Nebraska Free Public Records Directory

The state of Nebraska, located in the Midwestern United States, became the 37th state on March 1, 1867. Its nickname, “The Cornhusker State,” comes from how corn, the state’s major vegetable, is harvested. It is also the nickname for the University of Nebraska athletic teams. The state is bordered by South Dakota to the north, Iowa to the east, Missouri to the southeast, across the Missouri River, Kansas to the south, Colorado to the southwest, and Wyoming to the west. Nebraska observes two time zones, Central Time in the eastern half of the state and Mountain Time in the western half.

The state consists of approximately 77,220 sq. miles, ranking it 16th in size. It consists of two major land regions. The eastern portion of the state is a region of gently rolling hills where the two largest cities, Omaha and Lincoln, are located. The western region referred to as “The Great Plains” is a treeless prairie. These two regions are represented by two climate zones. The eastern half has a humid climate and the western half has a semi-arid climate. However, Nebraska’s average temperatures are fairly uniform with hot summers and generally cold winters. Thunderstorms are common in the spring and summer. Nebraska is located in “Tornado Alley” along with Kansas and Oklahoma, where three contrasting air currents converge causing severe weather conditions.

Nebraska was inhabited by Native Americans for thousands of years before European exploration. The U.S. Congress created the Kansas and the Nebraska Territories in 1854. The Nebraska Territory included parts of Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming and Montana. In the 1860s, the U.S. government opened large tracts of land to agricultural development. Thousands of settlers migrated to Nebraska to claim free land. The state was explored by the Lewis and Clark Expedition with many historic trails crossing the state.

Nebraska experienced a large growth in population during the 1870s and 1880s. Many African Americans migrated from the South to Nebraska in the late 19th century. Working class jobs in meat packing, railroads and other industries were being offered by the city of Omaha.

There are 93 counties in Nebraska with 530 cities and villages. Of the cities in Nebraska, 89% have populations of less than 3000 people, and many have a population of less than 1000. The largest city, Omaha has a population of 408,958, and the city of Lincoln, the capital, has a population of 258,379. The entire state has an estimated population of 1,907,116, ranking it 37th in the U.S. for population.

Nebraska is a major producer of beef, pork, corn, soybeans and sorghum. It is also home to a number of major corporations including freight transport, manufacturing, and more. Union Pacific’s Bailey Yard, located in Nebraska, is the world’s largest train yard. It is also home to “The Spade Ranch,” one of Nebraska’s oldest and largest beef cattle operations.

Begin your search of available public records for Nebraska by reviewing the below list. The list includes links to genealogy records, sex offender registrations, business license records, environmental health records, and much more.

Abbreviation	NE, Nebr.
Capital	Lincoln
Population	1,907,116 (2016 est.)
Area size	77,358 sq. mi.
Demonym	Nebraskan
Primary languages spoken	English
Governor	Pete Ricketts
Lieutenant Governor	Mike Foley
U.S. Senators	Deb Fischer, Ben Sasse
U.S. House Delegation	3 Republicans
Time Zone – Primary Panhandle	Central: UTC -6/-5 Mountain: UTC -7/-6

*The map and data in the table are from Wikipedia.

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There are two types of public records; 1) personal public records that document major life milestones such as birth certificates, death certificates, divorce records, and marriage records, etc.; and 2) government records that are made public such as property tax records, recorded land records, voter records, crime data, jail inmate records, and court records. The Freedom of Information Act is a national law that releases government agency public records and makes it possible to view most public records.^[2] The Nebraska Public Records Statutes provide citizens of this state and all other interested persons the right to obtain access to, and copies of, public records in the custody of public agencies in the state (Neb. Rev. Stat. §§ 84-712 through 84-712.09). ^[3]

Since there are a multitude of records available, it can be difficult to know how or where to access them. When you are ready to start your search, you’ll find our Public Records Directory website easy to use since all of the records can be searched by federal, state, county, city, town or type of record. The links provided will connect you to the best website for the record search, provide details about the record, or provide contact information for those records without search capabilities.