
Public records are information that has been filed and recorded by public agencies. This includes records created by both local and federal government. Most public records are maintained by government organizations and are accessible to the public. The availability of public records is determined by federal, state, and local regulations. Public records kept by governments include immigration records, real estate records, driving records, criminal records, and voter registration, among others.
Since public records are kept in physical files at local, county, state, and federal government buildings, they are not always completely accessible online. The records could be accessible for free or they could cost money. The information available to a public records search will vary depending state to state and if the information has been made available to online searches.
Access to public records in the United States is guided by the Freedom of Information Act and by state dependent laws. Public records access in other countries could be governed by their own laws as well.