Backgrounding Checklist

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Personal Background

Run the name through Google or Ask.com

BirthDatabase.com has free dob lookups

Calculate age from birthdate

Place of birth from marriage license:

The first 3 digits of a social security number will tell you the state where it was issued (not necessarily where the person was born, but where he/she lived when it was issued). Check here or here to decode SSNs.

Phone books and reverse directories:

Clips

Concealed weapon permits – The Post library has access to this database up to June 2006 (when permits became exempt from public records law)

Code violations

  • West Palm Beach
  • For other cities or counties, search “code violations” or “code enforcement” on city/county web site. Not all cities/counties make violations available online.

Drivers license – The Post library can get this.

Education

Employment

Military service

Property ownership, property taxes paid

Vehicles – The Post library can get this.

Voter registration – The Post library can get this.

Civil/Criminal Courts

FDLE - $24 on a credit card for statewide criminal history.

Circuit court, including civil, criminal, family and traffic dockets for most counties:

Federal courts on PACER, including an index to almost all U.S.federal courts and Southern District of Florida District and Bankruptcy courts. Password required.

Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office booking blotter (goes back one year; this media booking blotter site goes back to 1997; requires password.

Florida corrections, includes current and released inmates.

Federal Bureau of Prisons

Florida and national sex offenders

Marriage license

Divorce cases are in county civil court and/or official records.

Bankruptcy (password required)

Federal tax liens are in official records

Official Records

For judgments, liens, deeds, mortgages, Notices of Commencement, affidavits, probate, child support and guardianship documents, tax liens, marriages, divorces, etc.

Elected/Public Officials

Candidate/official/agency web sites (use Google or Ask.com to find them)

Meeting Minutes from city/county/agency web site

Campaign contributions

Florida Commission on Ethics for information on where to find gift disclosure, client disclosure, conflict of interest, and other filings. Financial disclosures aren’t online, but this Florida Ethics Commission site lists recent filers and contact information for the office that has the disclosure on file.

Lobbyist registration

Business Background

Google or Ask.com to find company web site and other links to company information

Florida Division of Corporations at Sunbiz.org for:

  • Corporation and partnership registrations
  • Fictitious names
  • Liens

Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) filings

Local business tax receipts (previously called *occupational license *tax receipts),

Yellow Pages

Government contracts at FedSpending.org or Central Contractor Registration, and parties excluded from receiving federal contracts at Excluded Parties List System.

Lawsuits in circuit courts:

Federal courts on PACER, including an index to almost all U.S.federal courts and Southern District of Florida District and Bankruptcy courts. Password required.

Official Records for judgments, liens, deeds, mortgages, Notices of Commencement, affidavits, etc.

Web site registrations at namedroppers.com searches domain name registrations by keyword (not just the exact web site name) and links to whois database by VeriSign to see domain name registration.

Nonprofits

Trademark search

Regulatory agencies and associations:


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Click this button to save this page to your computer for offline use. Created by Michelle Quigley on Aug 20 1:01pm. Updated by Michelle Quigley on Jun 30 8:35am. (22 revisions, 954 views)