| Clerk of Court | Miami-Dade Clerk of the Court and Comptroller |
|---|---|
| Clerk address | 20 NW 1st Ave, Miami, FL 33128 |
| Phone | 305-275-1155 |
| Hours | Confirm current hours with the clerk before visiting |
| Earliest records noted | Varies by court — older files may be on paper or microfilm |
| Plain copy fee | $1.00 per page (Fla. Stat. § 28.24(6)(a)) |
| Certified copy fee | $2.00 certification fee per instrument, plus the $1.00-per-page copy fee (Fla. Stat. § 28.24(4)(a) and (6)(a)) |
Miami-Dade is Florida's most populous county and its court records sit with a single elected office, the
Miami-Dade County Clerk of the Court and Comptroller. Florida does not split trial-court record
keeping between a district clerk and a county clerk; the same office keeps circuit-court files (felonies,
divorce, custody, probate, larger civil suits) and county-court files (misdemeanors, small claims, most
traffic tickets), so county_clerk is not a separate office here — everything routes through the Clerk
of the Court and Comptroller.
Online access is split by case type into more than one system. Civil, family, and probate cases are searched through the Online Case Search system; criminal felony and misdemeanor cases have their own Criminal Justice search; and traffic citations use a third, separate lookup. Each accepts a name or case number, and each has its own disclaimer to accept before searching.
A common mix-up: searching the civil/family/probate system for a criminal case (or vice versa) returns no results and looks like the record doesn't exist. Confirm which court handled the case — criminal versus civil/family/probate — before picking a search tool.
Search Miami-Dade County court records online
Clerk of Court
Miami-Dade Clerk of the Court and Comptroller
- Cost
- Free case search; fees for certified copies
- Coverage
- All circuit and county court records for Miami-Dade County — felony and misdemeanor criminal, civil, family, probate, and traffic
- Records
- Civil, Criminal, Family, Probate, Traffic
Florida elects one clerk per county for both the circuit court and the county court, so there is no separate county clerk office in Miami-Dade; this office is listed as the district_clerk for schema purposes and county_clerk is set to null. Civil/family/probate cases are searched at https://www2.miamidadeclerk.gov/ocs/ and criminal cases at https://www2.miamidadeclerk.gov/cjis/, both reached from the main site.
What is available online
The Online Case Search system (civil, family, probate) and the Criminal Justice Information System search cover cases going back decades in index form, though document images are more complete for cases filed in the last fifteen to twenty years. Traffic citations have a dedicated search by citation number, case number, or driver's license number. Confidential case types — most family cases involving minors, juvenile, and mental-health cases — are excluded from public results even when the rest of a docket is visible.
Which clerk has your record
In Florida, the clerk who keeps a file depends on which court heard the case. Check the court name on the case notice, citation, or order, then use the office and coverage details above to identify the record holder. Court names and responsibilities differ by state; a county clerk may not keep court case files. For federal cases, see the PACER guide. The full court structure is on the Florida page.
| Court | Typical cases | Records kept by |
|---|---|---|
| Circuit Courts (20 judicial circuits) | Felony criminal cases; Family law (divorce, custody, paternity); Probate and guardianship | Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller of the county |
| County Courts | Misdemeanor criminal cases; Traffic infractions and criminal traffic; Civil cases up to $50,000 (small claims up to $8,000) | Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller of the county |
Request records in person or by mail
Miami-Dade County clerk offices
20 NW 1st Ave, Miami, FL 33128
Phone: 305-275-1155
Civil, family, and probate records. Search free at the Online Case Search system (https://www2.miamidadeclerk.gov/ocs/); electronic certified copies can be purchased there for documents that are available online. For anything not online, request in person or by mail from the Clerk's office at 20 NW 1st Ave, Miami, FL 33128.
Criminal records. Search the Criminal Justice Information Online System (https://www2.miamidadeclerk.gov/cjis/) by name or case number. Certified copies of criminal case documents are requested from the criminal records division of the Clerk's office.
