Miami-Dade County Public Records

Miami-Dade County public records are maintained by the Clerk and Comptroller's office and dozens of county agency custodians, all subject to Florida law, which makes these records open to any person upon request. This page explains where to search, how to submit a request, which agencies hold which records, and what fees apply across Florida's most populous county.

Public Records Law in Miami-Dade County

Florida's open records law is codified in Chapter 119 of the Florida Statutes. It states that all records made or received by a public agency are open to inspection and copying unless a specific exemption applies. Miami-Dade County, as the state's largest county, operates under this law across all of its departments, offices, and elected officials. You do not need to give your name or explain why you want a record.

Miami-Dade County has a public records management system that allows you to request and track the status of your request online. That system is available through the county's Clerk and Comptroller website. The county also maintains a custodians directory so you can identify which specific department holds the records you need. That is especially useful in a county this size, where dozens of separate agencies maintain their own record systems.

When in doubt about where to send a request, the Clerk and Comptroller's office is a good starting point. For administrative records held by county departments outside the court system, the custodians directory at miamidade.gov lists the responsible person for each major county body.

Denials must cite a specific exemption from the law. If you think a denial was improper, the Florida AG's mediation line at (850) 245-0140 handles disputes for free. More detail on your rights is at the AG's Open Government page.

Miami-Dade Clerk and Comptroller

Juan Fernandez-Barquin, Esq. serves as Clerk and Comptroller for Miami-Dade County. His office is the custodian of 11th Judicial Circuit court records and of official records recorded in the county, including deeds, mortgages, liens, and marriage licenses. The Clerk's office provides advanced online access to civil, family, and probate court records, official records searches, and a traffic online system.

The Clerk's office offers corporate and government accounts for frequent users, case bookmarking, and case change notifications. These features are available through the online portal and are free to set up for those who search records regularly.

Below is a screenshot from the Miami-Dade Clerk and Comptroller's website, which is the main access point for court and official records in the county.

The site above provides navigation to court records, official records, public records requests, and the full range of Clerk's office services available to Miami-Dade residents and the public.

Records Search and Online Access

Miami-Dade offers some of the most extensive online records access in Florida. The Clerk's portal at miamidadeclerk.gov/clerk/records.page provides advanced search tools for civil, family, probate, and criminal court records, as well as the official records system for recorded instruments. You can search by name, case number, document type, or date range.

The records page shown above is the main hub for searching the Clerk's digital archives, including documents filed in the 11th Judicial Circuit.

For public records requests to county departments outside the Clerk's system, the county has a dedicated request and tracking portal. You can submit a request, check its status, and receive responses entirely online. That portal is linked through the Clerk's main public records request page.

Using the request system above, you can submit a new request, receive a tracking number, and monitor progress without calling or visiting the office in person.

The statewide portal at myfloridacounty.com also covers Miami-Dade official records and is useful for cross-county searches. For older documents not yet digitized, contact the Clerk's Records Management division directly by email at cocpubreq@miamidadeclerk.gov.

County Department Record Custodians

Miami-Dade County is large enough that each major department has its own designated public records custodian. The county publishes a full custodians directory at miamidade.gov, which lists the responsible person and contact for each agency.

The directory above shows the full list of department custodians with addresses and phone numbers so you can send requests directly to the right office without delay.

Key department contacts include Animal Services (Georgina C. Vargas, 3599 NW 79th Ave, Doral, FL 33122, (305) 418-7188), the Board of County Commissioners (Olga Vega, 111 NW 1st St Suite 250, Miami, FL 33128, (305) 375-3717), the Mayor's office (Carlos Suarez, 111 NW 1st St 29th Floor, Miami, FL 33128, (305) 375-1880), and the Libraries system (Leila Khalil, 101 W Flagler St, Miami, FL 33130, (305) 375-5291). Each of these custodians handles requests for records held by their department.

Fees for Miami-Dade Public Records

Florida law sets the standard fee structure. Administrative copies cost $0.15 per single-sided page or $0.20 per double-sided page. Certified copies of official records from the Clerk cost $1.00 per page plus a $5.00 certification statement fee. Court record certified copies run $1.00 per page as well.

Research fees can apply when a request requires significant staff time. The first 15 minutes are typically not billed. After that, the county bills at the applicable hourly rate. For large requests, ask for a cost estimate before work begins. Many documents in the Clerk's online system are free to view and download, so check there before requesting physical copies.

The county reads Chapter 119 as requiring agencies to respond promptly. Large agencies like Miami-Dade sometimes take longer given the volume of requests they receive, but they must still provide a good-faith response and a projected completion date for complex requests.

Types of Records Available

Miami-Dade County holds an enormous range of public documents. The 11th Judicial Circuit court records cover civil, criminal, family law, probate, and juvenile cases filed in the county. Official records include deeds, mortgages, liens, marriage licenses, plats, and other recorded instruments. Sheriff's records cover arrests, incidents, and jail bookings. Property records are held by the Miami-Dade Property Appraiser. Tax records go to the Tax Collector.

County commission meeting minutes, planning and zoning documents, building permits, inspection records, and agency-specific files are all public records held by various county departments. The custodians directory is your guide to figuring out which agency holds what you need. If you are unsure, the Clerk's office can often point you in the right direction or accept your request and route it internally.

The Florida Court Clerks and Comptrollers directory lists every county clerk in the state. For Miami-Dade specifically, the Clerk's office is the starting point for the vast majority of court and official records requests.

Cities in Miami-Dade County

Miami-Dade County includes many cities with populations above the threshold for dedicated pages on this site.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Miami-Dade and each maintains its own public records system and Clerk's office.