Tampa Public Records

Tampa public records are available through both the City of Tampa and the Hillsborough County Clerk of Courts, depending on what type of document you need. City records like permits, ordinances, and city commission minutes come from the city. Court records, official property documents, and civil and criminal case files go through the Hillsborough County Clerk at hillsclerk.com. Florida's public records law, found at Chapter 119, opens all of these records to any person who asks.

Tampa City Records

The City of Tampa maintains records generated by city government operations. These include city council meeting minutes, city ordinances and resolutions, contracts entered into by the city, building permits, code enforcement files, and records from city departments like Parks and Recreation or the Tampa Police Department. The city address for in-person visits is 306 E Jackson St, Tampa, FL 33602. You can call (813) 274-8211 to reach city hall and be directed to the right department for your request.

Tampa also provides a useful statewide official records service page at tampa.gov. That page links to the state-level official records search tool run by Florida's Clerks of Court, which lets you search for recorded documents not just in Hillsborough County but across any Florida county or the whole state at once. It is a practical tool if you think a document might be recorded in more than one county or if you are not sure which county to search.

Tampa Official Records and the Statewide System

Florida defines official records in Section 28.001 as instruments required or authorized to be recorded in one general series at the county level. In Tampa, that means deeds, mortgages, liens, and similar documents are recorded with the Hillsborough County Clerk. The statewide search system, accessible through the page shown below, lets users search by county, judicial circuit, region, or statewide. This can be a big help if you need to check multiple counties for a single person's property records or judgment history.

The Tampa city site is the right place to start for city-issued permits, city commission records, and other municipal documents that are separate from court and official records.

From that statewide page, you can reach the search and document ordering function to look up official records across Florida's clerk system, including Hillsborough County documents recorded in Tampa.

How to Get Tampa Public Records

You do not need a form or a reason to request records. Florida's public records law gives that right to anyone. Just describe what you want, tell the agency which office you think has it, and ask for it. Requests can go in by email, phone, mail, or in person. Most agencies try to respond as fast as they can, though complex requests may take a few days.

The fee structure is set by state law. Standard copies are $0.15 per page. Certified copies run $1.00 per page plus a $5.00 certification fee. If compiling your request takes more than 30 minutes of staff time, the agency can charge you for the additional time at the rate of the lowest-paid person who can do the work. Simple requests usually cost nothing. If you think you were wrongly denied access to a record, the Florida Attorney General's open government office at (850) 245-0140 offers free mediation.

Tampa Court Records Through Hillsborough Clerk

The Hillsborough County Clerk of Courts serves the 13th Judicial Circuit and maintains all case files for Tampa-area courts. You can search civil cases, family law cases, probate matters, and criminal court records through the Clerk's online system at hillsclerk.com. Case index information is generally available at no charge. Physical copies of documents carry the standard copy fee. The Clerk also handles recording of official documents, so property records for Tampa and the rest of Hillsborough County are found in the same place.

Tampa Records Contact Information

Nearby Cities

Other cities in the Tampa Bay area have public records systems you can access under the same state law.

Hillsborough County Records

Public records for Tampa are maintained by the Hillsborough County Clerk of Court. Visit the county page for office details and search resources.