Dade County Court Records Search: Miami-Dade Clerk Case Search, Criminal Records, Traffic & Certified Copies
Most people searching for Dade County court records mean Miami-Dade County, Florida. The official custodian is the Miami-Dade Clerk of the Court and Comptroller, and the correct search route depends on whether you need a civil, family, probate, criminal, traffic, official-record, appellate, federal, or bankruptcy record.
Public-Court-Records.us is independent. This website is not the Miami-Dade Clerk of the Court and Comptroller, the Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida, a Florida court, a federal court, PACER, FDLE, a law firm, a government agency, or a Consumer Reporting Agency. This page provides general record-access information only.
Responsible-use warning: a matching name does not prove identity. A lawsuit, arrest, charge, indictment, citation, petition, or docket entry does not prove guilt or liability. Do not use this guide for employment, tenant, credit, insurance, licensing, or other FCRA-regulated screening decisions.
Dade County court records now route through Miami-Dade County official systems
The phrase “Dade County court records” is still commonly used in searches, but official Florida court and Clerk resources use Miami-Dade County. For local court files, online case searches, certified copies, public-record requests, and courthouse help, start with the Miami-Dade Clerk of the Court and Comptroller.
Miami-Dade County trial courts are served by Florida’s Eleventh Judicial Circuit.
State appellate matters commonly route through Florida ACIS and the Third District Court of Appeal.
Many Clerk certified-copy pages list $1 per page for copies.
Many Clerk copy routes list $2 certification per document and $2 per year, per name if the year or case number is unknown.
Dade County court record route finder
Select the record type. This helper runs in your browser and does not ask for names, dates of birth, case numbers, citation numbers, driver license numbers, or addresses.
For civil lawsuits, small claims, landlord-tenant cases, foreclosure records, judgments, and many non-criminal dockets, start with the Miami-Dade Clerk’s civil/family/probate online system. Use a case number when available and verify the full docket before relying on a result.
Choose the correct Miami-Dade system before searching
The Clerk maintains several separate online systems. A failed search often happens because a user searched criminal cases in the civil system, traffic citations in the criminal system, or deeds and liens in the court-case system.
| Need | Correct official route | What to do first |
|---|---|---|
| Civil lawsuit, small claims, landlord-tenant, foreclosure, judgment | Civil, Family and Probate Courts Online System | Search by case number when possible. If using a party name, compare court division, filing date, party role, docket entries and final disposition. |
| Divorce, paternity, child support, domestic violence, injunction, family case | Civil, Family and Probate Courts Online System plus Family Court certified-copy route | Expect privacy limits. Some family documents may require registered access, party access, mail/in-person request, or may be confidential. |
| Probate, estate, guardianship, mental-health-related probate matter | Civil, Family and Probate Courts Online System plus Probate certified-copy route | Use case number, decedent name or party information when available. Guardianship and mental-health-related files can include restricted documents. |
| Felony or misdemeanor criminal court case | Criminal Justice Online Case Search | Search by case number, state case number, citation or police number, defendant, jail number, calendar search, or hearing calendar if appropriate. |
| Traffic citation or civil infraction | Traffic Online System / Quick Online Case-Citation Search | Use citation number if available. Enter sensitive information only on official Clerk or Miami-Dade County pages. |
| Parking citation | Parking Violations / Parking Service Assistant | Use the citation or license tag number on the official county route, not ordinary court case search. |
| Deed, mortgage, lien, release, plat, marriage record, recorded judgment | County Recorder’s Official Records / Records Library | Use Official Records, not court-case search. Recorded documents from 1974 to present are generally searchable online; older recorded documents may require mail or in-person access. |
| Juvenile case | Juvenile Court Office / Clerk certified-copy process | Do not assume online access. Juvenile cases are confidential and certified copies can only be ordered by mail or in person. |
| State appeal from a Miami-Dade case | Florida ACIS and Third District Court of Appeal | Search by appellate case number, case title, party, or originating lower-tribunal case number. Trial and appellate dockets are separate. |
| Federal district or bankruptcy record | PACER, Southern District of Florida, or Southern District of Florida Bankruptcy Court | Use PACER Case Locator if the federal court is unknown. County court search does not contain federal district or bankruptcy cases. |
How to search Dade County court records by name or case number
For most local court records, start at the Miami-Dade Clerk’s Records page instead of a commercial people-search site. The Clerk’s records page separates standard free services from fee-based advanced services and routes users to civil/family/probate, criminal, official records, traffic, parking, child support, and other systems.
