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District of Columbia public records: who holds what

In the District of Columbia, deeds are recorded by the Recorder of Deeds, birth and death certificates come from the DC Health Vital Records Division and requests for other government records fall under the District of Columbia Freedom of Information Act. Below: who holds every other record, what copies cost and the official link for each office.

Last checked against official sources on .

On this page
  1. Who holds what in District of Columbia
  2. Public records law in District of Columbia
  3. Property and tax records in District of Columbia
  4. Divorce records in District of Columbia
  5. How District of Columbia organizes its records
  6. Other records: background checks, voters, businesses, maps
  7. Warnings from official sources
  8. Official copies vs look-alike sites
  9. Official directories
  10. Sources

Who holds what in District of Columbia

The office that keeps each record, and the fee the law or the office sets for a copy. Open a record type for the full rules, ordering steps and older records.

RecordWho holds itCopy fee
DeedsRecorder of Deeds, a part of the DC Office of Tax and Revenue (one office for the whole District)1$2.25 per page2
Court recordsTwo courts serve the whole District: the DC Superior Court (trial court of general jurisdiction) and the DC Court of Appeals. DC has no counties, so there are no county courts3Civil: certified copy $5. Family: certified copy $5, photocopy $0.50 per page, record search $10 per name. No fee is stated for online docket search. Criminal Division copy fees are not published4
Marriage recordsDC Superior Court, Family Court Marriage Bureau, Moultrie Courthouse JM 690, 500 Indiana Ave NW; all DC marriage records from 1811 to present. Not DC Health5$10 per certified copy; no-record search letter $20; triple seal $206
Divorce recordsDC Superior Court, Family Court (filings through the Central Intake Center, Moultrie Courthouse JM-540; certified copies via [email protected])7$5 per certified copy; $0.50 per photocopy page; $10 per name searched8
Birth certificatesDC Health, Vital Records Division, 2201 Shannon Place SE; records from August 18749$23; fee is a non-refundable search fee and includes one copy if found. VitalChek adds $15.95 (online or phone) or $6.00 (mail)10
Death certificatesDC Health, Vital Records Division; records from August 187411$18; VitalChek adds $15.95 (online or phone) or $6.00 (mail)10
Probate and willsRegister of Wills, Probate Division, DC Superior Court, 515 5th Street NW, Room 31412Plain copies $0.50 per page; certified copies $5.00 each plus $0.50 per page; triple seal $25.00 plus $0.50 per page; final certificate $10.00; preliminary certificate $1.0013

Public records law in District of Columbia

District of Columbia Freedom of Information Act (D.C. Official Code §§ 2-531 to 2-539) Read the law14

This law covers records that agencies hold, such as a county office's correspondence or a property file. Recorded deeds, vital records and court files usually have their own rules, set out in each record section.

Who can ask
Any person15
Response time
15 business days, extendable by up to 10 business days in unusual circumstances; 25 business days (plus up to 15) for MPD body-worn camera recordings15
Copy fees
No initial fee; fees may not exceed actual cost of search, review, redaction and copying. Advance payment only if the requester previously failed to pay or the fee will exceed $25015
If a request is refused
Petition to the Mayor (decided in writing within 10 business days), submitted via the FOIA portal, mail or email to the Mayor's Office of Legal Counsel; then Superior Court. Denials by the Council or the Attorney General go directly to Superior Court16
What is exempt
D.C. Code § 2-534 exempts, among others, trade secrets, unwarranted invasions of personal privacy, law-enforcement investigatory records, deliberative memoranda, test questions, information exempt by other statute, and records sealed under Chapter 8 of Title 1617
Official guide
No Attorney General FOIA guide located. Guidance is published by the Office of Open Government (Board of Ethics and Government Accountability); there is no central FOIA office, each public body answers for its own records18
More on the District of Columbia Freedom of Information Act
Request portal
DC Public FOIA Portal (myfoia.dc.gov); the independent Office of the Chief Financial Officer, which includes OTR and the Recorder of Deeds, has a separate portal14
Courts excluded
The DC Courts are not subject to FOIA; use the court's own Data Request process19
Fee rates
Search: $4.00 per quarter hour after the first hour (clerical staff), $7.00 (professional), $10.00 (supervisory); photocopies $0.25 per page; certification of true copies $1 each; agencies may waive fees in the public interest20

How to write a public records request

Property and tax records in District of Columbia

Assessor vs treasurer
Both roles sit in one agency: the Office of Tax and Revenue's Real Property Tax Administration assesses, bills and runs the tax lien sale21
Statewide lookup
MyTax.DC.gov property search (mytax.dc.gov/_); more than 200,000 parcels22
Appealing a value
Three levels: (1) Assessment Division first-level administrative review, (2) Real Property Tax Appeals Commission within 45 days of the administrative decision notice, (3) DC Superior Court. New owners may petition within 45 days of purchase23
Tax certificate
$15.00 per lot, non-refundable; emailed within 10 business days; ordered through MyTax.DC.gov; no rush requests24
Bulk data
Public Extract download restricted to mortgage companies paying tax bills for 10 or more properties; same data online through MyTax25

How this works in other states: property and tax records by state.

