Ohio Free Public Records Search

Are you looking for public records Ohio? Public Records Search such as birth, death, marriage and divorce records are important as they contain information that can be used to serve as supporting documents and determine an individual’s eligibility. Records such as these are available for the public either through walk in, online, phone and mail requests.
To start with, birth and death records are usually available from the State’s Vital Office section or the County Department where the event occurred. For divorce decrees and marriage certificates, reports are available from the probate court or the county clerk where the cases were filed and granted.  Marriage and divorce records are not obtainable from the Vital Records Office; however, the Office has an index or abstract of marriage and divorce reports, which can be useful for one to locate the actual court or county where the papers were filed and granted. 
To obtain birth and death records, researchers can check out the Office of Vital Statistics. The Office has a large database and in fact has records that date back to 1908 for births and 1954 for death records. Some records though might no longer be accessible from the Office, as they have already been moved to the Ohio Historical Society for archiving.  These records are those that are 125 years old (for births) and 50 years old (for deaths). To obtain copies, one can request for plain paper copies of the record from the Ohio Historical Society.
To get records from the Office of Vital Statistics, one can visit the records office during weekdays and fill up a request form. The cost for each certificate is $21.50 and this can be paid through cash, money order, credit card or check payment method. Same day issuance is available; take note that for those who requested after the 4:30pm cut-off, the service is not guaranteed. One can however pick up the records at a later date or have the records mailed to them. 
For those who avail of the mail request, they can send their request and payment of $21.50 to the Vital Records Office. Processing time takes about three weeks from the receipt of request to delivery. Customer-assisted personnel can also take in the credit card information for online transaction services. For those who need the records urgently, they can check their local county health department. Fees vary and processing time can be shorter than the State’s processing time. 
For those who are unfamiliar or do not know when the actual event took place, they can avail of the extra service that the Office offers. The search service costs about $3 for up to 10 years coverage. For more than the 10 years, the fee doubles for every 10 years added to the search. It would take up to 6 months or more for the processing to be completed. Another option open for those who only require basic information is to check out public search websites that offer public records search. The websites usually offer free basic search and charge a minimal fee for full detailed reports and this would be the easiest way for one to find records that they need.