Printable checklist and cover sheet
Choose the state, the record and the number of copies. You get a checklist for a mail order with the form, the ID rule, the fee total, the payee as the state prints it and the address, plus a cover sheet to fill in and print.
Why a checklist helps
Mail applications are returned for small reasons: a check made out to the wrong name, a missing copy of the ID, an unsigned form, or a fee that does not match the number of copies. The checklist puts the state's own requirements on one page so you can tick them off before you seal the envelope.
The payee is shown exactly as the state prints it, for example "Treasurer, State of Ohio", because commercial sites often get it wrong. The fee total uses the state's first-copy and extra-copy fees for mail orders, only when the state publishes them.
The cover sheet
The cover sheet is a plain letter that names the office, the record and the payment enclosed, with lines for the details of the record. It does not replace the state's application form: send both.
Before you mail it
Check the form's revision date against the state's page; states update forms and may reject old versions. Fees change too, so compare the total with the state page linked from the checklist.
Mailing tips
Use a check or money order unless the state says it takes cards by mail, and never send cash. Write the payee exactly as shown. Keep a photocopy of everything you send. If you need the record by a date, use a trackable mail service and consider the state's online or in-person options instead: their published times are on the processing times page. For records of someone else, check first that the state lets you order with the eligibility checker.