ClearForms has built-in Open Data features to make it easier for governments to share information about their operations with the public. (Learn more about why we support Open Data.) We allow anyone to see Stats about the workflows on ClearForms - for example, how many processes were started, completed, and halted, and about how long a workflow takes to complete on the Stats page for each workflow. (Each permit, license, or type of government activity is powered by a Workflow on ClearForms.)
Anyone can search for specific information as part of a workflow, if the Public Search feature is enabled by the government that created it. For example, you could search for all building permits on your street, or a business could check to see if their preferred business name was already taken in their county (as long as those applications were on ClearForms).
If it's turned on, the Public Data Search option appears on the Start page of the workflow.
There are two search options: Exact Match returns only results that include the exact text entered. For example, there's only one record found if we enter a specific business name on this workflow.
Desktop:
Mobile:
The other search option is "Contains" for a less exact, more "fuzzy" search.
On the same workflow, if we enter just the term "Sierra" and select Contains as the search option, we get many more results.
Desktop:
Mobile:
We hope that this search function helps you find what you're looking for on ClearForms. Please note: governments choose which information is included in their Stats pages, so your search may not return data on every field in the workflow.