Address confidentiality programs (ACP) by state

What an ACP actually is

An address confidentiality program (ACP) is a state-run system that gives you a substitute mailing address. State and local agencies put the substitute on their records instead of your real home address. The state forwards your mail to where you actually live.

Most ACPs run out of the Secretary of State's office or the Attorney General's office. You enroll, you get a participant number and a substitute address, and from then on you use the substitute on every form a state or local agency hands you.

Most programs started as protection for domestic-violence survivors. Many later expanded to cover sworn personnel, judges, prosecutors, and witnesses, and a few now include reproductive-health workers. Eligibility varies by state. Read your statute, not a third-party summary.

The main thing an ACP does is not shield you from data brokers. When someone requests your county property file, your voter registration, or your DMV record, the substitute address is what comes back.

What an ACP does not protect

An ACP binds state and local government agencies. It does not bind private data brokers, county recorders for documents already on file, federal agencies that do not participate, or anyone who had your address before you enrolled.

If your name is already on Spokeo, BeenVerified, and TruePeopleSearch, and it probably is, enrolling in an ACP today does not remove those records. Brokers do not read state ACP rolls. They scrape voter files and property records, and they already have your data. The ACP only stops the next refresh from pulling new state records under your real address.

If you bought your house five years ago, the deed your county recorded is a public record and stays that way. ACP enrollment does not unwind that. The county clerk redacts going forward, not backward.

That is why an ACP is one layer, not the whole stack. The other layers are ongoing broker removal, court-record redaction, and locking down social media. Run a free scan to see what a state ACP cannot reach.

States worth knowing

These programs have run long enough to rely on, with eligibility that includes sworn personnel or judges.

California, Safe at Home. Run by the Secretary of State. It started for domestic-violence survivors and later expanded to include reproductive-health workers. California also bars state and local agencies from posting a covered official's or judge's home address and phone number online under Government Code §6254.21. See the California ACP page. Confirm which protections apply to your role before you rely on them.

Texas, Address Confidentiality Program. Run by the Office of the Attorney General. Eligibility covers survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and trafficking. Texas does not include sworn personnel in the ACP by default. Officers and judges instead use Tax Code §25.025, which lets them keep their home address confidential in county appraisal district records. See the Texas ACP page.

New Jersey. New Jersey runs an ACP through the Division on Women in the Department of Children and Families, but the heavier tool for officers is Daniel's Law. It lets covered officers, judges, and prosecutors require a data broker to remove their home address and unpublished phone number, with damages of $1,000 per violation if the broker does not comply within the statutory window. Most New Jersey officers use both: the ACP for state-agency records and Daniel's Law for the broker layer.

Florida, §119.071 exemptions. Florida does not run one named ACP. It runs a set of public-records exemptions that let eligible categories, including sworn personnel, judges, prosecutors, and certain medical and child-welfare staff, keep their home address out of records the state would otherwise release. You file a written request with each agency. See the Florida page and Florida Statutes §119.071.

Illinois, Judicial Privacy Act. Illinois passed this law in 2012, after the 2005 murder of the husband and mother of U.S. District Judge Joan Lefkow. It lets covered judges and their families require businesses and individuals to stop publishing their home address and other personal information. It does not cover police officers or prosecutors. See the Illinois Judicial Privacy Act page.

Common gotchas

A few patterns catch people every year.

You still enroll separately at each agency. Many ACPs require you to opt in at every state and local agency that holds your records. Voter registration, vehicle registration, property tax, court clerk, professional licensing: each is a separate form. The lead office does not propagate your enrollment automatically.

The substitute address is not a real mailbox. It is an address the state operates, and the state forwards your mail. Forwarding schedules vary by state, so time-sensitive mail can be delayed. Do not use the substitute for anything that needs same-day pickup.

Federal agencies usually do not participate. Your IRS records, your federal court filings, and your USPS change-of-address do not care about a state ACP. If you are a federal judge, the Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Act is the federal tool, but it covers only federal judges and their immediate families. Federal agents and assistant U.S. attorneys are not covered by it.

Property records already on file stay public. ACP enrollment does not redact deeds, mortgages, or tax assessments recorded before your enrollment date. Some states allow petition-based redaction of older records, but those are separate filings. Check your state's process.

Enrollment itself may be discoverable. A few states publish the list of enrollees, without the real address. If someone learns you are enrolled, they know you moved recently, which narrows their search. Read your state's statute on what it publishes.

How to enroll

The mechanics are similar across states. Read your statute for the variations.

1. Confirm eligibility. Most ACPs require you to be in one of the named categories. Some require a sworn affidavit or a referral from a victim-services agency or your department.
2. Apply through the designated office. Usually the Secretary of State or Attorney General. Expect to provide your real address (kept confidential by the program), an emergency contact, and the household members you are enrolling.
3. Receive your substitute address and participant number. The address looks like a normal street address. Use it on every form going forward.
4. Notify each agency that already has your real address. This is the manual part. Voter registration, DMV, property tax, court clerk, licensing board, and school district each get a written notice with your substitute address.
5. Renew on schedule. Most states require periodic renewal. Confirm your state's cycle.

Then check your state page for the application portal, statute, and known gotchas.

Where an ACP fits

Think of it as one layer of three.

A state ACP closes the agency-disclosure path going forward. It does nothing about data brokers, which need ongoing removal, or about court records already filed, which need separate redaction.

An ACP with no broker coverage is a common gap. Your substitute address lands on every state form, while your real address can still be sitting on Spokeo. Someone looking for you does not file a public-records request. They search the name.

An ACP does not remove your listings from data broker sites. Frontline Privacy finds those listings, files removals, and keeps checking because brokers repost.

Run a free scan to see what is exposed on the broker layer.