Measures taken by government agencies to stymie the ongoing pandemic have resulted in unique situations across the country affecting consultants’ abilities to access public data. The subsequent building closures, skeleton staffs, and work from home orders mean that access to data may be slower or in some cases there may be limited or no access to public information. Keep reading to see which products may be affected.
DATABASE REPORTS
Historical information for database reports is still coming in. We are noticing longer than average turn arounds when FOIA requests are required.
AERIAL IMAGES AND HISTORICAL MAPS
Banks has a massive database containing every aerial image we’ve ever compiled. While some states require researchers on site to pull historical aerial images, we anticipate minimal disruption for these products.
CITY DIRECTORIES AND CHAIN OF TITLE SEARCHES
Due to various courthouse and government building closures many resources for city directory and chain of title resources have become limited. County clerk office closings have also affected chain of title research in some areas. Banks can still typically do lien searches and chain searches back to the 1940s or 50s. Any research which involves a visit the clerk’s county office may require our researchers to take a reservation at the office in advance (one in one out) as long as the offices are still open.
Should you need anything or have any questions about data availability in your area, don’t hesitate to give us a call: (512) 478-0059 ext 1
Please be safe out there and wash your hands! 🙂
Thank again,
Ian & the Banks team
P.S.
NPR did a great segment over how states are handling public records requests. While that information was not used in this article, it’s worth a listen. click here