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Address Lookup via Public Records

4 min read Apr 11, 2026

Overview

Public records are the most reliable source for address data because they are submitted under legal obligation and carry a date stamp. Company filings, electoral rolls, court documents, and professional registers all contain addresses associated with named individuals. These sources are authoritative in a way that commercial data aggregators are not.

Company Filings

Directors and officers of registered companies are required to provide a service address and, in many jurisdictions, a residential address. In the UK, residential addresses submitted to Companies House are partially suppressed but the service address remains public. Historical filings before suppression was introduced may still contain full residential addresses.

Search Companies House by officer name:

┌──(kali㉿kali)-[~]
└─$ curl -s "https://api.company-information.service.gov.uk/search/officers?q=$NAME" -u $COMPANIES_HOUSE_API_KEY: | jq '.items[] | {name: .title, address: .address, appointed_on: .appointment_count}' 
{
  "name": "SMITH, John David",
  "address": {
    "address_line_1": "123 High Street",
    "locality": "London",
    "postal_code": "EC1A 1BB",
    "country": "United Kingdom"
  },
  "appointed_on": 3
}

For US companies, SEC EDGAR filings contain executive addresses in proxy statements and beneficial ownership filings. State-level business registries vary in the address data they publish but most require a registered agent address and principal office address which are publicly accessible.

Electoral Roll

The UK edited electoral register is available for purchase from local councils and is widely licensed to commercial data providers. It contains name and address for registered voters who have not opted out of the edited register. Credit reference agencies and people search platforms use this data extensively.

US voter registration databases are managed at state level. Many states publish downloadable voter files containing name, address, party affiliation, and voting history. Access methods vary by state from free download to formal public records request.

Direct council lookup for UK electoral data:

┌──(kali㉿kali)-[~]
└─$ curl -s "https://api.postcodes.io/postcodes/$POSTCODE" | jq '{ward: .result.admin_ward, council: .result.admin_district}'

The postcode lookup identifies which council holds the electoral roll for that area, directing you to the right authority for a formal data request.

Court Records

Court filings contain addresses submitted by parties to proceedings. Civil claims, bankruptcy petitions, and family court filings are particularly address-rich because claimants must provide a current address for service of documents.

UK county court judgments are publicly searchable through the Registry Trust and commercial services like Trust Online. A judgment against a name returns the address submitted at the time of proceedings:

┌──(kali㉿kali)-[~]
└─$ curl -s "https://www.trustonline.org.uk/api/search" -d '{"name":"$NAME","type":"individual"}' -H "Content-Type: application/json" -H "Authorization: Bearer $TRUSTONLINE_TOKEN"

US federal court filings are accessible through PACER and CourtListener. State court records vary by jurisdiction but many states provide online search portals. Bankruptcy filings are especially useful as they require comprehensive disclosure of assets, addresses, and financial obligations.

Professional Registers

Regulated professions require registration with a licensing body, and those registrations include an address. Medical professionals, solicitors, financial advisers, and engineers all appear in publicly searchable registers with their registered practice address.

  • UK FCA Register at register.fca.org.uk lists authorised financial advisers with business address

  • UK Solicitors Regulation Authority at sra.org.uk lists solicitors with firm address

  • UK General Medical Council at gmcuk.org lists doctors with registered address

  • US FINRA BrokerCheck at brokercheck.finra.org lists registered brokers with office address

  • US state medical boards publish licensee addresses, searchable by name

Planning Applications

Planning applications submitted to local councils require the applicant's name and address and are public record. A subject who has submitted a planning application for works at their property has effectively self-disclosed their address to a public database.

UK planning applications are searchable through local council portals and aggregated by Planning Portal. Search by applicant name or by address:

┌──(kali㉿kali)-[~]
└─$ curl -s "https://api.planningportal.co.uk/search?applicant=$NAME&format=json" -H "Authorization: $PLANNING_API_KEY"

Results include the property address, applicant name, and application date. This is particularly useful for subjects who are not company directors and do not appear in electoral data, but who own or occupy property.

References