Ohio Free Public Records

By Ben Kingsley


Looking for public records in Ohio is fast and easy as the State makes the records available through various ways. Those looking for the records can obtain copies of the records through several ways such as ordering online, via standard mail, walk in and through customer-assisted phone requests.

Public records such as births and deaths are available from the State's Local Vital Statistics Office and can be requested through the local County Health Department Office. The State's Office however only has abstracts or indexes for marriage and death records and as such certified copies are not issued. Certified Marriage certificates and divorce decrees are available from the County Clerk Office and the Probate Court where these were issued and granted.

In searching for birth and death records, researchers can go to the county or city health department to check for the records. The Office of Vital Statistics maintains copies of death records from as far back as January 1, 1954 and birth records filed after December 20, 1908. Records of deaths older than fifty (50) years and births older than one hundred twenty five (125) years are moved to the Ohio Historical Society (OHS) archives. The Office of Vital Statistics cannot certify the copies; however, researchers can check the local health districts for certified copies. For those who only need the records for informational purposes, they can purchase plain paper copies from the OHS.

For certified copies coming from the State's Vital Office, walk in or in person is accepted. The Office is open during weekdays but is closed during state holidays. Researchers can go to the Office during business hours and fill up the request form. Payment for each record is at $21.50 each. The Office accepts money order, credit cards, cash and check payments. Records can be obtained on the day itself; however, for requests made after 4:30pm, same day release is not guaranteed. Researchers can however request to have the records mailed or picked up at a day they prefer.

For those who opt to have the records mailed, they can fill up the request form and together with the payment send their request to the State's Office. Processing for the request would take up to 3 weeks depending on the volume that the Office receives. Payment can be paid through credit card, money order and check method. For faster processing time, researchers can check their local county department for the records although fees varies from one county to another.

The Office also provides searching services for those who are unsure of the exact year the event occurred. Each search service would cost $3 and covers up to 10 years. The search fees double in multiples of 10. For example, when a person wants to cover 20 years in the search, they have to pay $6. The search fee is in addition to the records fee that one has to pay. For researchers who do not need the certified copies or need only basic information, they can check out online public record sites that offer free basic public records search. Alternatively, for full access, they may be charged a minimal fee. This is the fastest and the most convenient way to retrieve information.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment