How to Do a Divorce Lookup in Florida: Records, Access, and Court Files (2026)

How to Do a Divorce Lookup in Florida: Records, Access, and Court Files (2026)

1. What a Florida Divorce Lookup Actually Covers

When someone searches for "divorce lookup Florida," the intent usually falls into one of three categories: verifying whether a prior divorce was finalized before a new marriage, confirming a spouse's marital status in a pending legal matter, or retrieving the actual terms of a dissolution judgment for enforcement or modification purposes. The answer to each of those questions lives in different places within Florida's public records system.

Florida dissolution of marriage cases are court proceedings filed in the circuit court of the county where at least one spouse has lived for the six months immediately before filing, as required under Fla. Stat. § 61.052. That circuit court clerk's office becomes the custodian of the case file. A parallel record, called a dissolution-of-marriage record, is also transmitted to the Florida Department of Health under Fla. Stat. § 382.008, which requires that every final judgment of dissolution be reported to the state vital statistics system. A complete divorce lookup in Florida typically means checking both repositories.

Understanding the distinction matters in practice. The clerk's court file contains the full docket: the original petition, financial disclosures, marital settlement agreement, parenting plan, and the final judgment itself. The FDOH record is a narrower statistical document, primarily useful to confirm that a dissolution occurred and to order a certified copy for remarriage or immigration purposes. If you need the actual terms of the agreement, you need the court file, not just the vital-statistics record.

2. Florida Divorce Records Are Public Records by Default

Under Fla. Stat. § 119.07, Florida operates a strong public-records presumption: every record made or received by a government agency in the course of official business is a public record unless a specific statutory exemption applies. Court records, including dissolution-of-marriage files, fall within that definition. The Florida Supreme Court has adopted court rules consistent with this framework, meaning that anyone, not just the parties, can generally inspect a completed divorce case file.

This is a meaningful policy choice. Florida does not require a requestor to show a "legitimate interest" or explain why they want the records. The clerk must provide access to non-exempt court records during regular business hours and must provide copies upon payment of the statutory fee set out in Fla. Stat. § 28.24. If a requestor submits a written public-records request, the clerk must respond within a reasonable time.

There are real limits to this openness, and the sections below address them. But the baseline position, that divorce records are public in Florida, explains why a straightforward lookup is almost always possible without filing a court motion or hiring an attorney.

3. Searching for a Divorce Through County Clerk Portals

Every Florida circuit court clerk maintains a case management system, and most now offer free public access through an online portal. You do not need to appear in person or pay a fee to search for the existence of a case. The search process is essentially the same across counties:

• Navigate to the clerk's official website for the county where the divorce was filed.
• Locate the "Official Records Search," "Case Search," or "Court Records" tool.
• Enter the full name of one or both parties, or a case number if you have it.
• Filter results by case type, such as family law or dissolution of marriage, to narrow large result sets.
• Review the docket to confirm the case status; an "FJ" (final judgment) entry means the dissolution was granted.

Broward County uses the Clerk's Online Portal (CORE); Miami-Dade uses the Comprehensive Case Information System (CCIS); Palm Beach County has its own eCaseView interface. Each has slightly different navigation but the same underlying data. The county clerk of the circuit court where the case was filed is always the authoritative source, regardless of how you locate the case online.

If the divorce was filed before a county's records were digitized, typically pre-1990 in most Florida counties, the online portal may show no results even when a case exists. In that situation, an in-person visit or a written public-records request is the only option. Bring as much identifying information as possible: full legal names including any former names, approximate year of filing, and the county of residence at the time.

4. Searching Through the Florida Department of Health Vital Records

The Florida Department of Health has maintained dissolution-of-marriage certificates since 1927 under Fla. Stat. § 382.008. These are distinct from the court file. They record the fact of dissolution, including the names of the parties, the county where the case was heard, and the date the final judgment was entered. They serve primarily as official proof of marital status for government and legal purposes such as obtaining a new marriage license, applying for a passport, or updating Social Security records.

You can order a dissolution certificate in several ways:

• In person at a local FDOH vital records office or county health department.
• By mail by submitting Form DH 726, Application for a Florida Vital Record, along with a copy of a government-issued ID and the applicable fee.
• Online through authorized vendors the FDOH has contracted to process vital-record orders.

