Volusia County Public Records Search

Volusia County public records are kept by the Clerk of Courts in DeLand and are open to any member of the public under Florida law. This guide covers how to search court case files, official recorded documents, arrest data, property records, and other government records in Volusia County, whether you use the online search portal, visit the courthouse, or submit a written request.

Florida Open Records Law and Volusia County

Florida's public records law is set out in Chapter 119 of the Florida Statutes. It applies equally to every government body in the state, including the Volusia County Clerk of Courts and all other county offices. The law says that records made or received by a public agency in the course of official business are public. You do not need to state a reason. You do not need to give your name. That right is also protected by Article I, Section 24 of the Florida Constitution.

Section 119.07 requires the custodian to let you inspect records at any reasonable time and to provide copies when asked. Standard fees apply: 15 cents per page for plain paper copies of administrative records. Recorded official documents cost up to $1.00 per page to copy, with a $5.00 certification fee if you need a certified copy for legal purposes. The first 30 minutes of staff research time does not cost anything. After that, a reasonable hourly charge may apply.

Exemptions do exist under Section 119.071. Active criminal investigations, Social Security numbers, medical information, and some financial data may be withheld. Documents that a court has ordered sealed or expunged are also off limits. If a request is denied, the agency must tell you which exemption it is using. You can seek free help from the Florida Attorney General's open government program or call (850) 245-0140 for mediation assistance.

Volusia County Clerk of Courts

Laura E. Roth, Esq., serves as the Clerk of Courts for Volusia County. Her office in DeLand is the official custodian for court case records and official documents recorded in the county. The Volusia County Clerk provides one of the more robust online access systems of any Florida county clerk's office, with a public search portal covering multiple case types and document categories.

The image below comes from the Volusia County Clerk's main website, the starting point for most records searches in the county.

The site links to the case search portal, daily and weekly court reports, official records search, and contact details for the office's various divisions.

Online Records Search in Volusia County

Volusia County offers one of the more comprehensive online search tools among Florida county clerks. The public portal at clerk.org/Search-Records.aspx provides access to case records for Circuit Civil, County Civil, Family Law, Probate, and Criminal matters. You can search by name, case number, or date range. Note that date-based searches are limited to a maximum seven-day range at a time.

The clerk categorizes documents by access level. Public documents are available for online viewing with no additional steps required. Some documents are labeled "View On Request," which means a Clerk staff member must review them before they are released for online access. A third category is "Nonpublic," covering records that are confidential by statute or court order. The online system notes which category applies to each document.

Beyond case records, the Volusia County Clerk publishes several other useful data sets. Daily reports show new civil suits filed each day. Weekly reports cover new foreclosure filings. A Probate Preliminary Monthly Report is also available. Criminal arrest information covering the previous 24 hours is posted. Citation information for traffic violations can also be searched. The system undergoes routine maintenance on Thursday nights from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., so plan around that window if you need records late on a Thursday.

The screenshot below shows the records search portal, where you can begin a case or official records lookup.

The portal covers the full range of public court case types and official records categories available through the Volusia County Clerk's office.

Court Records in Volusia County

Volusia County is part of the 7th Judicial Circuit of Florida, which also covers Flagler, Putnam, and St. Johns counties. Circuit court in Volusia County handles felony criminal cases, civil actions over the jurisdictional threshold, family law cases including divorce, paternity, and custody, adoption, juvenile matters, and probate proceedings. County court covers misdemeanor criminal cases, civil claims below the threshold, small claims, and traffic cases.

Most court records are public under Chapter 119 and the Florida Rules of Judicial Administration. The main exceptions are juvenile case files, which are confidential by statute, and records that a judge has ordered sealed or expunged. Some family law records involving domestic violence may also have restricted access. The online system marks records that are subject to access limitations, so you can often identify the status of a document before contacting the office directly.

You can also find Volusia County in the statewide Florida Court Clerks and Comptrollers directory, which provides current contact information for all 67 Florida county clerks.

Official Records and Property Documents

The Volusia County Clerk records and indexes all official documents affecting real property in the county. Deeds, mortgages, liens, releases, and easements are indexed by name and document type and are available through the online portal. These records are the authoritative source for the chain of title on any parcel in Volusia County.

Tax deed information is also available through the Clerk's office. When property taxes go unpaid long enough that a tax deed sale is triggered, the Clerk manages that process and keeps the related records. If you are researching a parcel that may have gone through a tax deed sale, the Clerk's records are the right place to look.

Marriage and divorce records in Volusia County are both accessible through the Clerk. Marriage licenses are public record. Divorce case files are part of the Family Law circuit court record. The statewide portal at myfloridacounty.com also provides some access to Volusia County official records, depending on what has been indexed there.

Requesting Volusia County Records

Most common records in Volusia County can be found through the online search portal without contacting the Clerk's office at all. For records that are not online, or for documents that require a "View On Request" review, you can call (386) 822-5710, visit in person at 101 N Alabama Ave in DeLand, or submit a written request by mail.

No special form is required under Florida law. Describe what you want clearly, including party names, approximate dates, case numbers if you have them, and the type of document. Agencies must respond promptly. Standard copy and certification fees apply for paper copies of records that are not in the online system. If staff time is needed to research a request, the first 30 minutes is free and any time beyond that may be billed at a reasonable rate.

If you run into any trouble getting records from the Volusia County Clerk or any other county office, the First Amendment Foundation provides free advice and advocacy. The FDLE public records page covers state-level criminal justice records if your search extends beyond the county level.

Cities in Volusia County

Several cities in Volusia County have dedicated public records pages based on population.

Nearby Counties

Volusia County is surrounded by seven other Florida counties, each with its own clerk and records system.