Guide
How to Search County Records
Select Your County
Choose a county from the grid below to access that county's official public records portal, court system, and government offices.
Identify the Record Type
Decide what you need: court records, property deeds, vital records, business filings, or tax assessment records, each is held by a different county office.
Search Online or In Person
Each clerk of the circuit court runs an online case search and an official records search for deeds and liens, and birth and death certificates are ordered from the Bureau of Vital Statistics in Jacksonville, a county health department or VitalChek.
Pay Any Required Fees
A computer-generated Florida birth certificate costs $9 and a death certificate $5, with additional copies $4; same-day walk-in service adds a $10 rush fee, VitalChek adds $7, and public records copies may cost up to 15 cents a page.
Verify Identity if Required
Court and official records need no ID. Birth certificates under 125 years old require valid photo ID and go only to the registrant, parents, guardians and legal representatives, or to others with a notarized affidavit of release.
Guide
What Records Are Available
- Court RecordsCivil, criminal, family court, probate, traffic cases
- Property RecordsDeeds, mortgages, tax assessments, liens, transfers
- Vital RecordsBirth, death, marriage, and divorce certificates
- Business RecordsBusiness licenses, DBAs, UCC filings, permits
- Voter RegistrationRegistered voters, party affiliation, districts
- Tax RecordsProperty tax assessments, payment history, exemptions
Guide
Select a County in Florida
Back to Florida Public Records
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Straight answers
Florida County Public Records, questions
Are county records public information?
Yes. Florida's Public Records Law, Chapter 119 of the Florida Statutes, requires every custodian to let any person inspect and copy records, with exemptions listed in the statute. Court dockets, official records and property appraiser data are open. Birth certificates are confidential for 125 years and cause of death information for 50 years; the Bureau of Vital Statistics issues those only to eligible people, and juvenile, adoption and sealed or expunged court files are closed.
How much do certified copies cost?
A computer-generated certified Florida birth certificate costs $9 from the Bureau of Vital Statistics, including the nonrefundable search fee, with additional copies $4 each; a death certificate is $5 with additional copies $4, and a photocopy certificate is $14 with a $10 rush fee for same-day walk-in service. Online orders through VitalChek add a $7 processing fee, and county health departments and some tax collectors add their own charges, such as Pinellas County's $6.25. Under Chapter 119 an agency may charge up to 15 cents per page for copies and $1 for a certified copy.
Can I search county records online?
Florida has no single statewide trial court portal; each clerk of the circuit court runs its own online case search, and flcourts.gov links to them, while appellate cases are in the Appellate Case Information System. Clerks also record and index official records, so deeds, mortgages and liens are searchable on each clerk's site, and property appraisers post parcel data. Birth and death certificates are not searchable online; they are ordered from the Bureau of Vital Statistics in Jacksonville, a county health department or VitalChek.
What identification do I need?
Court and official records need no ID. A Florida birth certificate less than 125 years old requires valid photo identification and may be issued only to the registrant if 18 or older, a parent, legal guardian or legal representative; anyone else must send a notarized Affidavit to Release a Birth Certificate signed by an eligible person. Death certificates with cause of death are limited to family and others with a legal interest for 50 years.
How long does it take to receive records?
Normal processing for a computer-generated Florida birth certificate is 3 to 5 business days plus shipping, and walk-in customers in Jacksonville can get same-day service for a $10 rush fee. Photocopy certificates and amended records take longer. County health departments often issue certificates over the counter, and clerk of court case and official records searches are immediate.