Divorce records in District of Columbia

Who holds it
DC Superior Court, Family Court (filings through the Central Intake Center, Moultrie Courthouse JM-540; certified copies via [email protected])7
Fee
$5 per certified copy; $0.50 per photocopy page; $10 per name searched8

How this works in other states: divorce records by state.

How District of Columbia organizes its records

  • No counties: the District is a single jurisdiction, equivalent to a county for census data26
  • Marriage records are at the Superior Court, not DC Health; birth and death are at DC Health5
  • Convicted DC felons are transferred from the DC Jail to the federal Bureau of Prisons27
  • The DC Courts are outside DC FOIA and run their own Data Request process19

Other records: background checks, voters, businesses, maps

Criminal history checks

State repository
Metropolitan Police Department, Arrest and Criminal History Section, 441 4th Street NW, Room 550 South; (202) 727-424528
Fee
$7 (cash or card in person; $7 money order by mail, no checks)28
Who may order
The individual, age 18+; Option B allows the individual to authorize another person28
What it covers
Option A: all adult arrests, for sealing eligibility. Option B: convictions and forfeitures of collateral within the last 10 years28
How to get it
In person with PD Form 70 by appointment; drop-off (about 2 weeks); or notarized letter by mail (allow six weeks)28

Sex offender registry

Official registry
sexoffender.dc.gov (linked by MPD). The online list covers Class A and B only; the full list including Class C is viewable in person at police districts or the Registry Unit29
FOIA
Registration information is not available under FOIA except as the regulations make public30

Inmate and jail lookups

Local jails
DC Department of Corrections Records Office, (202) 523-7060, by phone; the Locate an Inmate page names no online search. VINE gives movement alerts at 1 (877) 329-789431
State prisons
DC Jail holds pretrial defendants, sentenced misdemeanants and felons awaiting transfer to the Federal Bureau of Prisons; after transfer use the BOP locator27

Voter records

Public or restricted
Public, except full/partial SSNs, voter registration numbers, dates of birth, email addresses and telephone numbers32
How to get it
DC Board of Elections data request form; Excel list by email or secure link at no charge, with or without voter history; the entire list only by secure link. [email protected], (202) 727-252533
Public lists
Registered-elector lists are placed in the main and branch public libraries no later than 45 days before an election34

Business names (DBA)

Who keeps them
DLCP Corporations Division (Superintendent of Corporations) for all entities and trade names; there are no county DBA filings35
Search
BOSS (formerly CorpOnline), boss.dc.gov, reached via DLCP's Access DC portal; corponline.dlcp.dc.gov redirects there36
Fees
Trade name registration, renewal, amendment or cancellation $55. Initial registration: domestic for-profit $99, domestic non-profit $80, foreign for-profit $220, foreign non-profit $8037
Historic
Articles of Incorporation 1870-1957 are requested from DLCP38
Search access
BOSS Global Search (boss.dc.gov/…) opens without signing in and searches by entity or licensee name, file or license number, or address39
More about business names (dba)
Certified copy fee
Certified copy of a filing $50.00 and certificate of good standing $50.00 for business corporations and LLCs; $40.00 each for nonprofit corporations. Optional expedite: $100 same day, $50 three-day40

Liens and UCC filings

Who holds it
DC Recorder of Deeds records UCC documents; statute names the Recorder for fixture, timber and as-extracted filings and 'the Mayor' for other cases41
Fee
UCC filing fee $25.00 plus surcharge $5.0041
Search
Liens and releases are searchable on the Recorder's online public records site41

GIS and parcel maps

Online portal
DC Open Data (opendata.dc.gov), OTR Real Property Assessment Map Search, and the Master Address Repository42
Maps
Radius and tax maps for a fee via MyTax.DC.gov (price not stated)42

Historical and genealogy records

Who holds it
District of Columbia Archives (Office of Public Records, Office of the Secretary), 1300 Naylor Court NW, (202) 671-110538
Collections
Births 1874-1895, deaths 1874-1945, marriages 1870-1920, wills and probate 1801-1999, administration cases 1879-1958, apprenticeship indentures 1812-1893, guardianships 1862-1939, DC Jail committal records 1850-1934, land records 1797-193038
How to get it
Online request forms at opr.dc.gov/requestrecords, limited to 5 requests per 30 days; digital collections at archives.dc.gov; in-person research by appointment43