The fee for a dissolution certificate is set by Fla. Stat. § 382.025 and the FDOH fee schedule. As of 2026, the first certified copy costs $10, with additional copies at $4 each when ordered at the same time. Processing times vary from same-day at a local office to several weeks for mail orders. Expedited options are available online for an additional charge.

The FDOH record confirms only that the dissolution occurred and provides the county and approximate date. It does not reproduce the terms of the settlement agreement, alimony obligations, or custody arrangement. For any of that substantive content, you need the court file from the clerk of the circuit court.

5. What a Florida Divorce Case File Contains

When you access a dissolution file through a county clerk, either online or in person, the docket typically contains several distinct document types. Understanding what each is helps you locate the specific information you need:

• Petition for Dissolution of Marriage - the initiating document, filed under Fla. Stat. § 61.052, stating grounds and the relief requested.
• Financial Affidavits - mandatory disclosures of income, expenses, assets, and liabilities required under Florida Family Law Rule of Procedure 12.285.
• Marital Settlement Agreement - the contract between the parties dividing property, allocating debt, and in cases without children, often resolving alimony as well.
• Parenting Plan - required in every dissolution involving minor or dependent children under Fla. Stat. § 61.13, setting time-sharing schedules and decision-making authority.
• Child Support Guideline Worksheet - a computation of support obligations under Fla. Stat. § 61.30, attached to all orders involving minor children.
• Final Judgment of Dissolution of Marriage - the court order terminating the marriage and the document the FDOH vital-records entry references.

For more on what the petition must include, our guide on Florida divorce filing requirements covers the procedural checklist from the initial filing through service of process.

Reviewing all of the documents together gives a complete picture of the dissolution terms. The financial affidavits in particular often contain information about asset values and income that parties later rely on in modification proceedings, making the full docket significantly more useful than the FDOH vital-records certificate alone.

6. Information That Is Sealed, Redacted, or Restricted

Florida's public-records framework includes targeted exemptions that apply to dissolution files. Knowing what is and is not publicly visible prevents wasted searches and protects your own information if you are a party.

Under Fla. Stat. § 119.0714, Social Security numbers in court records filed after October 1, 2002 must be redacted to show only the last four digits. Financial account numbers, credit card numbers, and PIN numbers are subject to the same automatic redaction. If a party filed a motion to seal financial affidavits or other sensitive documents and the court granted it, those specific documents are not accessible to the public, though the rest of the docket remains available.

For cases involving children, the names and identifying details of minors in certain document types may be masked. Domestic violence injunction records are separately exempt from the general public-records rule under a specific statutory exemption. If a dissolution case was filed under seal, the entire file may be restricted, but the case will typically still appear on the clerk's docket with a notice that the file is restricted, rather than simply not appearing at all.

Practically speaking, the vast majority of standard dissolution files are fully accessible. Sealing orders are the exception, not the norm. Most of what appears in a completed divorce file, including the final judgment and its attachments, can be reviewed and copied by any member of the public.

7. How to Obtain a Certified Copy of a Divorce Record

A certified copy carries the clerk's official seal and is legally accepted as proof of the dissolution for most purposes, including name changes with the Social Security Administration, motor vehicle title transfers, bank account updates, and remarriage applications. Obtaining one is straightforward:

• From the clerk of court: Submit a written request in person, by mail, or through the clerk's online portal if the county supports it. Identify the case number, parties, and year. The fee under Fla. Stat. § 28.24 is typically $1 to $2 per page plus a certification fee of approximately $2.
• From the Florida Department of Health: Order a dissolution-of-marriage certificate as described in Section 4. This is the simpler option if all you need is proof the marriage was dissolved, not the full judgment text.
• Through an attorney: If the documents are needed for a pending legal matter, an attorney can request certified copies as part of representation and often has existing accounts with the clerk's office that reduce turnaround time.

A simple case-status confirmation, whether the dissolution was granted and when, does not require a certified copy and can be obtained for free through the online clerk portals described in Section 3. Certified copies become necessary when a government agency, financial institution, or court requires authenticated proof, not merely a printout from a public portal.

8. Using Divorce Record Information in a Legal Proceeding

Once a dissolution judgment is entered, it functions as a binding court order. If one party fails to comply, whether by missing alimony payments, refusing to execute a deed transfer, or violating a parenting plan, the other party can file a motion for enforcement. The dissolution file is the evidentiary foundation for that motion: it establishes what was ordered, when it took effect, and the standard of compliance each party is bound by.

