Our rules

Eight rules that keep this site neutral. They apply to everyone, including whoever pays for it.

1. Coverage is never sold. No one can pay to be covered, to be left out, or to have a place or body added sooner.
2. Places are added by a published rule. First, other bodies that serve residents we already cover. Then adjoining counties, largest first. Then any place where 100 or more residents ask for it.
3. Payers get no say over content. No editing, delaying, hiding, advance review or “added context”.
4. Every official and place is shown the same way, by a published method. See Method and the rules on About.
5. One corrections policy for everyone. See Corrections.
6. Every record page links the official record. Each record page says “Unofficial copy” and links the official source, and each fact links the page of the document it came from.
7. Every payer is listed, with conflict checks. Before any payer agreement, we check for conflicts and publish the result. Each payer's name, amount and contract will appear on Who runs this.
8. Free coverage continues for at least 12 months after a payer leaves, and we sign only our own service agreement. We do not sign a payer's terms.