DCSS must find out where the noncustodial parent lives or works to obtain or enforce a child support order. Sometimes we locate a noncustodial parent with a single postmaster letter verifying an address we have, but often we must use a variety of tools to locate an NP.

Locate actions we take include the use of

• Postmaster letters
• County Assessor’s Office information
• Letters to the custodial parent
• Voter registration files
• Wage verification letters to an employer

At the state level we use the California Parent Locater Service (CPLS), which provides us with information from state agencies, including:

• Franchise Tax Board
• Department of Motor Vehicles
• Employment Development Department
• New Employee Registry
• Department of Justice
• State Utility Match System
• Property Tax Exemption File

Through the Federal Parent Locater Service (FPLS), we have access to agencies such as the:

• Veteran’s Administration
• Department of Defense
• Social Security Administration
• New Employee Registry (for employers outside of California)

We also have automated access to:

• Credit reports
• County Department of Revenue
• Criminal Justice Information Control (CJIC)
• California Law Enforcement TeleCommunications (CLETS)

We use other databases to give us information about addresses, phone numbers, professional licenses, contractors, real estate agents, California corporations and limited partnerships, and sales and tax licenses.