Clerk of Courts
The Broward County Clerk of Courts provides access to court case information, records, filing services, traffic payments, jury services, marriage licenses, and other courthouse services. This article explains which Clerk service to use, how to search for a case or request a document, what information to prepare, and how to avoid common delays and mix-ups.
What the Clerk’s Office Handles
The Clerk serves Broward County’s circuit and county courts. Its official website organizes services by court division and by task, including public case search, eFiling, records requests, electronic certified documents, traffic and misdemeanor matters, jury service, and marriage licenses. A person looking for a case can often begin online, while someone who needs a copy of a document may need a separate records request or an in-person visit.
The distinction between a case listing and a court record matters. The Clerk states that information displayed on its website does not constitute its official court records. A search result can help identify a case and its docket, but it does not mean every document in that case can be viewed online. Access depends on the type and age of the case, the document, and the user’s access level.
Before selecting a service, identify the task: looking up a case, filing a document, obtaining a copy, paying a traffic matter, or responding to a jury summons. These tasks appear in different parts of the Clerk’s website. A case number, citation number, party name, or juror ID may be useful for one task but will not necessarily work in another system.
Public Court Case Search
The Clerk’s public case search offers searches by party name, business name, case number, and citation number. Choose the search that matches the information you have. For example, a court case number belongs in the case-number search, while the number printed on a traffic citation belongs in the citation-number search. If you have neither, a party-name search may help identify the case.
Searching by a Person’s Name
A party-name search requires both a last name and a first name. The search page also allows a middle name, a court type, and a filing-date range. Enter the name as accurately as possible. If you know the court type, selecting it can reduce unrelated results; adding a middle name or a filing-date range can narrow the search further.
The Clerk’s search rules affect short names. Last names with fewer than three characters return exact matches only. First names with fewer than two characters also return exact matches only, as do middle names with fewer than two characters when a middle name is entered. A filing-date range must contain both a starting and an ending date in the required format.
Searches display only the first 200 results. If a common name produces too many matches, narrow the criteria rather than assuming the case is absent. A court type, middle name, or more specific filing-date range may make the correct result easier to identify. Compare the details shown for a result before relying on it; people and businesses can have similar names.
When a Document Is Missing
A visible case or docket does not guarantee that electronic copies of its documents are available. Florida’s standards for access to electronic court records restrict access to some cases, documents, and information according to the record and the user’s access level. Some court progress dockets have no electronic case records available for public viewing.
If you locate a case but cannot open the document you need, move to the Clerk’s records-request instructions. Repeating the same public search will not change a document’s access restrictions. Have the case number and any details that identify the document ready when you determine the appropriate request method.
Court Records and Document Copies
The Clerk’s records request page separates electronic court documents, in-person court records, court records requested through the office, marriage records, and other record types. Select the category that matches the record you need. A marriage record request, for example, is distinct from searching for a divorce case in family court.
Online Document Access
Online document availability varies by court type, case type, and filing year. The Clerk identifies civil electronic court records filed on or after April 1, 2013, and criminal electronic court records filed on or after January 6, 2014, among the categories available for online access. The civil categories include circuit civil and county civil. Criminal categories include circuit criminal felony, traffic, and misdemeanor records.
Additional access rules apply to sensitive case types. Attorney of Record or Registered User access is required to view electronic records for family cases, including divorce, as well as domestic violence, probate, guardianship, mental health, juvenile delinquency, juvenile dependency, and adoption. A person who can see limited case information in the public search should not assume that the same access permits viewing the underlying documents.
Older records may require a different route. The Clerk directs users seeking some older civil or criminal records to submit a Court Records Request. For records within the timeframes the Clerk directs to in-person service, visit the appropriate Clerk service location to order, purchase, or view copies. Older court documents can be purchased only through the Archives Division. Traffic and misdemeanor cases filed before 2011 were routinely purged from the main system and may require a Court Records Request or an in-person request.
Electronic Certified Documents
When a certified copy is needed, the Clerk offers electronic certified court documents for eligible records. Its site includes options to purchase documents online and verify a certified document. Only an electronic court document that is viewable online can be purchased through that online process. The same case-type and user-access restrictions that limit document viewing can therefore affect online purchases.
First determine whether the correct document appears and is available to your access level. Do not treat an ordinary case-search result as a certified copy. If the case or document cannot be viewed on the website, use the applicable court records request or in-person process described by the Clerk.
Filing Documents With the Court
The Clerk provides an eFiling page with options to register and access the filing portal. The portal is available 24 hours a day, Monday through Sunday. Filing a document and searching for an existing case are separate activities: the public case search is for locating information, while the eFiling service is for submitting court documents.
Choose the court division associated with the matter before preparing a filing. The Clerk’s site provides division pages and form downloads for services such as circuit civil, county civil, family, and probate and guardianship. It also offers self-service forms for certain tasks. Review the relevant division’s materials rather than assuming that a form or filing path used for one case type applies to another.
Family Case Document Details
The Clerk’s family division page instructs filers to include their name, address, and telephone number on every document filed with the court. It also points users to court records requests, form downloads, self-service forms, and eFiling. If you are handling a family matter, keep that document instruction in view when preparing each filing, including later documents in the same case.
