Pine Hills Public Records Database
Pine Hills public records are handled entirely by Orange County because Pine Hills is a census-designated place and not an incorporated city. There is no Pine Hills city government. All court records, official recorded instruments, and government documents for Pine Hills residents are maintained by Orange County agencies, primarily the Orange County Clerk of Courts at myorangeclerk.com. Florida's open records law gives everyone the right to request public records from any government agency without providing identification or a reason.
Pine Hills Quick Facts
Orange County Clerk of Courts
The Orange County Clerk of Courts is the primary custodian of court records and official recorded instruments for Pine Hills. The Clerk's main website is at myorangeclerk.com. You can search case records and official recorded documents through the Clerk's online portal at myeclerk.myorangeclerk.com. This portal is free to use and covers both circuit court and county court cases, as well as the official records index for deeds, mortgages, and liens.
The 9th Judicial Circuit serves Orange and Osceola counties. Circuit court handles major civil matters, felony criminal cases, family law, and probate. County court handles misdemeanors and civil cases under a lower dollar threshold. Both levels are administered by the Orange County Clerk. If you are looking for a court case involving a Pine Hills resident or address, the online portal at myeclerk.myorangeclerk.com is the best place to start. Case summaries and docket entries are free to view. You pay only when ordering copies of specific documents.
Orange County Government Records
Because Pine Hills is unincorporated, county government handles local services that an incorporated city would otherwise provide. Records related to those services, including code enforcement, unincorporated area permits, and county agency records, are held by Orange County. The Orange County website is at orangecountyfl.net. That site covers the county's various departments and how to contact them for records requests.
Building permits for Pine Hills addresses are issued by Orange County, not a city. Code enforcement matters for Pine Hills go through the county, not a city hall. If you need a permit history for a Pine Hills property, or want to check for code violations, contact Orange County Development Services. All of these are public records under Florida law and can be requested in person, by phone, or by mail.
Florida law under Chapter 119 applies to Orange County records for Pine Hills the same as any other Florida jurisdiction. No special status is required to make a request, and no reason needs to be given.
How to Request Pine Hills Public Records
Since Pine Hills has no city government, records requests go to Orange County agencies or the Orange County Clerk. The process follows Florida's standard open records procedure. Describe the record clearly. Give a date range, a name, or a case number if you have one. The agency then locates and provides the record or tells you in writing why it cannot.
Fees for copies are $0.15 per page under state law. Requests that take more than 30 minutes of staff time may be billed at an hourly rate based on the lowest-paid employee who can do the work. The first 30 minutes are free. Online searches of the Clerk's portal are free for viewing. If you need certified copies, there is an additional certification charge on top of the per-page cost. Electronic records are sometimes available at no charge or at the actual cost of the delivery medium.
A request that is denied must come with a written explanation citing a specific exemption under Section 119.071. Common exemptions include active criminal investigation records, medical information, and certain personal identifying data. If the denial seems incorrect or the agency does not respond promptly, the Florida Attorney General's office can help through their free mediation program at (850) 245-0140. You can also reach the AG's open government office at myfloridalegal.com.
Property and Official Records
Property records for Pine Hills are in the Orange County official records series. Deeds, mortgages, liens, and other instruments affecting real property in Pine Hills are filed with the Orange County Clerk and available in the official records index. The online portal lets you search and view documents at no cost. Copies carry the standard fee.
The Orange County Property Appraiser manages ownership and assessed value data separately. If you need to confirm current ownership, look up assessed value, or check exemptions for a Pine Hills property, the Property Appraiser's database is the right tool. Both databases are open to the public and searchable online without requiring a visit to any county office.
Types of Records Available for Pine Hills
Pine Hills residents can access a wide range of county records under Florida's open records law. Civil and criminal court case files are at the Orange County Clerk. Official recorded documents for real property, including deeds and liens, are also at the Clerk. Code enforcement records for unincorporated Pine Hills are at Orange County. Tax records and assessed value information are at the Property Appraiser's office. Law enforcement records for Pine Hills, which is served by the Orange County Sheriff's Office, are held by the Sheriff's department, though active investigation records may be exempt under state law.
For state-level criminal history information, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement public records office at fdle.state.fl.us handles requests by email at publicrecords@fdle.state.fl.us or by phone at (850) 410-7676. FDLE records are separate from the court case records at the county clerk and cover statewide criminal history maintained at the state level.
Note: The Florida Association of Court Clerks provides a directory of all Florida county clerks at flclerks.com, useful if you need records from a case filed in another county.Florida Public Records Law
Chapter 119 is the core public records statute in Florida. It applies to all state and local government agencies and covers records in any format, whether paper or digital. The full text of the law is at the Florida Legislature's statutes site. The Florida Attorney General's open government resources are available at myfloridalegal.com/open-government.
The First Amendment Foundation in Tallahassee publishes the Government-in-the-Sunshine Manual annually at floridafaf.org. That manual is the most comprehensive guide to Florida's public records and open meetings laws and is updated each year to reflect new case law and Attorney General opinions. It is a useful resource for anyone regularly working with public records requests in Florida, including Orange County agencies that serve Pine Hills residents.
Nearby Cities
These nearby cities in the Orlando metro area also have public records pages with details on courts and record access.
Orange County Records
Court records and official records for Pine Hills are maintained by the Orange County Clerk of Court. Visit the county page for office details and search resources.