The demand for free background checks and public records searches in Orange County, Florida has never been so high. Employers throughout the State of Florida have become increasingly liable for the safety and security of their businesses, and landlords for the integrity of their property in Orange County. Therefore, accessing free public records in Orange County has become more important now than ever.

Even if you are using free public records for other reasons, such as genealogy hunting, checking up on a babysitter, or vetting a contractor for your home improvements, you have to start somewhere. Your best way to begin is by doing it all yourself. When you look for free Orange County public records yourself, you save considerable time and money.

Third party companies may offer you the opportunity to pay them in exchange for finding the public records you need. But be careful. As you will learn in this guide, free public records searches need to be legal and ethical. This guide will help you find the free Orange County public records you need to complete an FCRA-compliant background check.

Free public records searches are easier than you think. Especially when you have the tips available to you in this guide, you can find the records you are looking for straight away. All you may need is to pay a small fee for printing or mailing from the government agencies that keep the public records you need. Otherwise, public records are a government service paid for by you, the Florida taxpayer.

Your Right to Access Free Public Records

Public records are by definition created and maintained with public funding. Freedom of information laws at the state and federal level guarantee your right to access these types of records, including court records, legislative proceedings, and vital records.

Any document you can think of that the government has is a public record.

However, some laws also protect your privacy and national security. The only time you will be refused a claim to access a free public record in Orange County would be when that record is legally protected. You may need authorization to access some public records but not others.

For example, unless you work in law enforcement, you would not be able to access juvenile court records to protect the rights and privacy of minors.

Similarly, if there was a court case involving sensitive data linked to a national security issue then you might be refused access to some of those public records.

Generally, though, you will be seeking public records for simpler purposes and you will be able to access what you need simply by giving your identification or the signed consent of the individual in question.

What Are Public Records in Orange County?

You may be surprised at the sheer extent and variety of documents and multimedia data that is considered to be a matter of public record. Remember that in order to have a functioning democracy, the government needs to remain open and accountable to the people. A democracy is by definition governance by the general public. Therefore, all government activities and issues related to public health and safety are considered to be public knowledge or public record.

If you live in Orange County, Florida, own a business here or manage properties, you want to learn more about what public records are and how you can use them. You can use public records such as court documents and driving records to perform legal background checks. You can also access public records to find out data related to you and your own past.

When you need to apply for membership in a professional guild, apply for residency in another country, or apply for professional licenses or government jobs, you will be asked to provide copies of birth certificates and other records. These public records can be found easily online.

The term public records in Orange County refers to any official document (such as a birth certificate or marriage license), legal document or court case, or multimedia data (such as photographs, maps, and digital files) that were created and maintained public service or government agencies. Those government agencies could be managed by Orange County or by the State of Florida or the federal government of the Untied States.

When you are searching for public records in Orange County, it helps to know what jurisdiction your records belong to and how to find them. This guide will help. Some court records pertain to Orange County circuit courts but others to state or federal courts. Some public records are only maintained at the county level, though, such as property records.

What You May Not Find

Anytime a public record contains trade secrets or anything that could compromise homeland security, you may not necessarily be granted access. Likewise, the law protects you from invasions of your privacy and from the abuse of public records for discriminating against people.

For example, you cannot legally use a person’s credit history against them. Similarly, you cannot necessarily check someone’s school transcript or see how much they earned last year even though you can find out if a criminal sex offender lives near you or is about to be released from prison.

Orange County Background Checks

While arrest records are not easily accessible public records given the fact that a person is innocent until proven guilty. There are other things you may not be able to find out through your free background check. Yet you can use the free public records in Orange County to learn about yourself or someone else. You can even use the free public records to find out more about a company in Orange County, such as to read about any lawsuits it could have been involved in.

Remember the importance of consent when conducting a background check in Orange County, Florida. When you are doing a background check for employment purposes or when renting a home or office space, you cannot use the background check against the person. You also need that person’s consent, in the form of their photo identification or something else the government agency requires of you.

A background check is a process of using different types of free public records in Orange County to learn about the history of person or a corporation. You can use the public records to gain information and to use that information when making hiring decisions. While you cannot discriminate, you should be aware of the fact that a person has a felony conviction on record.

Why Run Background Checks?

