New Hampshire was the 9th to become a U.S. state on June 21, 1788. It was one of the original colonies and its name is derived from Hampshire County, England. There were only 5 counties formed for the entire state in its early statehood. In 1840 the last two counties Belknap and Carroll were formed bringing the present number to 10 counties. County governments are formed as a branch of New Hampshire’s state government. The elected delegation and the 3 member county commissioners of the executive branch oversee county affairs, finances and operations.
Freedom of Information and Open Records Statutes are enacted by state law makers to give New Hampshire citizens a transparent government. Records and meetings from N.H. state and local agencies are open to any member of the public. Anyone can request information from government agencies and companies contracted by the government. Residents and companies make their requests for various purposes. Other than uncovering government abuses and oversight of operations, many search public records for personal reasons.
Looking up records in efforts to locate assets held by an individual can be accomplished with the access to property deed information, business filings and other documents recorded by the state. The County registry of deeds maintain information regarding land and property ownership. Names of owners, dates and real estate details can be viewed with direct query of the recorder’s database. An instant free online business entity look up will list results from the Secretary of State database of New Hampshire registered business names. The uniform commercial code division of the Secretary of State allows the public to search for U.C.C. filings online as a free service.
Many requests for New Hampshire records are for personal needs. Persons born in New Hampshire may need to request birth records for identification purposes when applying for a passport. Official certified marriage and death records are often requested for documentation requirements. Databases offered by states agencies allow for license verification of professionals such as attorneys, accountants, medical staff, contractors and many more instantly online.
Starting a search with a list of the most current New Hampshire sources to locate and request records will offer advantages over browsing aimlessly online. A New Hampshire public record web portal will index best found sites containing free information, how-to guidance and forms. Find new sources to expand your search for more comprehensive results.
