How to find people and businesses is a common question at the library. Frequently, the patron needs to find someone so they can serve them with legal papers to start a small claims, civil, or family law case. Sometimes finding what you need is as simple as using Google,™ but often those searches come up empty. Here are some resources and strategies to help you locate people and businesses, both in the Law Library and on the Internet. 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

I.          Introduction

            A.        Locating Individuals

            B.        Locating Businesses

II.         Library Resources

            A.        Self-Help and General Books

            B.        Specialized Resources

III. Websites and Online Databases

I. Introduction

It is very important to keep careful records of every search you make, and the results of that search, when looking for a person or a business. This is good advice for any type of research, but it is crucial if you are trying to find someone so you can serve them with legal papers. If you cannot find a person, it may be possible to serve them by publication -- that is, by putting a notice in the newspaper for four weeks in a row. To do this, you need a judge's permission, and to get that permission you will need to prove that you have made a thorough search for the person. Keep copies of your letters and responses, and keep a diary of your contacts.

A. Locating Individuals

Here are some steps you can take to search for individuals.

1.  Contact relatives, friends, or neighbors who might know the person's whereabouts.

2.  Contact the person's last known employer.

3.  Check the county tax assessor's records (http://www.assessor.saccounty.net/default.htm).

4.  Go to the last known home and work address of the person.

5.  Send a letter to the person at their last known addresses. Be sure to label the envelope "Return in 5 days if undeliverable." Send the letters registered and keep returns to show failure.

6.  Do a search on the Internet. Some suggested sites are listed below under "Free Websites and Databases."

7.  Call telephone information (411).

8.   If you have a phone number but no other contact information, try a reverse telephone lookup at Yahoo's People Search (http://people.yahoo.com/). (Cell phones and unlisted numbers will not come up.)  

9.   Contact trade unions or professional associations to which the person may belong.

10.   Contact the US Military for information about a service member's whereabouts at http://usmilitary.about.com/cs/locatorservices/a/millocate.htm

11. To locate an incarcerated person, visit the following websites:

1. California: http://www.cdcr.ca.gov/visitors/Inmate_Locator.html
2. Federal: http://www.bop.gov/inmate_locator/index.jsp
3. For resources on locating prisoners in other states, see: http://websearch.about.com/od/dailywebsearchtips/qt/dnt0606.htm.

12. If the person was ever on probation, contact the probation department in the city where that person was placed on probation.

13. Use the sheriff or a process server to serve papers, as they can give you documentation of their inability to find the person.

14. Child support cases only: If you receive welfare benefits, contact the district attorney's office to seek help in locating the person.

15. Hire a private investigator. 

B. Locating Businesses

Here are some steps you can take to locate businesses and their agents for service of process.

1. Check free online directories. Some suggested sites are listed below under "Websites and Online Databases."

2. Call telephone information (411) for the area where the business is located.

3. If the business is a corporation (Inc. or Corp.), limited liability company (LLC), or limited partnership (LP), and does business in California, it should have a listing at the California Secretary of State's website: http://kepler.sos.ca.gov/. This listing will contain the entity's address of record and the name and address of its designated agent for service of process. Find other state's Secretary of State at http://www.e-secretaryofstate.com/.

4. For any type of business, you may be able to get information on it from the city or county clerk where it is located. Ask about "FBN" (fictitious business name) or "DBA" (doing business as) listings, or business licenses. Sometimes this information is available on the city or county website.

5. If the business itself has a website, you may be able to find contact information for its headquarters, officers, or owners. You may find this under "contact us," "about us," "staff directory," or a site map.

6. If the business has a website, try using the "Whois" service to see who owns the website. Visit http://www.internic.net/whois.html to search by typing in the website address (URL) for contact and address information. Some website owners shield their identity by registering through an intermediary such as Domains by Proxy (http://domainsbyproxy.com/). If so, you might be able to get the contact information from the intermediary with a phone call or letter, but it may require a subpoena.

7. Search business directories, industry, or trade associations, and other business resources. The Sacramento Public Library offers free access to excellent "Business, Personal Finance & Legal" databases at the library or from anywhere with your SPL library card (http://www.saclibrary.org/?pageId=1220).

8. Publicly held companies (companies that sell stock) must file various disclosures with the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC). Annual Reports and other SEC filings can have a wealth of information, including contact information, reports of "significant" litigation, and more. You can search this information at the SEC's EDGAR site, http://www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml.

9. If the company holds patents, their contact information should be available in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's database, www.uspto.gov.