There are several reasons why people and business owners run background checks in Orange County, Florida. For example, one reason why you might need to run a background check is the law. The law requires that you perform background checks if the employee will work with vulnerable populations or hazardous materials. Therefore, check to see if you are required to run a background check for your business.

The most notable examples of when background checks might be mandatory by law is for any childcare job. Nannies, babysitters, tutors, and other jobs involving childcare work including educator, daycare worker, or child counselor needs to have a background check. Even if you are hiring someone to do office work or perform cleaning services in a business catering to children, it would be feasible to run background checks on the persons involved.

Similarly, eldercare is another employment area in which background checks could be necessary by law. You need to protect vulnerable populations, and doing your due diligence means running background checks on people in Orange County, Florida. If the person used to live outside of Orange County or outside of the state of Florida, not to worry. You can use this guide to lead to the relevant sources of free public records anywhere in the United States.

Anyone seeking employment to work with vulnerable populations in Orange County will typically need to consent to a background check. This background check will usually entail things like court records searches to see if the person has been convicted of a felony, a driving record, and vital records.

While you cannot ever find out every single detail about a person, you could learn something that makes your decision a lot easier.

Background checks protect your employees and your clients. A background check also goes a long way towards maintaining homeland security and reducing criminal activity.

Here are some other reasons why people run background checks in Orange County:

  • RENTING YOUR HOME OR APARTMENT. Residential rental services in Orange County require that homeowners or property managers use public records to vet applicants for leasing or renting. If you are a landlord, use the free public records in Orange County that are at your disposal. You need to find out if the tenant has a criminal history and have the right to check to see if the person has been lying about their past.
  • IF YOU ARE A TENANT. Many tenants in Orange County, Florida forget that they have the right to run free background checks using the free public records in Orange County, Florida. You can check up on the landlord or property management firm, to see if that individual or company has been sued or embroiled in a lawsuit related to breach of contract or criminal negligence. Why rent from an unscrupulous landlord? You would be throwing away your money and causing yourself unnecessary hassle if you did not do your due diligence and check up on the person who owns the property. You have the right to do so and this guide will help.
  • ONLINE DATING. When you are looking to meet new people in Orange County, Florida, one of the first places you can go is online. Online you can meet folks with similar interests, even when you are not necessarily going to become romantically involved. When you do meet people in Orange County, Florida online, you should still check up on them. The people can misrepresent themselves online and in virtual communities. In order to protect yourself from fraud, or worse yet, become involved with a convicted felon, do a simple background check using the free public records. You owe it to yourself and to your family to run a background check including checking whether or not the person has been married before or still is.
  • HIRING CONTRACTORS. Doing home or office renovations in Orange County? When you do need to hire a contractor to perform some of the duties in the home renovation, you will want to use the free public records to run background checks. You can use this guide to help you avoid common mistakes, such as hiring a company or contractor that has been involved in lawsuits before.
  • CHILDCARE OR BABYSITTERS. The most important reason to use the free public records in Orange County, Florida is to protect public safety and especially the safety of children. When you are hiring a daycare worker, a nanny, a tutor, or a driver for your child, use this guide to show you how to find out whether the person has been convicted of a crime. You can find out what you need to know in order to trust the person with your child. Keep in mind also that the law does require educators and childcare workers at daycare centers to have background checks.
  • ELDERCARE. Eldercare is another area in which free public records can be used to vet personnel. It is critical that you use the free public records in Orange County to run thorough background checks on people and companies that will be in charge of watching your elder relatives. You can run background checks on home health aides or on the companies that are involved in senior care and memory care services in Orange County.
  • GENEALOGY OR LONG LOST LOVED ONES. Another reason why people use the free public records in Orange County is to locate adopted relatives or to search for information on long lost loved ones. Genealogy research has never been as popular as it is now, thanks in part to your ability to go online and quickly find out the birth and death dates of your ancestors who lived in the county or in the state. The free public records in Orange County or anywhere else are at your disposal for searching for relatives.
  • VERIFYING YOUR OWN INFORMATION Remember, the free public records in Orange County are yours. As a taxpayer, you are entitled to search for and find information about you. You can learn about your own records and apply to expunge some records in certain situations. Before you apply for that job or application, run a background check on yourself. It will help alert you to scars on your record and show you how to better prepare for tough questions during the interview.

