What you can actually find, and what you cannot
You can find someone's address through public records, social media, people search websites, and old-fashioned methods like asking mutual friends or calling their workplace. What you find depends on what that person has made public, what they've registered with government agencies, and whether they've taken steps to keep their address private.
Some addresses are genuinely public — property records, business registrations, court documents, and voter rolls are open to anyone who knows where to look. Others are semi-public: someone's Instagram location tag, a LinkedIn profile listing their office, or a Facebook check-in. Still others require you to already know something about the person, like their phone number or full name, to narrow down the search.
What you cannot do is access private databases, phone company records, or government ID information without legal authority. If someone has unlisted their phone number, removed their address from public records, or kept their social media private, there are real limits to what you can find.
Key Takeaways
- Public property records, voter registration, and business filings are searchable online and often free, but vary by state and county.
- People search websites like Whitepages, Spokeo, and BeenVerified aggregate public data but often charge a fee for full results.
- Social media profiles, Google Maps, and old websites can reveal addresses people have posted themselves, sometimes years ago.
- If someone has taken steps to hide their address — unlisting their phone, removing property records, or keeping social media private — there may be no legal way to find it.
- Using someone's address without their permission for harassment, stalking, or fraud is illegal regardless of how you found it.
Public records: property, voter, and business registrations
Property records are the most reliable source. If someone owns a home or rental property, that deed is filed with the county assessor or recorder's office and is open to the public. You can search most county assessor websites for free by name, and the results show the property address, owner name, and sometimes the purchase price and date.
Start with your county's assessor or recorder website — search "[your county] assessor property search" or "[your county] recorder deed search." If the person owns property in a different county, you'll need to search that county's records. Some states, like California, have statewide property databases; others require you to search county by county.
Voter registration records are also public in most states, though the level of detail varies. Some states publish full voter rolls online; others restrict them to registered voters or require you to request them in person. Search "[your state] voter registration search" to see what your state publishes.
Business registrations — sole proprietorships, LLCs, and corporations — are filed with the state's Secretary of State office. If someone owns a business, that filing usually includes a business address and sometimes a home address. Search "[your state] Secretary of State business search" and enter the business name.
People search websites and aggregators
Websites like Whitepages, Spokeo, BeenVerified, and TruthFinder pull together public records and compile them into searchable databases. They're faster than searching county records yourself, but they charge for detailed results — usually $10 to $30 for a full report.
These sites work by collecting data from public sources: property records, voter rolls, court documents, phone directories, and social media. They then organize it by person and sell access. The information is the same as what you'd find free through government websites, but aggregators save you the time of searching multiple counties and states.
Whitepages is the oldest and most widely used. It shows current and past addresses, phone numbers, and sometimes email addresses. Spokeo and BeenVerified offer similar services with slightly different interfaces. TruthFinder includes criminal records and background information alongside address history.
Keep in mind that these databases are often incomplete or outdated. If someone moved recently, the aggregator may still show an old address. If someone has requested removal from public records, the aggregator may not have updated yet. And if the person has never owned property or registered to vote, they may not appear at all.
Social media, Google Maps, and websites
People often post their address themselves without realizing it will stay online forever. Check Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and TikTok for location tags, check-ins, or mentions of their address. An Instagram post from years ago might still show a location tag with a street address or neighborhood.
Google Maps can reveal addresses too. Search the person's name and look for their business location, home listed on a map, or a review they've written that includes their location. Some people tag their home address in Google Maps as a saved place, and that can show up in search results.
Old websites, blogs, and online directories sometimes list addresses. If the person has ever run a business website, written a blog, or been listed in an online directory, that old page might still be indexed by Google. Search the person's name in quotes — like "John Smith" — along with "address" or "phone" to find old listings.
LinkedIn profiles often show a current city and sometimes a full address if the person listed it. Even if the profile is private, the preview that shows in search results may include location information.
When you already know a phone number or email
If you have someone's phone number, you can use a reverse phone lookup service like TrueCaller, WhitePages, or Spokeo to find their name and address. Enter the number and the service searches its database for matches. Some results are free; others require payment.
Reverse email lookups work similarly. Services like Hunter, RocketReach, and Spokeo let you enter an email address and search for the person's name, phone, and address. These are often used for professional purposes — finding contact information for someone you met at a conference — but work for personal searches too.
These methods work best if the person has a listed phone number or has used their email publicly. If they've unlisted their number or use a private email, the lookup may return no results.
What to do if you cannot find the address
If someone has taken steps to hide their address — unlisting their phone, removing property records, or keeping all social media private — you may have reached the limit of what's legally available. Some people request removal from public records, and some states honor those requests.
If you need to contact someone and cannot find their address, try asking mutual friends, calling their workplace, or sending a message through social media if their account is public. If you're trying to serve legal documents, hire a process server — they have access to skip-tracing tools and databases that the public does not.
If you're trying to reconnect with someone from your past, try Facebook's search, LinkedIn, or alumni networks. These are often more effective than address searches because they're designed for finding people you already know something about.
Legal and ethical boundaries
Finding someone's address is legal. Using it without permission for harassment, stalking, threats, or fraud is not. If you find someone's address and use it to show up at their home uninvited, send unwanted mail, or share it publicly to harass them, you can be charged with stalking or harassment depending on your state's laws.
Some states have laws against publishing someone's home address online with intent to harass or endanger them — this is sometimes called "doxing." Even if you found the address through public records, publishing it as part of a harassment campaign can be illegal.
If someone has requested removal from public records or has a protective order against you, using their address — even if it's still publicly available — may violate that order.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I find someone's address if they've unlisted their phone number?
Possibly, but it's harder. Unlisted phone numbers don't appear in reverse lookups, but if the person owns property, that address is still in the county assessor's records. If they've never owned property and keep their social media private, there may be no public way to find their address.
Do people search websites show current addresses or old ones?
Both. These sites show address history, which includes where someone used to live. The most recent address is usually listed first, but it may be outdated if the person moved recently and hasn't updated their voter registration or property records yet.
What's the difference between a free people search and a paid one?
Free searches usually show basic information — name, city, and sometimes a phone number. Paid searches ($10 to $30) show full address history, phone numbers, email addresses, and sometimes background information. The underlying data is the same; you're paying for faster access and more detail.
If I find someone's address online, can I show up at their house?
Finding the address is legal. Showing up uninvited, especially repeatedly, can be considered harassment or stalking depending on your state's laws and the person's reaction. If they ask you to leave and you return, that crosses into illegal territory.
How do I remove my own address from people search websites?
Most people search sites have an opt-out process on their website — look for "Remove my information" or "Privacy request." You'll usually need to verify your identity. However, removing yourself from one aggregator doesn't remove you from others, and your address will reappear in public records databases. Removing yourself from voter rolls or requesting removal from property records is more permanent but requires going through your county or state directly.