Traffic citations. Use the dedicated traffic search to look up a citation by number, case number, or driver's license number; payment of fines and requests for hearings are also handled there.
Fees
| Item | Typical cost in Florida |
|---|---|
| Plain copy | $1.00 per page (Fla. Stat. § 28.24(6)(a)) |
| Certified copy | $2.00 certification fee per instrument, plus the $1.00-per-page copy fee (Fla. Stat. § 28.24(4)(a) and (6)(a)) |
These are the statewide statutory fees clerks charge for photocopies and certification under Florida Statutes Chapter 28. Individual clerks may charge additional amounts for electronic certified copies ordered online (commonly an added convenience or processing fee) — confirm the total with the specific county clerk before paying.
Need a copy an agency will accept? See how to get certified copies of court records.
Sealed and restricted records
Florida court records are presumed open under Florida Rule of Judicial Administration 2.420, which lists roughly 19 specific categories of information the clerk must keep confidential even within an otherwise public case file (for example Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, and certain victim and minor-witness identifying information). Confidentiality of court records in Florida is governed by this court rule, not by the state's public-records law (Chapter 119), which does not apply to the judicial branch.
The Florida guide lists every category of sealed and restricted record, and our guide to expunging or sealing a criminal record explains how to remove one from public view.
Frequently asked questions
Does Miami-Dade have separate district and county clerks?
No. One elected office, the Clerk of the Court and Comptroller, keeps both circuit-court and county-court records for Miami-Dade. There is no separate county clerk to search.
Where do I search for a Miami-Dade criminal case?
Use the Criminal Justice Information Online System, a separate search from the civil/family/probate portal. Search by name or case number; some documents require the case to be resolved before they appear publicly.
Where do I look up a Miami-Dade divorce or custody case?
Family cases are heard in circuit court, so search the Online Case Search system (civil, family, and probate). Some documents in family cases are confidential and will not display even if the docket entry is visible.
How do I pay or contest a Miami-Dade traffic ticket?
Use the traffic citation search on the Clerk's website to look up the ticket by citation number, case number, or driver's license number; the same tool lets you pay online or request a hearing.
How do I get a certified copy of a Miami-Dade court record?
Order an electronic certified copy online for documents already available in the Online Case Search or Criminal Justice systems, or request one in person or by mail from the Clerk's office at 20 NW 1st Ave, Miami, FL 33128.
Sources
- Miami-Dade Clerk of the Court and Comptroller — https://www.miamidadeclerk.gov/clerk/home.page
- Miami-Dade Civil, Family and Probate Courts Online System — https://www2.miamidadeclerk.gov/ocs/
- Miami-Dade Criminal Justice Online System — https://www2.miamidadeclerk.gov/cjis/
- Florida Courts — Structure of the State Courts System — https://www.flcourts.gov/Courts-System/court-structure/district-courts-of-appeal
- Florida Appellate Case Information System (ACIS) — https://acis.flcourts.gov/
- FDLE — Obtaining a Florida Criminal History Record Check — https://www.fdle.state.fl.us/criminal-history-records/florida-checks
- Florida Courts E-Filing Portal (Authority) — https://www.myflcourtaccess.com/authority/
- Florida Statutes § 943.0585 — Court-Ordered Expunction of Criminal History Records — https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/943.0585
- Florida Statutes § 943.059 — Court-Ordered Sealing of Criminal History Records — https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/943.059
- Florida Statutes § 28.24 — Service Charges by Clerks of the Circuit Court — https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2024/28.24
- Rule of Judicial Administration 2.420 — Public Access to Judicial Branch Records — https://www.flcourts.gov/core/fileparse.php/255/urlt/RULE-2-420-Jan2014.pdf
- Southern District of Florida — Federal Judicial Districts of Florida — https://www.flsd.uscourts.gov/federal-judicial-districts-florida
- Middle District of Florida — U.S. District Court — https://www.flmd.uscourts.gov/
See also: all Florida counties.