An Alaskan first?

Question: What was the first Alaskan community to ban plastic bags?

Answer: The earliest plastic bag ban I was able to find in Alaska was Galena, which did indeed ban them in 1998. According to their municipal code, which you can access by choosing Municipal Code at the Galena city website., Title 13.04.045 (A), “Plastic bags, used for carry out, in retail business shall be prohibited”. This refers to Ordinance 99-01, from 1998, for its authority. It seems like this might be the earliest such ban in the world. Does your Alaskan community ban their use? Do you know of an earlier one in Alaska or elsewhere? Please share in the comments.

Public Land Orders

Question: Where can I find a Public Land Order?

Answer: Public Land Orders (“PLOs”) issued by the United States Department of the Interior are published in the Federal Register. The Department of Interior publishes tables identifying where in the Federal Register each PLO is published. You will need the approximate date of the PLO or the PLO number to use these tables. If the PLO was issued in or after 1994, you can find it in the Federal Register online using the citation you found in the PLO tables. In time, earlier issues of the Federal Register may become available online. If you know the title or subject of the PLO but don’t have the Federal Register citation or could not find it in the PLO tables, you can search the Federal Register using keywords from the title or subject. If you need a PLO published in the Federal Register before 1994 or could not find it using the above methods, check with your local Federal Depository Library.

Finding a Last Will and Testament in Alaska

Question: My father lived in Juneau and he passed away a few years ago. I would like to find his will. Where do I start?

Answer: Below are several methods you can use to search for your father’s will. These are not necessarily all of the possible methods, and this information does not constitute legal advice. You may wish to consult a lawyer for assistance in matters concerning your father's death, his last will and testament, or his estate. The Alaska Bar Association offers a directory of bar members and a lawyer referral service.

If your father made a will, you may find a copy of it in Alaska’s court records. A person who has made a will in Alaska can deposit it with the court while they are still living. For more information about this process, see the publication "Depositing Your Will" from the Alaska Court System.

In addition, if your father's estate was probated or subject to other types of court proceedings, you may find a copy of his will in the court case file. In Alaska, the Superior Court handles probate cases. To determine whether a case file relating to your father exists, search Alaska’s trial court case record database, called CourtView. Try entering just your father’s name to conduct a broad search. If you see your father’s name, you can identify the type of case he was involved in using letters in the case number. More information about case numbers is published at the Alaska Court System's CourtView Online Information page. Probate case numbers have “PR” as a suffix and case numbers representing the simple deposit of a will include “WI” as a suffix.

You can also contact the Superior Court for assistance in searching CourtView and ordering a copy of the will should you find a court case relating to your father’s will or estate. Contact information for the Superior Court in Juneau is published in the court directory. Information about ordering court records is published at requesting copies of court records.

If a lawyer assisted your father with his will, the lawyer may have it. It is also possible that another member of the family may have the will, or it may still be among your father's belongings. People sometimes keep wills in safe deposit boxes, but since it has been years since your father’s death, such a box may no longer exist.

Building codes

Question: Where do I find the Alaska building codes?

Answer: Like many states, Alaska relies heavily on uniform building codes. The precise codes that the state uses, as well as any changes or sections not employed, are listed in the Alaska Administrative Code: 13 AAC 50. The Alaska State Library maintains the current and previous two editions of the International Building Code and some other codes. For details, search our catalog.

The specific codes you need may be available at a library near you, but they usually are not available to be checked out. If they aren't available locally for you, you can request specific pages through interlibrary loan, or you can purchase a copy (or, much less expensively, purchase portions that relate to your specific needs). Just check your favorite local or online bookstore.

Alaskan historical census data

Question: How many WWI veterans lived in Anchorage in 1970?

Answer: 82, according to "Table 102, Social Characteristics for Places of 10,000 - 50,000: 1970" found on page 3-135 of the US Census "General Social and Economic Characteristics: Alaska" from the 1970 Census.

The Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development/Research and Analysis Division has scanned and posted PDFs of Alaska related census reports from 1880, 1910 and 1940 through 1990 at Alaska Census 1880-2010. For 1980, these reports include:

Number of Inhabitants
General Population Characteristics
Detailed Population Characteristics
General Social and Economic Characteristics

Alaska Census Data from 2000 and beyond can be located at Labor's Alaska Census Data and Information page.