Find the official route to public records.
Clear, source-linked guidance for federal agency records, court dockets, company filings, archives, datasets, and state or local custodians.
Browse access guides Open agency index
Start with the task
File a Federal FOIA Request
Ask the federal agency that maintains the records. A written request must reasonably describe the records; no universal form is required.
GUIDE 02Access Federal Court Records
Search federal appellate, district, and bankruptcy court dockets through PACER after registering for an account.
GUIDE 03Search SEC EDGAR Filings
Use the SEC's public EDGAR search to find company filings, registration statements, periodic reports, and structured filing data.
GUIDE 04Find Records at the National Archives
Start with the National Archives Catalog, then follow the record group's access and reproduction instructions.
GUIDE 05Search the Federal Register
Search proposed rules, final rules, notices, and presidential documents on the official Federal Register website.
GUIDE 06Find Datasets on Data.gov
Use the federal data catalog to discover datasets published by participating agencies and follow the dataset link to the maintaining agency.
Record, custodian, procedure
What kind of record?
Identify the filing, docket, dataset, certificate, archive, or administrative record.
Who maintains it?
Find the court, agency, archive, commission, state office, or local office.
How is it released?
Use an official search, catalog, clerk, reading room, or records request.
A reference guide, not a data broker
Federal Data Reference helps readers navigate official U.S. government sources. It does not aggregate profiles, accept a person’s name as a search query, or produce reports about individuals. Each guide points to a government source and records the date on which the access description was checked.
Public access is not uniform. Federal records are divided among agencies, courts, archives, and publication systems. State and local offices maintain many business registrations, property records, court files, and vital records. Use the verification method to understand what we check and the data-rights overview for general privacy context.