Warnings from official sources

  • Attorney General consumer alert: lease-back, refinance (disguised deed transfer), phantom help and fake-agency property lien scams44
  • DLCP advisory: official-looking letters from fake agencies demanding ownership reports and payment45
  • DISB alert on foreclosure relief scams46
  • OTR itself flags that the deed search portal is a private site47

Official copies vs look-alike sites

A certified copy comes only from the office that holds the record; reports and "research copies" sold by commercial sites are not issued by any District of Columbia office. How to tell an official record source from a paid look-alike.

Official directories

Lists that name the office in every district.

Sources

Every fact above links to the official page it comes from; all 49 sources were checked on November 4, 2026. Fees and rules change, so check the office's own page before you pay or travel.

  1. Recorder of DeedsDC Office of Tax and Revenue
  2. General Recording Requirements & FeesDC Office of Tax and Revenue
  3. Superior CourtDistrict of Columbia Courts
  4. Civil Filing FeesDistrict of Columbia Courts
  5. MarriageDistrict of Columbia Courts
  6. Order Certified Copy Marriage RecordDistrict of Columbia Courts
  7. Family Court Central Intake CenterDistrict of Columbia Courts
  8. Family Filing FeesDistrict of Columbia Courts
  9. Birth CertificatesDC Health
  10. Vital RecordsDC Health
  11. Death CertificatesDC Health
  12. Request for Probate Searches and CopiesDistrict of Columbia Courts
  13. Probate Division Copy Request FormSuperior Court of the District of Columbia, Probate Division
  14. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)DC.gov
  15. D.C. Code § 2-532 (right of access, costs, time limits)Council of the District of Columbia, D.C. Law Library
  16. D.C. Code § 2-537 (FOIA administrative appeals)Council of the District of Columbia, D.C. Law Library
  17. D.C. Code § 2-534 (FOIA exemptions)Council of the District of Columbia, D.C. Law Library
  18. Freedom of Information ActOffice of Open Government, DC Board of Ethics and Government Accountability
  19. Data RequestsDistrict of Columbia Courts
  20. 1 DCMR § 408 Fees (Freedom of Information)DC Office of Documents and Administrative Issuances (DC Register/DCMR)
  21. Real PropertyDC Office of Tax and Revenue
  22. Real Property Tax Database SearchDC Office of Tax and Revenue
  23. Real Property Assessment Appeal Rights & ApplicationDC Office of Tax and Revenue
  24. Real Property Tax CertificateDC Office of Tax and Revenue
  25. Real Property Public Extract RecordsDC Office of Tax and Revenue
  26. GlossaryUS Census Bureau
  27. DOC Frequently Asked QuestionsDC Department of Corrections
  28. Police Clearances (Arrest and Criminal History Section)Metropolitan Police Department
  29. Sex Offender RegistryMetropolitan Police Department
  30. D.C. Code § 22-4017 (sex offender registration FOIA exception)Council of the District of Columbia, D.C. Law Library
  31. Locate an InmateDC Department of Corrections
  32. Citizen Voter Registration ApplicationDC Board of Elections
  33. Request for Voter Registration Data, Maps or Petition Signatures (Rev. 3/7/23)DC Board of Elections
  34. D.C. Code § 1-1001.07 (voter registration)Council of the District of Columbia, D.C. Law Library
  35. CorporationsDC Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection
  36. Corporations Division Business Registration FAQsDC Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection
  37. Trade NameDC Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection
  38. District of Columbia ArchivesOffice of the Secretary of the District of Columbia
  39. BOSS Global SearchDC Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection
  40. Corporations Division Fees - Business CorporationDC Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection
  41. ROD FAQsDC Office of Tax and Revenue
  42. Real Property GIS ProgramDC Office of Tax and Revenue
  43. Requesting RecordsOffice of Public Records and Archives
  44. Consumer Alert: Do You Own a Home in DC? Avoid Scams Targeting Homeowners!Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia
  45. Regulatory Advisory: Beware of Potential Scam Involving Fake Mandatory Ownership Reporting FormsDC Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection
  46. Foreclosure Relief Scams are on the Rise (9/4/25)DC Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking
  47. Recorder of Deeds - Document ImagesDC Office of Tax and Revenue
  48. Agency DirectoryDC.gov
  49. Superior Court Case SearchDistrict of Columbia Courts