BRB's Public Records Blog

Free Driver License Status Checks

Motor vehicle records (driving records, title, registration, accident reports, etc.) are not public when the records contain personal information. A requester must have a permissible use per both federal and state law. However, some states do provide some useful records online, without personal identifiers, at no charge. The selected list below for a free search of a DL status is taken from The MVR Access and Decoder Digest.

Florida - https://services.flhsmv.gov/DLCheck/

Idaho - https://www.accessidaho.org/secure/itd/reinstatement/index.html

Kansas - https://www.kdor.org/DLStatus/login.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fdlstatus%2fsecure%2fdefault.aspx

Massachusetts - https://secure.rmv.state.ma.us/LicInquiry/intro.aspx

Minnesota - https://dutchelm.dps.state.mn.us/dvsinfo/mainframepublic.asp

Nebraska - https://www.nebraska.gov/dmv/reinstatements/client.cgi

North Dakota - https://secure.apps.state.nd.us/dot/dlts/dlos/requeststatus.htm

Ohio - www.ohiobmv.com/abstract.stm

South Carolina - https://www.scdmvonline.com/DMVpublic/trans/DRecPoints.aspx

Washington - https://fortress.wa.gov/dol/dolprod/dsdDriverStatusDisplay/

West Virginia - http://www.transportation.wv.gov/dmv/Pages/dlverify.aspx

Wisconsin - https://trust.dot.state.wi.us/occsin/occsinservlet?whoami=statusp1

 

 

Collin County Texas

The Texas Collin County District Clerk recently announced a new web-based service for attorney and law firms to access court records and files. The subscription fee is based on the number of attorneys in the firm. See www.co.collin.tx.us/district_clerk/index.jsp

 

At present, Collin County Texas currently offers the public a basic search and an advanced search of the court record index. Both are free, neither provide case documents. The Basic Search provides a name search showing a basic information list for all case types simultaneously. The Case Record Inquiry system provides a Register of Actions with case details. These searches can be used to search for active and some historical cases held in any of the Collin County District, County Court at Law, including Probate, or Justice Courts.

Sidebar About Collin County Ranchers and Brands
Texas requires cattle raisers and livestock owners to register their brands in the county or counties in which they operate. Every 10 years, Texas requires that these brands be re-registered. The brand re-registration period began Aug. 31, 2011, and concludes Feb. 29, 2012. Collin County has automated this process and is the first county to enable online registration and searching of Brands, Marks and Tattoos. The search site is at http://apps.collincountytx.gov/dnnpub/mbt/Home.aspx. Ranches are presented in alpha order of the last name of the owner of the livestock.
Although Texas does not have a statewide brand registry database, the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA) does have a limited brand search at www.tscrabrands.com/default.aspx.

Free Copies of 2011 PRRN Membership Directory for Special Distribution

While supplies last, BRB Publications is providing copies of the 2011 PRRN Membership Directory free of charge to interested organizations for distribution at meetings or conventions. Public Record Retriever Network (PRRN) is the organization that set the first Industry Standards for the retrieval of public record documents and whose members abide by a Code of Professional Conduct.
 
The Membership Directory is 240 pages and organized in two sections. The first shows retrievers by state and county, indicating on-site researchers who visit courthouses and recorder's offices. The second section provides a full profile of each member.
 
This offer is only for mass distribution by organizations. If you are interested, please reach Mike Sankey at 800-929-3811 or mike@brbpublications.com.

Missouri Highway Patrol Opens New Criminal Record Access Site

The Missouri State Highway Patrol, Criminal Record & Identification Division, recently instituted a new program for the online access and retrieval of criminal records. The data includes felonies, misdemeanors, and selected municipal ordinance violations. The site is www.machs.mshp.dps.mo.gov. A user must create an account and use of a credit card is required. There is a $10.00 fee for each search plus a 'convenience fee' for each transaction. This convenience fee is $1.00 for 1 to 3 records, but when more than 3 records are ordered a sliding scale is used which varies from 3% to 2.6%. Once an account is created, users may submit the name, date of birth, and/or social security number of a person.

Requesters receive all Missouri open record criminal history information related to the individual - meaning convictions, arrests within 30 days, pending charges and suspended imposition of sentences during probation. All completed records are emailed in a PDF format to the user's account, usually within seconds unless further research is need to determine a disposition. For additional information, visit the site or call the Highway Patrol at 573-526-6153.

Requesting FBI Records

Only the subject of the identification record can request a copy of his/her own FBI Identification Record. The request must be accompanied by satisfactory proof of identity (consisting of name, date and place of birth, and a set of roll-inked fingerprint impressions) and a certified check or money order for the $18 processing fee. The FBI will not provide copies of arrest records to individuals other than the subject of the record. Mail the request to:
FBI CJIS Division  Record Request
1000 Custer Hollow Road   
Clarksburg, West Virginia 26306
 

Taken from BRB's Public Record Research System

Aviation Records

Search Records on Airports

One of the best private sites to find detailed information for free about an airport, including ownership and management, is www.airnav.com. You can search by state or by U.S. Territory.

