Search Bay County Public Records

Bay County public records are held by the Clerk and Comptroller's office in Panama City and are open to inspection by any person under Florida's public records law. This guide covers the main ways to search and access court documents, recorded instruments, and county administrative records in the 14th Judicial Circuit.

Bay County Clerk and Comptroller Office

Bill Kinsaul serves as Bay County's Clerk and Comptroller. His office in Panama City is the primary records custodian for court filings, official recorded documents, and county financial records. The Clerk handles both Circuit and County Court records within the 14th Judicial Circuit, which covers Bay, Calhoun, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, and Washington counties.

The Clerk's website provides online access to many record categories. The court records search allows lookups by name or case number. Official records such as deeds, mortgages, and liens can also be searched through the site. Bay County has invested in its digital infrastructure, so most records from the past two decades are available online without needing to visit in person.

The image below is from the Bay County Clerk and Comptroller's official website, which serves as the main hub for public records access in the county.

The Bay County Clerk site shown above provides navigation to court records, official records, and online search tools used by the public.

Note: The Clerk's office is located in the Bay County Government Center in downtown Panama City. Parking is available nearby.

Bay County Public Records Rights and Access

Florida's public records law, Chapter 119 of the Florida Statutes, gives every person the right to inspect and copy records held by Bay County agencies. The law says records are open by default. No identification is required, and you do not need to state a reason. The agency must respond promptly. If complying requires more time, they must tell you why.

Section 119.07 of the statute requires custodians to permit inspection at any reasonable time. That means the Clerk's office cannot tell you to come back next week when the records are sitting in the file room. Reasonable accommodation must be made. For large or complex requests, the office may ask you to schedule an appointment to ensure a staff member is available to assist you.

Exemptions to disclosure exist under Section 119.071. These cover things like active criminal intelligence, personal identifying information in certain contexts, and some law enforcement records. When a record is withheld, the agency must tell you which exemption applies. Blanket denials without a specific citation are not lawful.

If Bay County officials refuse a request without proper justification, the Florida Attorney General's Office offers a mediation program. Call (850) 245-0140 or check the AG's Open Government page for guidance on next steps.

Searching Bay County Court Records

Bay County Circuit and County Court records include civil, criminal, family law, probate, and traffic cases. All of these fall within the 14th Judicial Circuit. The Clerk's office in Panama City is the custodian for these filings. Online case search is available through the Bay County Clerk's website.

When searching by name, be aware that common names may return many results. Narrowing by date range or case type helps filter results. Case numbers use a standard Florida format that includes the year and case type code. If you have a case number, use it directly to pull up that specific file.

Some older records may not be available through the online portal. Pre-digital case files are stored in the courthouse and require an in-person visit or a written request. The Clerk's staff can tell you which years are fully digitized and which require manual retrieval.

The statewide myfloridacounty.com platform also provides access to some Bay County official records. It is worth checking both that site and the county's own portal to see which has the records you need.

Bay County Official Records

Official records in Bay County are instruments recorded with the Clerk. These include real property deeds, mortgage documents, satisfaction of mortgage filings, judgment liens, and other recorded agreements. Title researchers and lenders regularly use this system when verifying property ownership chains or checking for encumbrances.

The Bay County Clerk's website includes an online official records search. You can search by grantor or grantee name, document type, or recording date range. Document images are available as PDFs for records that have been digitized. For older instruments recorded before the county's scanning program, you may need to request paper copies or microfilm prints.

Recording a new instrument with Bay County requires submitting the original document along with the appropriate recording fee. The Clerk's office publishes a current fee schedule on its website. Fees are set by Florida statute and include a per-page rate plus a base recording fee.

Note: Bay County's official records database is separate from court records. A search of one will not return results from the other.

Copy Fees and Request Process

Florida law caps the fees Bay County can charge for public records copies. Plain copies of administrative records cost up to $0.15 per single-sided page and $0.20 per double-sided page. Court records and official recorded documents cost $1.00 per page. Certified copies carry an additional $5.00 certification statement fee.

If a request requires substantial staff time for research or redaction, the county can bill for that time after the first 30 minutes. The rate depends on which employee handles the work. For large requests, ask for a written estimate before the work begins so you can decide whether to proceed or narrow the scope of your request.

Requests can be submitted by phone, email, in person at the Clerk's office, or through an online form if the county provides one. Mail-in requests are also accepted. Include as much detail as possible: names, dates, case numbers, and document types. That reduces back-and-forth and speeds up fulfillment.

Bay County Property and Tax Records

Property records in Bay County are held by two offices. The Bay County Property Appraiser maintains appraisal and assessment records, which show the assessed value of parcels, ownership history as reported to the appraiser, and exemption information. The Bay County Tax Collector maintains tax payment records and issues tax certificates when taxes go unpaid.

These records are separate from the Clerk's official records even though they relate to real property. A full title search requires checking both the Property Appraiser's ownership records and the Clerk's recorded instruments. The Property Appraiser and Tax Collector each have their own websites and contact information available through the Bay County government portal.

County commission meeting minutes, budget documents, and other county government records are typically held by the Board of County Commissioners. Those records are also public under Chapter 119 and can be requested through the county's public records process.

Cities in Bay County

Panama City is the county seat and has a dedicated public records page on this site based on population.

Nearby Counties

These counties share borders with Bay County and are part of the same 14th Judicial Circuit or neighboring circuits.