Find Pensacola Public Records

Pensacola public records are available through the Escambia County Clerk of Courts and the City of Pensacola, covering court case filings, official recorded documents, city government records, and other materials that Florida law requires to be open to any person who asks. As the county seat of Escambia County and the largest city in the 1st Judicial Circuit, Pensacola is the center of the region's public records system.

Escambia County Clerk of Courts

The Escambia County Clerk of Courts operates a dedicated Public Records Center as the primary source for court and official records in Pensacola. The custodian of public records can be reached at (850) 595-4149 or by email at PublicRecords@EscambiaClerk.com. The main clerk website is escambiaclerk.com, and the Public Records Center is specifically at escambiaclerk.com/260/Public-Records-Center.

The Escambia County Clerk handles multiple types of records through its Public Records Center. These include marriage license copies, court records from the 1st Judicial Circuit, Board of County Commissioner records, deeds and mortgages recorded as official records, and transcripts of court hearings. Different forms are required depending on the record type you need. For transcripts of court hearings, the court reporter contact is (850) 595-4409. Birth and death certificates are not held by the clerk. Those are maintained by the Florida Department of Vital Statistics at (904) 359-6900 and the Escambia County Health Department at (850) 595-6543.

The Escambia County Clerk's Public Records Center is the designated portal for submitting and tracking public records requests for Pensacola and all of Escambia County.

What Records the Escambia Clerk Maintains

Court records available through the Escambia County Clerk span civil cases, criminal proceedings, family law matters, probate filings, and small claims actions in the 1st Judicial Circuit. The 1st Circuit also covers Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, and Walton counties, though each county has its own clerk. For Pensacola cases, Escambia County is the right jurisdiction.

Official records recorded with the Escambia County Clerk include property deeds and transfers for Pensacola real estate, mortgage filings, judgment liens, and marriage licenses. If you need to search for a lien on a property, check on recorded deeds in a title search, or look up a marriage from Escambia County, the clerk's records system is where to start. Many of these records can be searched online through the clerk's portal.

Note: When the clerk withholds a record, they are required by law to tell you the specific statute that exempts it from public access.

City of Pensacola Records

The City of Pensacola maintains records from city government operations that are separate from the county clerk system. These include City Council meeting minutes, ordinances and resolutions adopted by the city, city contracts and agreements, building permits, code enforcement files, and department-level records. City Hall is at 222 W Main St, Pensacola, FL 32502. The main city number is (850) 435-1603.

The Pensacola Police Department keeps its own records including incident reports, arrest records, and law enforcement case files. To request those, contact the police department's records division directly. For building permits, zoning records, and development applications, Development Services at City Hall is the right contact. All of these are public records under Chapter 119, Florida Statutes, subject to specific statutory exemptions.

State Resources for Pensacola Records

In addition to local offices, Florida maintains several state-level resources that apply to Pensacola public records. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement handles public records requests for FDLE data at fdle.state.fl.us/ogc/public-records, phone (850) 410-7676. This is the right place for statewide criminal history searches and FDLE-maintained records.

The Florida Department of State handles public records requests for state-level agency records at its Office of the General Counsel. You can reach them at 500 South Bronough Street, Suite 100, Tallahassee, FL 32399-0250, phone (850) 245-6507. The Florida Corporations database for business filings is also accessible through the Department of State at dos.fl.gov/sunbiz.

For statewide clerk search tools, myfloridacounty.com provides a unified search interface for official records across Florida's clerk of court system. And flclerks.com/page/findaclerk lists every county clerk in Florida with links to their websites.

Requesting Pensacola Public Records

For records from the Escambia County Clerk, call (850) 595-4149 or email PublicRecords@EscambiaClerk.com. In-person visits to the clerk's office also work. For city records, call the City of Pensacola at (850) 435-1603 or visit City Hall. No form is required and you do not need to give a reason.

Copy fees are set by state law. Standard paper copies are $0.15 per one-sided page. Certified copies cost $1.00 per page plus a $5.00 fee for the certification statement. If your request requires extensive staff time beyond 30 minutes, the agency may charge for additional time. Simple requests are often fulfilled at little or no cost.

If a request is denied and you think it should not have been, the Florida Attorney General's Open Government Mediation Program at (850) 245-0140 provides free assistance. The First Amendment Foundation hotline at (850) 222-3518 is another free option. They publish the Government-in-the-Sunshine Manual annually, which is a comprehensive guide to open records and open meetings rights in Florida.

Pensacola Records Contact Summary

Nearby Cities

Other cities in the Florida Panhandle area have public records systems under the same state law.

Escambia County Records

Pensacola public records are maintained by the Escambia County Clerk of Court. Visit the county page for full office details and search resources.