful when buying or selling a home.

 

Find Georgia court records from local government agencies

City and county clerks in Georgia can frequently provide a great deal of current information about an individual when you know their name and address.
Try: Georgia County Map has a list of the counties in Georgia along with a link to the county website if available. Judicial Branch of Georgia provides a list of links that will take you to the website of each county court.

Learn more about the laws regarding Georgia public records

The records that are publicly available vary widely by state. You will want to have at least a general idea of what information you can expect to find before conducting your search.
Try: The Georgia Secretary of State has a guide to obtaining public records in Georgia among other resources. The Georgia First Amendment Foundation has current information on Georgia’s Open Records Act and other related legislation.

Perform a specific Georgia public records search

Many cities and counties in Georgia maintain a variety of records on individuals and property that are freely available to the general public.
Try: The Houston County Superior Court maintains a variety of court records and offers Georgia public records online. The Muscogee County Public Records offers an online search of county land records.

 

• Exhaust free sources of information before you consider paying for state of Georgia public records. Sites that charge a fee may only provide information you could obtain elsewhere for free. Fortunately, libraries frequently subscribe to services that you would normally need to pay a fee to access. You should also bear in mind that many public records are simply not available online.

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