Look, we've all been there. Maybe you're trying to send a wedding invite to a cousin who moves every six months, or you're doing a bit of "due diligence" on a Facebook Marketplace seller who seems a little too sketchy to be true. Whatever the reason, the internet is absolutely crawling with websites promising to give you a full address for $0.00. Most of them are lying. You click through six pages of "searching records," wait for a progress bar to hit 100%, and then—boom—they ask for a credit card for a "trial."
It’s frustrating.
But honestly, if you know where to look, you actually can figure out how to find where someone lives for free using public records and digital breadcrumbs that most people just overlook. It takes more work than clicking a "Search" button on a scammy background check site, but it’s much more effective.
Why the big "People Search" sites are usually a waste of time
Most of the sites you see at the top of Google—Whitepages, Spokeo, BeenVerified—are basically data aggregators. They buy up bulk data from marketing companies, utility records, and old phone books. While they do have the info, they are businesses. They aren't going to give you the goods for free because their entire business model relies on you being desperate enough to pay $19.99 to see a street name.
Occasionally, Whitepages might show you a partial street name or a city/zip code, which is a start, but for the full house number, you usually have to pivot to government-run databases. These are "open" records, meaning they are funded by your tax dollars and are legally required to be accessible to the public.
Use the County Tax Assessor’s office (The gold standard)
If you have a general idea of what county someone lives in, the Tax Assessor or Property Appraiser website is your best friend. This is probably the single most underrated tool for finding an address.
When someone owns a home, they pay property taxes. That’s public info. Most counties have a "Property Search" feature on their website. You just type in the person’s last name. If they own a house in that county, the site will spit out the parcel details, the legal description of the land, and, most importantly, the physical address where the taxes are assessed.
It’s incredibly accurate.
Why? Because the government doesn't play around with tax bills. They need to know exactly where that property is. The downside is that this won't help you much if the person is a renter, as the search will just return the name of the landlord or a giant property management corporation like BlackRock or Greystone.
How to navigate the "clunky" government UI
Don't expect these sites to look like modern apps. They usually look like they haven't been updated since 2004. You’ll want to look for buttons that say things like "Real Property Records," "GIS Maps," or "Public Search." Sometimes, you have to click through a disclaimer saying you won't use the data for "nefarious purposes."
Just agree and keep moving.
Social media is more than just "Stalking"
We often forget how much we leak about our lives online. Finding a physical address through social media requires a bit of "digital forensics," but it's surprisingly effective.
Start with LinkedIn. People often list their current city and company. If you know where they work, you’re already 50% of the way there. But the real "gold" is often on Instagram or Facebook. People love taking photos of their new "house keys" or a view from their balcony.
The "Geo-locating" trick
If someone posts a photo of their backyard or the street in front of their house, you can often find the house using Google Street View. Look for unique landmarks. Is there a weirdly shaped oak tree? A specific color of fire hydrant? A house across the street with a red door?
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You can cross-reference these visual cues with Google Maps. It’s exactly what those "GeoGuessr" pros do. It sounds a bit like something out of a spy movie, but it's basically just high-level pattern recognition. Honestly, people are often shocked at how easy it is to identify a house just by the style of the street signs in the background of a "Moving Day" post.
Civil Court records and the "Legal Trail"
Humans are messy. We get sued, we get divorced, we get speeding tickets, and we file for small claims. Every time someone enters the legal system, they have to provide a "service address." This is the address where a process server can find them to hand over legal papers.
Most counties have a "Clerk of Court" website where you can search civil and criminal records for free.
- Traffic Tickets: If they got a speeding ticket in 2023, the ticket likely lists the address on their driver’s license at that time.
- Divorce Records: These are packed with info, including previous addresses and sometimes current ones.
- Voter Registration: Some states make voter registration data public. Sites like VoterRecords.com (which is actually free for many states) pull this data. It shows the name, party affiliation, and—you guessed it—the registered voting address.
The "Old School" Voter Registration Method
In many states, you can actually walk into a county board of elections office and ask to see the voter rolls. While some states have moved toward privacy-focused laws (like California’s "Safe at Home" program), many others still treat your home address as a matter of public record.
It’s worth noting that if you’re looking for someone in a "non-disclosure" state, this won't work. But in places like Florida or Ohio, that data is often wide open.
A word on the ethics and "The Creep Factor"
Just because you can find where someone lives doesn't always mean you should. There’s a very thin line between finding a lost friend and becoming a stalker. If someone has gone to great lengths to hide their address—perhaps they have a protective order or they’ve used services like IronMountain to scrub their data—you should respect that privacy.
Also, keep in mind that "free" methods take time. You are trading your hours for dollars. If you spend five hours digging through 14 different county clerk websites, you've technically "spent" more in labor than the $20 a professional search site would have charged. But hey, if the budget is zero, the DIY route is the only route.
What if they live in an apartment?
Apartments are the "Final Boss" of address hunting. Since the tenant doesn't own the property, their name won't show up in tax records. In this case, your best bet is State Licensing Boards.
Does the person work as a nurse? A Realtor? An electrician? A cosmetologist?
Most professional licenses require a mailing address. Many states (like Texas or New York) have searchable databases for professional licenses. Often, the address listed is the person's place of business, but occasionally, especially for independent contractors, it’s their home address.
Actionable Steps to Take Right Now
If you are ready to start your search, follow this specific order to maximize your chances without hitting a paywall:
- Search VoterRecords.com first. It’s the easiest win if they live in a state with open voter laws.
- Check the County Tax Assessor. Use this for anyone you suspect owns their home. If the name is common (like "John Smith"), use the "map view" to narrow down the area.
- Search the "Clerk of Court" in their last known city. Look specifically for "Civil" cases or "Traffic" cases. Look for the most recent filing date.
- Use Google Images. Search the person's name + "city" and look for photos they’ve posted on social media. If you find a photo of a house, use the visual cues to find the street on Google Earth.
- Check Professional Licenses. Go to the state’s "DCA" (Department of Consumer Affairs) or "Health Department" website and search for their name to see if a license is registered to a residential address.
By sticking to government and official sources, you bypass the "pay-to-play" aggregators and get the same data they use, straight from the source. It’s more reliable, it’s updated more frequently, and most importantly, it actually stays free.