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Highlands County, Florida Public Records

Find the right office in Highlands County. Court cases, deeds and parcels, sheriff and jail records, vital records and county filings, each linked to the office that keeps them.

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Most requested Highlands County records

Every card below goes to the government office responsible for that record. Use the category buttons to narrow the list.

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Showing 12 official sources

Official

Police & jail

Highlands County Criminal Records

Criminal case files for Highlands County are kept by the clerk of court, who holds the charges, the pleadings, the judgments and the sentences imposed.

highlandsclerkfl.gov
Open official site Highlands County Criminal Records
Official

Property records

Highlands County Departments

Index of Highlands County government departments, from administration and Ag Extension to road and bridge and solid waste. The county government center is at 600 South Commerce Ave., Sebring, phone (863) 402-6500.

highlandsfl.gov
Open official site Highlands County Departments
Official

Police & jail

Highlands County Sex Offenders

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement search lists the sexual offenders and predators registered in Highlands County and can be searched by name, address or neighborhood.

offender.fdle.state.fl.us
Open official site Highlands County Sex Offenders
Official

Property records

Highlands County Economic Development

Highlands County's economic development office, part of the Board of County Commissioners at 501 South Commerce Avenue, Sebring, posts sites and data, top employers, incentives and small business resources. Phone (863) 402-6906.

highlandsbusiness.com
Open official site Highlands County Economic Development
Official

Court records

Highlands County Clerk of Courts

Highlands County Clerk of Courts issues marriage licenses at the Government Center, 590 S. Commerce Ave, Sebring, phone (863) 402-6565, and keeps official records and court files.

highlandsclerkfl.gov
Open official site Highlands County Clerk of Courts
Official

Property records

Highlands County Property Appraiser

The Highlands County Property Appraiser at 560 S. Commerce Avenue, Sebring, phone (863) 402-6659, offers real estate and tangible personal property searches, an interactive GIS map and homestead exemption filing.

hcpao.org
Open official site Highlands County Property Appraiser
Official

Property records

Highlands County Property Tax Information

The Highlands County Tax Collector bills and collects the property taxes, and the records show the parcel, the owner and what is charged and paid on it each year.

hctaxcollector.com
Open official site Highlands County Property Tax Information

Local record guide

About public records in Highlands County

County profile

Highlands County at a glance

State
Florida
County seat
Sebring
Population
101,235
Area
1,106 sq mi
Founded
1921
Cities and towns
5

Highlands County offices and records

Sheriff & Law Enforcement. Highlands County Sheriff's Office is responsible for law enforcement in the unincorporated areas of Highlands County.

Police Departments. In addition to Highlands County Sheriff's Office, law enforcement in Highlands County is provided by municipal police departments in cities like Sebring, Avon Park, and Lake Placid. These agencies coordinate with the Sheriff's Office on major crimes and regional law enforcement initiatives, making sure of full coverage and cooperation across Highlands County.

Law Enforcement & Arrests. Highlands County Sheriff's Office, led by Sheriff Paul Blackman, is the primary law enforcement agency for unincorporated areas and provides countywide services including detention operations. The official website is www.highlandssheriff.org, where citizens can access various public safety resources. Highlands County Detention Center, operated by the Sheriff's Office, houses pre-trial detainees and sentenced inmates. Municipal police departments include the Sebring Police Department at 368 South Commerce Avenue, Sebring, FL 33870 (863-471-5108), the Avon Park Police Department at 110 East Main Street, Avon Park, FL 33825, and the Lake Placid Police Department serving that county.

Arrest Records. Arrest records in Highlands County are maintained by Highlands County Sheriff's Office. These records can be requested by residents and attorneys through the Sheriff's Office, either in person or via written request.

Jail & Inmate Records. Inmate lookup is available through the Sheriff's Office website, allowing the public to search for current detainees.

Mugshots & Booking Photos. Mugshots in Highlands County are taken and retained by Highlands County Sheriff's Office during the booking process. These booking photos are part of the public record and can be accessed through the Sheriff's Office website or by request.

505 South Commerce Avenue, Sebring, FL 33870 • Phone: (863-385-8448 Property and land records in Highlands County are maintained by the Clerk of the Circuit Court, who is the ex-officio Clerk of the Circuit Court. The Official Records Division at 590 South Commerce Avenue, Sebring, FL 33870 (863-402-6565) records and preserves documents affecting real property including warranty deeds, quit claim deeds, mortgages, satisfactions of mortgages, liens, lis pendens, easements. 535 South Commerce Avenue, Sebring, FL 33870 • Phone: (863-402-6659 590 South Commerce Avenue, Sebring, FL 33870 • Phone: (863-402-6896

Abandoned mine records

Old mine workings in Highlands County

Where the workings are, and the office that holds the mine maps.

