Since 2014
About DirtSearch
DirtSearch is a free public-records search engine that links directly to official U.S. government databases. We started in 2014 because the easiest way to look up public information had become the most expensive — paid aggregators were charging monthly subscriptions for records that taxpayers already funded and that any state, county, or federal portal will hand over for free.
Our mission
Public records are public for a reason. They give citizens a way to verify the people and institutions they interact with — landlords, contractors, neighbors, businesses, public officials. DirtSearch exists to keep that access frictionless. We do not host personal data, we do not sell reports, and we do not stand between you and the agency that owns the record. We point, we organize, and we get out of the way.
What DirtSearch provides
- Fifty-state coverage. Curated guides for every U.S. state plus Washington D.C., with hundreds of categorised links to official court, criminal, property, vital-records, and licensing portals.
- Federal database directory. A single page that gathers PACER, SEC EDGAR, FBI most-wanted, OFAC sanctions, FINRA BrokerCheck, NSOPW, the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator, and dozens of other nationwide tools.
- Plain-English guides. A growing library of articles explaining how to verify a contractor’s license, run a self-background check, find unclaimed property, opt out of data brokers, and use public records responsibly.
- Zero paywalls and no signup. Every link goes to the official source. We never gate access behind a form, a subscription, or a “free trial.”
Editorial standards
Every link in our state and federal directories is reviewed against the official agency it claims to represent. We re-verify links on a rolling schedule using our internal link-audit tool, and we publish a public link-audit page so users can see broken-link reports in real time. When an agency moves a portal or sunsets a database, we update the listing rather than leaving stale links in place.
What DirtSearch is not
DirtSearch is not a Consumer Reporting Agency. We do not produce background-check reports, and our links must not be used to make employment, housing, credit, or insurance decisions covered by the Fair Credit Reporting Act. For those use cases, please work with a licensed CRA. DirtSearch is built for personal research, journalism, civic accountability, and verification of facts you would otherwise pay an aggregator to repackage.