The Department of Commerce certifies data maintained in the NCEI archive to meet the authentication requirements for records submitted as evidence in a court of law.
If the data is being sent to a courthouse or subpoena record room, you can either fax the accompanying subpoena, address confirmation, and order number (obtained once the order is submitted) to 1-828-271-4876, or email a copy to ncei.orders@noaa.gov. Without that information, your certified data may be rejected by the recipient and returned to NCEI.
Cost
All certified data (including digital orders) is priced in 40 page increments along with a $12.00 shipping charge. Physical data orders include a printing charge, which varies depending on page count. Most orders start at $191.00.
| Number of Pages | Cost | Shipping Charge | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 40 | $168.00 | $12.00 | $180.00 |
| 41 to 80 | $336.00 | $12.00 | $348.00 |
| 81 to 120 | $504.00 | $12.00 | $516.00 |
| 121 to 160 | $672.00 | $12.00 | $684.00 |
| 161 to 200 | $840.00 | $12.00 | $852.00 |
Certified paper copies delivered by UPS Next-Day service require an additional $17.00 charge per order. “Next-Day” orders ship the day after the order is prepared, but orders can take several days to prepare after the initial request is received. International shipping of certified paper copies requires an additional $55.00 charge per order.
Certified Data Online
NCEI allows online ordering for offline delivery of Department of Commerce certification of weather records for the following products: Local Climatological Data (LCD), Edited Local Climatological Data (LCD), Record of Climatological Observations (COOP), Global Historical Climatology Network Daily (GHCN-D) data, and other products from the Data Access and Climate Data Online system that are provided in PDF format ONLY.
IMPORTANT: Please ensure the specific data you require is available by accessing the data links and viewing the data prior to ordering certified copies. Orders for certified copies cannot be canceled once they are processed.
- Select and view the data/products you want to have certified.
- Click the Order Certified Copies link to have the data/product added to your Online Shopping Cart.
- Follow the instructions for submitting an order through our Online Store to certify your data.
Certified Radar Data
NCEI certifies color hard copies of Next Generation Radar (NEXRAD) Level II and Level III radar images for use in court. Each radar image can be centered on a specific point, city, or area of interest. NCEI radar images can be customized either to show the complete range of the radar or to show magnified views of specific regions. Several different background maps are also available to complement the radar images.
Due to the customization options available for certified radar data images, they must be ordered offline. To order certified color hard copies of NEXRAD Level II and Level III radar images, please contact NCEI’s customer support center at 1-828-271-4800 (option one) or ncei.orders@noaa.gov.
Delivery
Certified paper copies are delivered by U.S. Mail or UPS Next-Day service. NCEI does not offer shipping via FedEx. Orders shipped outside the United States must be shipped via UPS Next-Day Service for tracking purposes.
Please allow 5–7 business days for internal processing of your certified data order. Additionally, please note that while orders requesting next-day service are given top priority, some internal processing time still applies. Your certified order will be sent according to the shipping method that you indicate.
