Methodology

County roster

The county list is built from the US Census Bureau's official 2020 national county file (FIPS codes), covering all 3,142 counties and county-equivalents in all 50 states. Every county exists in the directory from day one, even before its record sources are verified.

State program data

State search links point to the official unclaimed property program operated by each state's administrator (treasurer, comptroller, revenue department, or equivalent). Many states also list holdings onMissingMoney.com, the NAUPA-endorsed multi-state database.

Finder rule summaries

Licensing, fee cap, and waiting period summaries are compiled from state unclaimed property acts (UUPA/RUUPA adoptions) and well-known statutes. Where a rule has not been independently confirmed against the current statute text, the summary says "verify" and cites where to look. Treat every summary as a starting point, not a conclusion.

County link verification

• Verified links carry the date they were last checked and point to the official office that holds the funds (treasurer, clerk of court, tax commissioner, etc.).
• Not yet verified cells mean we know which office typically holds the records (see each state's "where county money sits" note) but have not confirmed a stable URL. Submissions welcome.
• We link to office-level pages rather than deep document URLs when counties reorganize their sites frequently.

Disclaimer