From the old mine records

What is on record in Highlands County

Sites with no status in the records
2
Still producing
1
Holes drawn on the old survey maps
17
Shafts and tunnels
0
What they are
clay pit, gravel/borrow pit - undifferentiated, sand pit, open pit mine or quarry
Maps surveyed
1952 to 1972

Is an old working under a property here?

The mine records hold 3 named mine sites inside the county, 0 of them worked out or abandoned; the old survey maps add 17 holes drawn inside the county, 0 of them shafts or tunnels.

A point in either file is a location, not a property line: the sheet shows the opening on the surface, not the rooms under it. The record that shows what runs under a parcel is the mine map. The OSMRE National Mine Map Repository holds scanned underground mine maps and answers requests for a named mine or an area. Florida sinkholes are karst, not mine subsidence.

Okeechobee County DeSoto County Sebring Avon Park Lake Placid N 20 miles
Highlands County: the boundary from the Census Bureau, and one dot for each old mine or hole on record inside it. The purple dots come off the old survey maps and the darkest of those are shafts and tunnels; the red, green and orange ones are mine records. The small open circles with a name are the towns and the pale shapes around the edge are the neighbouring counties, both from the Census Bureau. Hover a dot for its name.
Florida mine map and abandoned mine records
Named workings recorded in Highlands County (3 shown, 17 unnamed on the map)

Disclaimer: The mine information here is for general information only. Old mine records can be incomplete, outdated or wrong, and finding nothing here does not mean there is nothing there. Check with the mine map office named here before you rely on it, and have a qualified engineer look at any ground you are worried about. PublicRecordCenter.com assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors, omissions, or consequences arising from the use of this information.

Straight answers

Highlands County public-records FAQs

Open only the answer you need.

Where can I find mugshots or booking photos in Highlands County, Florida?

Booking photos are kept by the agency that made the arrest, such as the Highlands County Sheriff or a city police department in Highlands County. Ask that agency for its record. Under section 901.43, Florida Statutes, anyone who publishes arrest booking photographs may not solicit or accept a fee to remove them, and must remove a photograph without charge within 10 calendar days after a written request sent by registered mail.

How do I get a criminal background check in Highlands County, Florida?

The Florida criminal history record comes from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Criminal Justice Information Services. Online name based search of public Florida criminal history through the FDLE Instant Search (results are not certified), or a certified request; FDLE no longer takes mailed request forms. Fee: $24.00 per search, plus a $1.00 credit card processing fee.

How can I look up sex offenders in Highlands County, Florida?

Search the Florida Sexual Offenders and Predators (FDLE), or every state at once on the National Sex Offender Public Website run by the U.S. Department of Justice.

How do I register to vote in Highlands County, Florida?

Register with the county Supervisor of Elections or through the Florida Division of Elections. You can also register online with the state online registration. The deadline to register to vote for an upcoming election is 29 days before the election.

How do I look up property records in Highlands County, Florida?

Deeds and other recorded land documents in Highlands County are kept by the Highlands County Clerk of the Circuit Court, as county recorder. Property values are set by the county Property Appraiser, and tax bills come from the county Tax Collector. Source: official state page.

How do I get a birth or death certificate in Highlands County, Florida?

Certified birth and death certificates for Florida come from the Florida Department of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics. Local county health departments take mail in and walk in requests for Florida birth records from 1917 to the present; fees vary by county. By mail to Florida Department of Health, Vital Statistics, P.O. Box 210, Jacksonville, Fl 32231-0042, walk in at 1217 N Pearl St., Jacksonville, at a county health department, or online and by phone through VitalChek (877-550-7330), the only contracted vendor. Fee: $9 for the first computer generated birth certification (includes the $9 search fee); $4 for each additional copy.

How do I find business license records in Highlands County, Florida?

Business entity filings are searched with the Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations (Sunbiz). Counties and cities may levy a local business tax and issue local business tax receipts under Chapter 205, Florida Statutes.

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Cities, towns and neighboring counties

Use the city page when a record was created by a municipal police department or city office; use the county page for courts, deeds, vital records and jail custody.