II. Library Resources

A. Self-Help and General Books

You Can Find Anybody!  HV 6762 .U5 C85 2000 (Self-Help)
Find Anyone Fast   HV 6762 .U5 J64 2001 (Self-Help) 
Both of these books discuss a wealth of avenues for finding missing people. Although they are a bit dated (2000 and 2001, respectively), much of the discussion is still useful. You may want to do a web search to find out if the records, agencies and resources are now online. Be aware that driving records, credit records, and postal records, among others, have gained important privacy protection since these books were published.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Private Investigating KF 2042.D48 B76 2007 (Self-Help)
Chapters 4-8 discuss "skip tracing," or finding people who have dropped out of sight, including the use of public records, courthouse records, and for-pay databases. Chapter 22, "The Diligent Search: Adoption and Estates," discusses requirements for service by publication, problems with the requirements, and possible approaches to fulfilling them. While the book is aimed at private investigators, non-PIs can also benefit. 

How to Locate Anyone Who Is or Has Been in the Military: Armed Forces Locator Guide
HV 6762.U5 J54 1999 (Self-Help)
This book takes the reader through methods of locating active duty, reserve and National Guard, and retired military personnel; verifying military service; and more. Some resources are restricted to relatives. Be aware that the use of credit records, discussed in Chapter 12, has been restricted since this book was published.

B. Specialized Books

The Lawyer's Guide to Fact Finding on the Internet   KF 242.A1 L48 2006 +CD (General Collection)
Chapter 7 deals with finding people, Chapter 8 with using public records, and Chapter 10 with finding information about businesses. Many useful websites (free, free-with-registration, and fee-based) are detailed and instructions on how to use them are provided. The book was printed in 2006, so it will not cover newer resources, but many of the resources it discusses are still helpful.

The Sourcebook to Public Record Information: The Comprehensive Guide to County, State, & Federal Public Records Sources JK 468.P76 S693 (Reference)
An encyclopedic 2009 listing of public record sources and how to access and use them. The first 69 pages discuss types of records that may be useful in researching businesses and individuals and what types of information they may yield; guidelines for using public records; and methods of accessing them.

III. Websites and Online Databases

People Search Sites and Databases

Subscription (free with Sacramento Public Library card):

ReferenceUSA
http://www.saclibrary.org/?pageId=1220  (Click on "ReferenceUSA")
Contains information compiled from current residential phone directories.

Free:

Pipl
http://www.pipl.com/
Pipl searches the "deep web," including blog entries, photos, publications, donations on public record, profiles on social and business networking sites, and other overlooked sources. Pipl supports searching by name, username, phone number, and email.

Yahoo! Search - People Search
http://people.yahoo.com/  
Search by name, email, or phone number.

Zabasearch
http://www.zabasearch.com/
Zabasearch is a free people search engine that scours freely accessible public information and records. More detailed information is available for a fee.

Social Sites

Any number of social networking sites can be useful in locating a missing person. Here are three that may be particularly helpful:

Adoption Search & Reunion
http://reunion.adoption.com/  
Registry for birth parents and adoptees wishing to find each other, and forums for asking for help and advice.

Classmates.com - Find High School Friends, Plan Reunions.
http://www.classmates.com/  
Includes elementary schools and colleges, too. You must register to use the website, and some features, like viewing people's locations, reading bulletin board notes, and reviewing yearbooks, require a subscription.

Facebook
www.facebook.com
Facebook is not a search engine, per se, but hundreds of millions of people are listed, many of them showing location information and other information that can help locate them. MySpace.com is another popular site to try.

Business Information

Subscription (free with Sacramento Public Library library card):

Business & Company Resource Center
ReferenceUSA
http://www.saclibrary.org/?pageId=1220
These databases can help you find profiles, including the names and contact information for officers, directors, and agents. The "Resource Center" also includes a wealth of other research on companies (mostly large businesses).

Free:

Hoovers
http://hoovers.com
Information on large companies, including top management, summary of business, and competitors. Basic information is free, but details require a subscription or purchase. The Business & Company Resource Center at SPL, mentioned above, offers similar information.

Manta
http://www.manta.com
Smaller companies are listed here, along with top contacts, news, and reports (may require payment). A good resource for finding information on local businesses.

ZoomInfo
http://www.zoominfo.com/
This site offers information on businesses, including parent and subsidiary companies, revenue and number of employees, and a summary of the business. You can also find contact information for business people. Basic searching is free.

Online Guides

Cyndi's List - Finding People
http://www.cyndislist.com/finding.htm
Lists many resources for finding people online. Cyndi's List is primarily a genealogy site, but this page lists resources for finding living people.

Find People - How to Find People Online Quickly and Easily  http://websearch.about.com/od/wendyssearchpicks/a/find_people.htm 
From About.com: free resources that can help you find people and businesses online by using search engines, phone directories, social networks, and sites developed specifically for finding people, such as Zabasearch.com.

Sacramento Public Library's "Finding People" Delicious.com Bookmark Archive
http://www.delicious.com/askus
The Sacramento Public Library has compiled even more websites to help you find people.

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