Source Verification and Manual Checking Policy
A detailed look at how our team reviews links, numbers, addresses, maps, resources, screenshots and official court-record routes before content is published or refreshed.
Our verification promise
The site is designed around manually checked information. When a court-record guide includes official links, phone numbers, courthouse addresses, clerk-office locations, maps, resources, forms, screenshots or step-by-step portal guidance, our process is to verify those details against official or reliable public sources before publication and during updates.
Manual verification does not mean a detail can never change. Courts redesign websites, move forms, update case-management systems, change phone trees, revise filing windows, adjust fees and restrict access. Our pages therefore combine verification with visible “confirm with official source” wording.
What gets checked
| Detail | Manual review approach | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Official court link | Open the link and confirm it matches the stated court, clerk, state judiciary, municipal/county court or federal source. | Users need to avoid fake or irrelevant pages. |
| Case search portal | Check whether the portal is the correct official source or an officially linked system. | Different portals cover different case types and jurisdictions. |
| Phone number | Compare against official court, clerk, courthouse or judiciary contact pages where available. | Wrong numbers waste time and can create privacy risk. |
| Address and map | Review official office address and map context when included. | Users may travel to the wrong courthouse or clerk office. |
| Screenshot | Confirm it supports a real navigation step and contains no private personal data. | Visual guidance must not expose sensitive information. |
| Fees and copy notes | Use cautious wording and direct users to current official fee schedules. | Fees and certified-copy rules change. |
Source hierarchy
Court websites, clerk offices, state judiciary portals, county/city government pages, official case-search tools and courthouse notices.
PACER, federal court websites, federal clerk office pages and U.S. Courts resources for federal cases.
Trusted public resources used for context only when official pages need explanation, never as a replacement for final verification.
What happens when sources conflict
We compare the guide’s wording with official pages, portal behaviour and available public notices.
The current court, clerk, judiciary or PACER-linked official source controls where possible.
If the current answer is not clear, we rewrite the page to say “confirm directly” instead of guessing.
If the issue affects multiple guides, we check related content to prevent repeated errors.
Verification limits
Site-wide trust note
publiccourtrecords.org/ is built for educational and informational use. Our guides are written to help users understand court-record systems, official portals, clerk routes, case-number searches, courthouse contact paths, screenshots and public-record limits. We are not a court, clerk, attorney, government agency, consumer reporting agency, background-check company or official record issuer.
When a guide contains links, phone numbers, addresses, maps, screenshots or resource notes, our content process is to manually review those details before publication or update. Court systems still control final access, fees, restrictions, filings, sealed records, certified copies and official case status.