Another excellent resource is GCR & Associates. Visit www.gcr1.com and click on the Airport IQ link for airport master records and reports.

Aviation Associations

With well over 400,000 members, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) calls itself the largest, most-influential aviation association in the world. AOPA, 421 Aviation Way, Frederick, MD 21701, 301-695-2000,  www.aopa.org.

The International Air Transportation Association (IATA) represents 250 airlines. Four U.S. offices and one Canadian office are found at their web page www.iata.org. While there is not a lot of public record related information, this association is a good venue to learn about airport planning and safety.

Note: This tip is from Michael Sankey's book Public Record Reseach TIPS Book

Sources for Finding Intellectual Property

United States Patent and Trademark Office www.uspto.gov/main/patents.htm

This is the ultimate source. If you can spend some time learning to correctly search within the Web site, you will get the best results. Remember, when you are searching for a company, refer to it as assignee. Separately, search the assignee or the town, if small or unique, (skip New York and Los Angeles), and search for the inventor by last name. Other reliable sources include:

www.freepatentsonline.com -- Indexes the full page, but does not give the full results.
www.patentgenius.com -- Excellent search capabilities but, unfortunately, the results are limited.
www.google.com/patents -- Does not index the full page.
 

Note: This tip is from Cynthia Hetherington's book  Business Background Investigations

BRB Publications Launches New Web Page www.verifyprolicense.com Providing Access to State Licensing Boards

BRB Publications annouced today a new website that enables the public to verify individuals and businesses required to be licensed or have a certification or registration.

This free, new resource enables a researcher to check the representations people make to the public in day-to-day personal or business life. Users of www.verifyprolicense.comcan choose an occupation or business category, by state, to find the direct address, phone number, and web page of the licensing or certification board. The resulting screen also provides a hot link to a License Validator to verify the license, permit, and registration information for individuals and or businesses. Another valuable feature of the search is that it often indicates when disciplinary action has been taken against an individual or business. This site is updated weekly and includes over 8,000 occupations with over 4,500 "name searchable" links providing immediate results.

According to BRB Publication’s CEO Michael Sankey, "Professional occupational licensing and non-voluntary certifications and registrations are generally a matter of public record, intended to protect the public from fraud and the misrepresentations of qualifications. It is simply a smart business practice to check on those with whom you deal, particularly if strangers come into a home, or if money and property are involved."

Also, the new website is dedicated to educating the public about The Sue Weaver C.A.U.S.E. (Consumer Awareness of Unsafe Service Employment).

About the Sue Weaver C.A.U.S.E.
On August 27, 2001, Sue Weaver was brutally raped and beaten to death by a twice convicted sex-offender. Ms. Weaver’s attacker was hired through a major department store to do service work in her home. In memory of Sue Weaver, C.A.U.S.E. was founded in 2004 as a non-profit organization that brings awareness and education to consumers and employers regarding the necessity of criminal background checks on all service employees, contractors and subcontractors hired to work in or near clients’ homes. For more information about C.A.U.S.E. visit www.sueweavercause.org.

Key Trade Associations - Public Record Research Tip

Researching a fact or problem related to public records or finding the right public record vendor can be difficult. People often overlook trade associations as resources of information and companies.

A list of the nation's top trade associations whose members are involved with public records to some degree, visit http://www.brbpub.com/prs/TradeAssn.asp

© excerpt from The Sourcebook to Public Record Information

Comprehensive Source Books for Driver History Records & Motor Vehicle Records

Where would you go to investigate the driving restrictions and access procedures for all 50 states?  What if you needed to decode a violation on an out-of-state MVR?  There is a resource that will answer those questions and more…The MVR Book and The MVR Decoder Digest from BRB Publications.  Available in print February, 2009 and now on the Internet.

The 2009 MVR Book and The 2009 MVR Decoder Digest are the only comprehensive sourcebooks for driver history records and motor vehicle records.  Now in their 20th edition, these resource tools provide the answers you need in practical terms.  The MVR Decoder Digest translates the codes and abbreviations of violations and licensing categories that appear on motor vehicle records in all states.  The MVR Book is the national reference that details privacy restrictions, access procedures, regulations and systems of all state held driver and vehicle records.

Professionals can access the same information online.    MVR-Web has the entire content from both books in a PDF format posted at www.mvrdecoder.com.  The annual subscription is only $49 per year.  A single password allows two simultaneous users.  MVR-Web is updated periodically throughout the year as changes occur.