Missouri Public Records: How to Perform an Missouri Public Records Search

If you ever have cause to find a Missouri public record of interest to you, you'd need to be properly informed on the right places to search and the process that is involved. 

This article intends to do just that so you can find the Missouri public record you're looking for, in the shortest time and will minimal difficulty. 

Read on and find out how. 

Public Records Missouri: Criminal Records 

From the police department to the office of the sheriff, a number of Missouri's law enforcement agencies can allow you to perform a criminal background check at their physical offices or official websites.

Criminal record searches are also available at the Missouri State Highway Patrol, for a small fee. 

And because of the ease with which these searches are processed, several third-party websites now provide this search and background check services.

You can also use the Missouri Courts Case.net portal to find criminal on-demand court records. 

And if you have a history with the courts owing to a criminal case that you were a party to, you can enlist the help of the court's clerk in finding the relevant case record. 

Public Records Missouri: Court Records

Access to Missouri public records by members of the public is a provisional stipulation of the Missouri Sunshine Law, and court records are no exception. 

Once you can pay the specified service fees and provide details such as the case number or litigant's name, you can become even closer to obtaining the court record in question.

This process works for in-person requests at the office of the court clerk(the record custodian) as it works for online search portals. 

The latter is seen in courts with case search portals on their website as well as in other third-party websites where you also provide the name of the state/county/city where the record is filed.

You can also try out the Missouri Courts Case. Net portal to find court records using search parameters such as the Case Number, Filing date, Litigant name, judgment index, etc. 

Public Records Missouri: Marriage Records

In Missouri, the office of the Recorder of Deeds that was originally responsible for issuing a marriage license is the place to find marriage records for marriages that occurred before July 1948. 

For a Missouri public record of marriages after this day, you may need to register a request at the Bureau of Vital Statistics. 

You can either choose to mail your request application or deliver it in person at the bureau while making sure in the process to include the appropriate processing fee in the mix.

Other than the standard processing fee ($15 per copy for marriage certificate), requesters who make their application in person would have to present a copy of a valid photo ID. 

In addition, mailed requests must be attested to by a notary public on the same day that the application is submitted. 

Public Records Missouri: Divorce Records 

Certified copies of divorce decrees or the corresponding records can be picked up by eligible persons at the circuit clerk's office in the county that recorded the divorce. 

In addition, there is a statewide repository of certified statements of divorce records(filed since July 1948) that's maintained by the Bureau of Vital Records.

Mail requests must be notarized by an approved notary public on the same day that the application is filed. 

The application process culminates in the submission of a self-addressed, stamped envelope containing the requester's photo ID, the $15 per copy processing fee, and the completed application to the address:

Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services,
Bureau of Vital Records,
930 Wildwood Drive,
PO Box 570,
Jefferson City, MO 65102-0570,
Phone: (573) 751-6387

Public Records Missouri: Birth Records

The official authority responsible for the custody and dissemination of birth records in Missouri is the state's Bureau of Vital Records. 

However, birth records filed before 1909 can only be found in the state archives or the office of the county clerk.

Your application packet will include a completed application for the sought-after Missouri public record, an attachment of the $15 processing fee, and a copy of a valid government-issued ID. 

You can now enclose all of the aforementioned in a self-addressed stamped envelope and mail it to:

Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services,
Bureau of Vital Records,
930 Wildwood Drive,
Jefferson City, MO 65102-0570,
Phone: (573) 751-6387

Requests for public death records are forwarded to the Records Management & Archives Service office. 

The written request must explicitly describe the sought-after record and provide details such as the full name, birthplace, and birth date of the record owner. 

A certified notary public must also be on hand to notarize all mail requests on the day the application is filed. 

Public Records Missouri: Death Records

Once again, the Bureau of Vital Records is the go-to for the issuance of Certified death records in Missouri, albeit for records that are no older than 50 years. 

For public death records older than 50 years, you may reach out to the Missouri State Archives—the official record custodian.

You'll get to submit a request application in person, online, or by mail to these agencies. 

However, the application must be wrapped in a self-addressed, stamped envelope containing the service charge and your valid photo ID. 

Once this is done, you can submit it to the Bureau of Vital Records in the Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services.