Arizona Public Records

Residents of Arizona and people looking for public records in this state will work with the Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records department in order to complete their search. This state department is a division of the Arizona Secretary of State. While the department will respond to public records requests, it also notes that many public records requests must be made to the individual agency and entity who maintains the records. The department does note, however, that public records in the state be made available to any individual looking for these documents at any point during regular business hours.

Personal Records

There are a whole host of personal public records that can be searched in the state of Arizona. For instance, people who are searching for birth records or death certificates will be able to find them within the Department of Health Services Vital Records unit. Marriage certificates and divorce decrees are maintained by the county court where those records were filed originally. Adoption records also are available at county courts, but those records are sealed for 99 years in Arizona.

People who are searching for police records should work with the individual department who completed the case. Background checks also can be performed by a local police department. Information about drivers licenses and motor vehicle registration can be accessed through the Arizona Department of Transportation.

In addition, members of the public can acquire school records by contacting the Arizona Department of Education for public school records or the Arizona State Board for Charter Schools for charter school records. Private school records requests should be made at the individual private school where the records are held.

Court Records

To obtain court records and information about court cases, people must know the court in Arizona where the case was settled or took place. For someone looking for records from a Court of Appeals case in Arizona, they must contact either the Court of Appeals Division I or the Court of Appeals Division II. Certain cases may not be available, depending on the year they took place. In that case, people should work with the Arizona State Archive to find the records they are looking for in Arizona.

Standard county court case records will be maintained by the Superior Courts in Arizona. There is one Superior Court location in each county, so people searching for these records must contact the individual county location that houses the records they are looking to find.

All state Supreme Court records will be found at the Arizona Supreme Court. Interested parties should contact the clerk of the court in order to get the information they need and the records they desire.

Business Records

People who are interested in business records will find a variety available in Arizona. For example, business license records can be found through the Department of Revenue, while contractor license information is located at the Registrar of Contractors. Property ownership records are located at the individual county offices where the property is located, and trade names records can be found through the Commerce Authority.