BRB's Public Records Blog

Ohio Vital Records

Effective October 16, 2009, the cost of obtaining a certified copy of a birth or death record from the Ohio Office of Vital Statistics increased from $16.50 to $21.50 per record.
 
Note that the Office of Vital Statistics does not issue marriage licenses or divorce decrees - they are issued by the probate court or clerk of courts. But the state office maintains an index with limited information on the abstracts of marriages and divorces that occurred in Ohio from January 1, 1954 to present, and will perform a search of years for $3.00 per last name. The search can be used to locate actual licenses or decrees from the courts.  

Watercraft Records in Pennsylvania

PA Fish and Boat Commission, PO Box 68900, Harrisburg, 17106-8900, 717-705-7940, fax is 717-705-7931, www.fish.state.pa.us.  Any boat powered by a gasoline, diesel or electric motor, including sailboats with auxiliary power must be registered. Boats must be titled if with inboard motor or outboard motor and 14 ft or longer and has a manufacture year of 1997 or newer. The agency follows the FCRA regarding the release of boat registration and ownership information. Liens are filed here for $5.00 per lien. As of 1998, this agency issues certificates of title. Search requests must be in writing and require signature of requester, reason for request, as much information about the boat or owner as possible. It can take as along as one month before new records are ready for inquiry. The Request Boat Title or Security Interest Information form is found at www.fish.state.pa.us/images/pages/forms/pfbc_t9.pdf. There is a $5.00 fee for either current ownership information or lien information. A title history report is $5.00 for each owner shown on the record chain. Credit cards are accepted.

Note: This tip is from Michael Sankey's The MVR Book

Kansas and Hawaii Courts Facing Closure Days

In a letter to court employees circulated in early November, Kansas Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert Davis warned that KS state courts will have to close as much as 6 weeks from February through June if the Legislature fails to restore $8 million in budget cuts. Staff would be placed on unpaid leave. Since the letter was released, there has been talk of closing the courts for only 12 days, providing changes are implemented to meet the shortfall. Earlier this year, 18 Kansas counties cut back on their court hours open to the public. See www.kscourts.org/.

In October, the Supreme Court of Hawaii announced a 2-day per month furlough for all court employees, with the exception of juvenile detention facilities. A calendar of the closed days from November through June 2010 is posted on the web at www.courts.state.hi.us/.
 
The court closures in Kansas and Hawaii follow the example in California, whose court system is already operating on a furlough schedule that closes all state courts the third Wednesday of each month.
 

Connecticut DPS Increases Record Fees

Effective October 1, 2009, the Division of State Police, part of Connecticut's Department of Public Safety, doubled the fees for criminal record checks and accident reports.

The fee for a criminal record check increased from $25.00 to $50.00 per request, be it a name search or fingerprint search. Please note, the actual fingerprinting for the criminal record checks must be completed by a law enforcement agency.  The fee for fingerprints taken by the DPS State Police Bureau of Identification DPS is an additional $15.00.

The fee for an Accident report increased from $8.00 to $16.00; add $1.00 for a certified record. Note, the agency web page does not use the words accident report or crash report and refers to these reports as State Police Reports.

The DPS home page is www.ct.gov/dps/site/default.asp.

Fee Increases for Alabama Vital Records

Effective October 1, 2009, the fees for copies of vital records will increase from $12.00 to $16.00 per record and from $4.00 to $6.00 for a second copy. Also, the fee for expedited service will increase, from $10.00 to $15.00.

Where to Find Federal and State Tax Liens in Oklahoma

Federal tax liens on personal property of businesses are filed with the County Clerk of Oklahoma County, which is the central filing office for the state. Other federal and all state tax liens are filed with the County Clerk. Usually state and federal tax liens on personal property are filed in separate indexes, state liens on businesses or individuals usually in the real estate index. Some counties will perform tax lien searches; tax lien search fees vary.

© excerpt from The Sourcebook to Public Record Information

Fee Increase for Records at South Dakota's Secretary of State Office

Effective July 1, 2009, an increase will occur for many of the filing, registration, and record access fees on records overseen by the South Dakota Secretary of State. For example, expedited service for filing of record copies increases from $20.00 to $50.00; certified copies of records increases from $10.00 plus $1.00 per page to $15.00 plus $1.00 per page; a Certificate of Good Standing or Existence increases from $$15.00 to $20.00.

Other areas affected include registration or statements of corporations, business trusts, general partnerships, limited liability partnerships; filings of UCCs; and the registration, renewal, or assignment of trademarks.

For a complete list of all fees with increases see
www.sdsos.gov/adminservices/filingfees.shtm

Minnesota Increases Certain Court Fees

As of July 1st, 2009, a number of fee increases will take place involving the Minnesota Court System. Most of the specified increases affect filings of civil cases, marriage dissolution actions, and the filing of motions or responses. However, there are two fees which will affect record access. The fee for a non-certified copy of any instrument from a civil or criminal proceeding increases from $5.00 to $8.00, and the fee for a certified copy increases from $10.00 to $14.00.

Finding a copy of all the fee increases is tricky. Go to www.leg.state.mn.us/, click on Statutes, Laws and Rules, then click on 2009 Session Laws, and finally on Chapter 83. This will bring up the bill in its entirety. Look for Article 2 and the Amendment to section 357.021, subdivision 2.

New Hampshire Court Search Fees to Signficantly Increase

We learned that the NH Administrative Office of Courts, through administrative rule, is mandating a significant increase in many court fees, effective August 1st. For example, the current fee for searching civil or criminal records will increase from a  flat $10.00 fee for up to 9 names, and $25.00 for 10 or more names to the following fee structure: $20.00 for each of the first 5 names, then $5.00 per name afterword.  Following the new guidelines, if 9 names are ordered the fee is now $120. It used to be $10.00. Thanks to the folks at County House Research Inc. in Philadelphia for alerting us to this situation.

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.