Family court filings and family court record access should not be confused. The availability of an eFiling route does not mean family case documents are open for viewing in the public search. The Clerk identifies Attorney of Record or Registered User access as necessary to view family electronic court records.
Traffic Tickets and Misdemeanor Matters
The Clerk’s traffic and misdemeanor division provides fine-payment information, a driving-school election option, court records request information, eFiling, and form downloads. For a ticket, read the citation and the Clerk’s applicable instructions before selecting a payment or election. A citation search helps locate a traffic matter; it is separate from the step of paying or making an election.
The Clerk states that a payment or election must be made within 30 calendar days of receiving a ticket to avoid additional late fees and possible suspension of a driver license. Do not wait until the end of that period merely because a citation does not immediately appear in an online search. Use the ticket information and the Clerk’s traffic instructions to determine the applicable next step.
Be alert to payment messages that claim to come from a government agency. The Clerk’s traffic page carries a Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles payment scam alert concerning fraudulent text messages. When making a payment, reach the Clerk’s payment information through its official site rather than a link sent in an unexpected message.
Jury Service and Summonses
A jury summons calls for a different process from a court case search. The Clerk’s jury services page directs a person who receives a summons to complete online registration and then call the reporting line after 5:00 p.m. on the business day before the report date to learn whether they need to report. The jury section also provides reporting instructions and information about excusals and postponements.
Keep the nine-digit juror ID from the summons available when contacting Jury Services; the Clerk asks people emailing that office to include it. A juror ID identifies a jury-service matter and should not be confused with a court case number or a traffic citation number.
The Clerk has posted a warning about callers and messages claiming that a person missed jury duty and must pay immediately or face arrest. According to that notice, an initial jury summons is sent by mail, not by phone, email, or text message. Use the summons and the Clerk’s jury-service instructions to verify what action is required.
Marriage Licenses and Marriage Records
The Clerk handles marriage licenses through its marriage division. The site offers an online pre-application, a marriage license search, and a premarital provider search. These are different tasks: a pre-application concerns a new license, while a license search concerns an existing record.
The Clerk identifies marriage service locations at the Central, North Regional, South Regional, and West Regional courthouses. Marriage records requests also appear as a separate category on the records request page. Select that category when you need a record rather than assuming a court case search will produce the marriage document.
Choosing a Courthouse Location
The main courthouse is in Fort Lauderdale, and several Clerk services are also offered at regional courthouses. Location depends on the service. For example, the Clerk identifies regional counters for county civil, traffic, and marriage matters, while its listed circuit civil, family, and probate and guardianship counters are at the Central Courthouse. Review the Clerk’s hours and locations page and the relevant division page before traveling.
Even within the Central Courthouse complex, services may be in different buildings or rooms. Knowing only that a service is “at the courthouse” may not be enough to reach the right counter. Bring the identifier that fits your task, such as a case number for a court matter, a citation for a traffic matter, or a summons and juror ID for jury service.
Relevant Clerk Offices
Broward County Clerk of Courts, Main Courthouse: 201 SE 6th Street, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301. Phone: (954) 831-6565.
Jury Services, Central Courthouse Judicial Complex, East Building: 201 S.E. 6th Street, 3rd Floor, Room 03320, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301. Phone: (954) 831-6091.
County Civil Central, Central Courthouse Judicial Complex, West Building: 201 S.E. 6th Street, 3rd Floor, Room 03170, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301. Phone: (954) 831-5622.
Probate and Guardianship, Central Courthouse Judicial Complex, West Building: 201 S.E. 6th Street, 3rd Floor, Room 03150, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301. Phone: (954) 831-7154.
Marriage Central, Central Courthouse Midrise Building: 540 SE 3rd Avenue, 2nd Floor, Room 02460, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301. Phone: (954) 831-7283.
Marriage North, North Regional Courthouse: 1600 West Hillsboro Boulevard, Room 160, Deerfield Beach, FL 33442. Phone: (954) 831-1453.
Marriage South, South Regional Courthouse: 3550 Hollywood Boulevard, Room 160, Hollywood, FL 33021. Phone: (954) 831-0320.
Marriage West, West Regional Courthouse: 100 North Pine Island Road, Room 180, Plantation, FL 33324. Phone: (954) 831-6528.
Clerk of Courts FAQs
Can I apply for a passport at a Broward courthouse?
Yes. The Clerk says U.S. citizens may apply for or renew passports at all courthouse locations. Before visiting, check the passport instructions and courthouse locations on the Clerk’s official website. Passport service is separate from filing a court case, so follow the passport instructions for the documents and application steps that apply to you.
Is a parking fine handled like a traffic ticket?
The Clerk lists parking and traffic as separate services. If your notice is for parking, use the parking section to find the payment option for parking fines and fees. If it is a traffic citation, follow the traffic instructions instead. Read the notice before paying so you select the service that matches the violation.
Where do I go to reschedule a juvenile court date?
The Clerk’s website lists “Reschedule Court Dates” under its juvenile division, along with a separate option for restitution payments. Start with the juvenile service that matches your task and keep the information from your court paperwork available. A restitution payment does not, by itself, reschedule a hearing.
How can I check a guardianship report date?
The Probate and Guardianship division provides a guardianship report date calculator. Use the case paperwork when entering dates, and review the result against any court order or notice you received. The division also provides forms and filing information if you need to prepare a report; calculating a date does not file the report for you.