The same records are critical when a party seeks modification. Florida courts can modify alimony under Fla. Stat. § 61.08 upon a showing of a substantial change in circumstances not contemplated at the time of the final judgment. Child support can be modified under Fla. Stat. § 61.30 when the recalculated guideline amount differs from the current order by at least 15 percent. The original judgment is the baseline against which the claimed change is measured, so having a complete and accurate copy is essential before any modification petition is filed.

Dissolution records also surface in subsequent family-law proceedings. In a paternity or time-sharing dispute involving a child born during the marriage, the dissolution file, particularly the parenting plan, may be directly relevant to what was already adjudicated. For information on how dissolution orders interact with future time-sharing modifications, see our guide on Florida child custody laws.

9. What to Do When the Divorce Lookup Reveals a Problem

A divorce lookup sometimes returns unexpected results: a case that was filed but never finalized, a judgment that does not match a party's representations, or a file showing that a prior spouse was never properly served and the dissolution may be voidable. These situations create real legal risk, particularly for someone who remarried based on a belief that a prior marriage had been dissolved.

If a divorce was filed but no final judgment was entered, the marriage is still legally valid under Florida law. A subsequent marriage would constitute bigamy under Fla. Stat. § 826.01 regardless of either party's intent or how many years have passed. The fix is to pursue a formal dissolution now, not to assume the old marriage dissolved by passage of time or mutual abandonment. Florida does not recognize common-law marriage formed after January 1, 1968 under Fla. Stat. § 741.211, so informal separation carries no legal weight as a substitute for a final judgment.

If the lookup reveals that a prior dissolution judgment exists but its terms were never fully implemented, such as a required deed transfer that was never recorded or a retirement account that was never divided, a post-judgment motion may still be available. Florida courts retain jurisdiction to enforce dissolution judgments even years after entry. The Florida divorce laws overview provides a useful framework for understanding how post-judgment enforcement works before consulting an attorney about the specifics of your situation.

10. Starting Your Own Florida Divorce: What the Process Looks Like

If a divorce lookup confirms there is no prior dissolution on record and you are now considering filing, the procedural path begins with satisfying the residency requirement: at least one spouse must have lived in Florida for the six months immediately before filing, documented typically by a Florida driver's license or voter registration card, as required under Fla. Stat. § 61.052(2).

Florida is a no-fault state. The only ground required is that the marriage is irretrievably broken. No showing of fault, adultery, or misconduct is required or considered in granting the dissolution itself. The petition is filed in the circuit court of the county where either spouse resides. Filing fees vary by county but typically range from $400 to $410 for a dissolution with minor children and somewhat less without; the Florida divorce cost guide covers what other expenses to anticipate throughout the proceeding.

After the petition is filed and served, Florida requires a mandatory 20-day response period before a default can be entered. Most contested dissolutions involve mandatory mediation under Florida Family Law Rule of Procedure 12.740 before a trial can be scheduled. In a negotiated settlement, the parties sign a marital settlement agreement that is incorporated into the final judgment and carries the same legal force as any court order. For a side-by-side look at the tradeoffs, the article on Florida divorce mediation vs. litigation explains how each path affects cost, timeline, and the degree of control each party retains over the outcome.

Bottom line

A Florida divorce lookup is a publicly accessible process. Dissolution records exist in two places: the circuit court clerk's file for the county where the case was filed, and the Florida Department of Health's vital records system. County clerk portals provide free online case searches; certified copies of judgments and dissolution certificates are available for modest statutory fees. Social Security numbers and certain financial account details are redacted from public access, but the judgment itself, including property terms, support orders, and parenting plans, is generally a public record. If a lookup surfaces an unresolved legal issue, a missing judgment, or terms that were never enforced, consulting with a Florida family law attorney is the appropriate next step.

Attorney Advertising Disclaimer

This article is general legal information, not legal advice. It reflects Florida law as of 2026 and is intended for educational purposes only. Reading this article does not create an attorney-client relationship between you and Louis Law Group or any of its attorneys. Every case is different, and past results in other matters do not guarantee or predict outcomes in your situation. For advice specific to your circumstances, consult a licensed Florida attorney.