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Polk County, Florida Public Records

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Find the right office in Polk 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 Polk 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

Vital records

Polk County Death Records

Florida Department of Health in Polk County vital statistics, issuing certified death certificates for Florida deaths from 2009 on through its Lake Alfred and Lakeland offices.

polk.floridahealth.gov
Open official site Polk County Death Records
Official

Police & jail

Polk County Criminal Records

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

polkcountyclerk.net
Open official site Polk County Criminal Records
Official

Property records

Polk County Property Tax Information

Property in Polk County is valued by the county property appraiser and the taxes are billed and collected by the county tax collector, whose records give the owner, the parcel and the assessed value.

polktaxes.com
Open official site Polk County Property Tax Information

Everything else, organized

More official Polk County record sources

6 more Polk County sources not listed above.

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Local record guide

About public records in Polk County

County profile

Polk County at a glance

State
Florida
County seat
Bartow
Population
725,046
Area
2,010 sq mi
Founded
1861
Cities and towns
29

Polk County offices and records

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

Police Departments. Polk County is served by multiple law enforcement agencies, including Polk County Sheriff's Office and several municipal police departments. Each department has jurisdiction within its respective city limits, while the Sheriff's Office covers unincorporated areas.

Law Enforcement & Arrests. Polk County Sheriff's Office (PCSO), headquartered at 1891 Jim Keene Boulevard, Winter Haven, FL 33880, is the primary law enforcement agency for unincorporated areas and several municipalities under contract. Sheriff Grady Judd leads one of Florida's most prominent sheriff's offices, known for extensive community engagement and transparent public communication.

Criminal Records. For an authoritative source, see Search Criminal & Traffic Records | Polk County Clerk, FL .

Arrest Records. They are maintained by the arresting agency, primarily the County Sheriff's Office and municipal police departments.

1891 Jim Keene Boulevard Winter Haven, FL 33839 • Phone: (863) 298-6200

Abandoned mine records

Old mine workings in Polk County

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

From the old mine records

What is on record in Polk County

Old mine sites
45
Sites with no status in the records
45
Still producing
49
Main minerals
Phosphorus-Phosphates; Diatomite; construction sand and gravel
Holes drawn on the old survey maps
97
Shafts and tunnels
0
What they are
tailings - undifferentiated, sand pit, borrow pit, gravel/borrow pit - undifferentiated
Maps surveyed
1944 to 1994
Records behind them
245 records for 236 sites, the rest are the same working written down more than once
Sources
USGS mineral file and USGS topographic mine features

Is an old working under a property here?

The mine records hold 139 named mine sites inside the county, 45 of them worked out or abandoned; the old survey maps add 97 holes drawn inside the county, 0 of them shafts or tunnels. The minerals the records name are Phosphorus-Phosphates; Diatomite; construction sand and gravel.

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.

Polk County: the boundary from the Census Bureau, and one dot for each old mine or hole on record inside it. Purple is a shaft or a tunnel. Hover a dot for its name.
Florida mine map and abandoned mine records
Named workings recorded in Polk County (141 shown, 95 unnamed on the map)

Rows taken off the old survey maps open the USGS record of what sits at that spot, because no single feature on those maps has a page of its own. Rows from the mine records open their own USGS page.

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

Polk County public-records FAQs

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

Booking photos are kept by the agency that made the arrest, such as the Polk County Sheriff's Office or a city police department in Polk 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 Polk 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 Polk 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 Polk 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 Polk County, Florida?

Deeds and other recorded land documents in Polk County are kept by the Polk 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 Polk 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.

Where do I find court records in Polk County, Florida?

Court records for Polk County are kept by the clerk of the court that serves Polk County. The case index can be searched by name on the court's website where the court offers an online search, or at the public terminal in the clerk's office, and copies of filings are ordered from the clerk for a per page fee. Polk County Civil Court (pro.polkcountyclerk.net) is linked above.

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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.

Winter HavenLakelandBartowLake WalesAuburndaleHighland CityDavenportLake AlfredLoughmanKathleenDundeeFort MeadeMulberryAlturasEagle LakeFrostproofPolk CityLake HamiltonBabson ParkIndian Lake EstatesHomelandWaverlyBradleyEaton ParkFedhavenHainesNalcrestNicholsRiver RanchOkeechobee CountySumter CountyManatee CountyOrange CountyOsceola CountyHillsborough CountyLake CountyHighlands County