How to be FCRA-Compliant in Orange County

Speaking of employment, you need also know that when companies run a background check on you, they cannot use the information they find against you in any way or else they risk being sued for discrimination. You can sue a company if you suspect that they ran a background check and then used your credit history or something else against you unfairly.

To protect you from discrimination in employment or housing decisions, the federal government of the United States has passed a law called the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).

When you do your own background checks and criminal history checks on employees in Orange County, Florida, you are more likely to be compliant with the law including the FCRA. Being FCRA-compliant in your background check means avoiding the use of certain records. If you hire a third party to do the criminal history and background checks on employees, the information you find might not be considered free and useful in hiring decisions. If you need to be FCRA-compliant in your hiring practices, use this guide.

How Can I Find….

Court and Criminal Records in Orange County

Criminal records in Orange County can refer to a number of things including felony and misdemeanor offenses

However, you might also need to search the public records for things like family cases. You could use probate and family court case records for various purposes such as contesting a will in Orange County.

To access the free public records in Orange County useful for criminal history and background checks, you would first start at the Orange County Clerk website.

The Orange County Clerk Website includes a handy Court Records Search.

Through the Orange County Clerk Website, you can find the following:

Traffic and Driving Records

Traffic Court Records

You can search a person’s traffic history and driving records by going also to the Orange County Clerk Website, using the Court Records Search.

To find the traffic records in any situation in Orange County, with few exceptions, go to the Court Records Search on the Orange County Clerk Website.

For Civil Cases/Litigation

Civil Case Records

If you need to look up whether a customer, a business, a landlord, or a contractor had been involved in a civil lawsuit that has a bearing on your relationship with the entity, then you can search the civil case records in Orange County, Florida.

The information you find can also be useful to build a case against a person yourself. Negligence and breach of contract in tort law are some of the situations you may want to search the free public records in Orange County for information.

Criminal History / Criminal Records Search

A common need for searching the free public records in Orange County is criminal background check.

Criminal cases are public records, and you can search the Orange County Clerk Website, and the Court Records Search to find out whether a person you are dating or hiring or renting your home to had been convicted of a felony of any type in Orange County.

Family Case Records

There are a number of situations in which you may need information related to past family law cases. When you do need to search the Orange County Florida public records, use the Court Records Search for family law.

Probate Case Records

In Orange County, you can search for cases involving will or probate. This information is your right, and is helpful for contesting a will or for claiming property that belongs to you in Orange County.

Property Records in Orange County

Property records are typically kept at the county level anyway, so you can easily find what you are looking for in relation to deeds and titles by visiting the Orange County Property Appraiser website.

Inmate and Correctional Public Records in Orange County

An up-to-date list of any person who has been incarcerated in an Orange County correctional facility is available on the Government of Orange County Website.

All you need to have is the last name of the individual and you can conduct your search for inmates in Orange County immediately.

Missing Persons Records

The best way to search for persons who have gone missing in or near Orange County would be to search the website of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

You can also search nearby counties in the State of Florida or elsewhere if you believe the person has crossed state lines.

Sex Offender Records

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has a Sexual Offenders and Predators Search function. You can use the Sexual Offenders and Predators Search option to find out if there are convicted sex offenders living or working near you or your family members.

Unclaimed Property Records

When a person moves or dies, they may forget about dormant checking and savings accounts or safety deposit boxes.

Likewise, many people do not claim the deposits from their insurance or utilities, or the dividends from their stocks and bonds.

Sometimes the person may even forget about wages from their job.

If you can prove that you are a beneficiary of the descendant or that you are the original owner of the property, you can visit the Orange County, Florida Comptroller office to reclaim the property.

Vital Records

When you need to find birth certificates, death records, marriage and divorce records in Orange County, you would head straight to the Florida Department of Health.

The Florida Department of Health keeps vital records like birth, death, marriage, and divorce records.

All you need is to prove ownership of the public records or have a similarly legitimate claim to the information.

Conclusion

Searching for free public records in Orange County has never been easier. The online search options available to you make it easy to find criminal records, vital records, driving records, and more. You can learn about a company you want to hire to outsource your business, or about an individual you are considering hiring.

Similarly, you can use public records in Orange County to locate lost relatives or to find out if there is a criminal offender in your midst. Take control of your information by searching for your own public records. If you have been asked to submit vital records on a job application or an application for permanent residence in another country, now you can easily find what you are looking for by using this guide.