Open the Clerk Records page and choose the record category. Do not enter personal identifiers on look-alike websites.
Case-number or citation-number searching reduces false matches and avoids confusing people with similar names.
Review the division, filing date, party role, case title, docket events, disposition, and document details before assuming the result belongs to a specific person or business.
The civil/family/probate and criminal systems show record cards or docket/document details. Some documents may require registration or official copy ordering.
The Clerk warns that electronic access is not the official court record. For official use, consult the Clerk and order certified copies when required.
Select the matching record type, provide the required case or record information, and follow online, mail, or in-person instructions.
Certified-copy fees, search fees and payment methods to verify
The Clerk’s certified-copy pages explain that official copies can be ordered online, by mail, or in person depending on the record type. If you do not know the year or case number, an additional search fee of $2 per year, per name may be added. Personal checks are not accepted for several certified-copy routes.
| Request | Common official instruction or fee | Practical next step |
|---|---|---|
| Civil certified copy | $1 per page and $2 per document for certification; online, mail, or in-person options are listed. | Search the civil case first, then order from the image/document route or mail to the Civil Correspondence Department with case details. |
| Family certified copy | $1 per page and $2 per document for certification; mail and in-person Family Court routes are listed. | Include case number or book/page, year, party names, self-addressed stamped envelope, and fee when mailing. |
| Probate certified copy | $1 per page and $2 per document for certification; registered access may be needed to view some probate images. | Use the Probate search/order route or mail the Probate Correspondence Department with case number, year, party names and envelope. |
| Criminal certified copy | $1 per page and $2 per document for certification; criminal certified copies can be requested online, by phone, email, mail or in person. | Provide defendant name, case number, date of birth, charge type, document needed, requestor name and address, and mailing envelope if requesting by mail. |
| Official Records copy | Official Records copies are listed at $1 per page plus $2 certification per document; larger copies can cost more. | Use book/page, recording year, party names and document type. Documents older than 1974 may require mail or in-person ordering. |
| Advanced Official Records search | The Clerk lists advanced Official Records searches as one search unit per search, with each unit costing $1.00. | Use standard search first when possible, then buy units only if advanced search features are needed. |
| PACER federal record | PACER pricing verified September 7, 2026: $0.10 per page, $3 cap for many case-specific documents, and $30 quarterly waiver threshold; a temporary increase to $0.12 per page and a $40 threshold is announced for January 1, 2027. | Use a case number and narrow date filters where possible because some searches and reports can be billable. |
Certified-copy cost estimator
This is only a planning aid based on commonly listed Clerk copy amounts. The official Clerk quote, cart, receipt, or fee schedule controls.
Online access is not the same as the official court record
The Clerk’s online systems provide public access to information in Clerk systems, but the Clerk’s notices state that the office should be consulted to assure the accuracy of the official court record. Some public dockets and images may be visible online, while restricted or confidential documents may not be available through ordinary public access.
- Juvenile cases and juvenile dependency records.
- Sealed or expunged records.
- Confidential family, domestic violence, guardianship, mental-health, or probate details.
- Documents requiring Clerk review or registered access.
- Records withheld by rule, statute, court order, or privacy rule.
- Do not attempt to bypass confidentiality rules.
- Use the certified-copy page for the matching record type.
- Contact the Clerk by phone or in writing when official access is unclear.
- Use an attorney or legal-aid route if a court order is required.
- Do not republish children’s names, addresses, or sensitive personal details.
Official Dade County court-record links and what to do after opening each one
Use these official routes instead of a commercial background-check or people-search page. Each link includes the next steps users usually need.
Main hub for standard and advanced Miami-Dade online record services.
- Confirm you are on miamidadeclerk.gov.
- Choose civil/family/probate, criminal, traffic, official records, parking, or another matching system.
- Use standard search before fee-based advanced options.
- Use certified-copy pages when an official copy is required.
Use this for civil lawsuits, small claims, family law, divorce, probate, guardianship, foreclosure and related records.
- Select the preferred search method from the navigation menu.
- Enter the required fields marked with an asterisk.
- Select a record card to review document details.
- Register or log in only if needed for captcha reduction or added access.
Use this for felony and misdemeanor court case information.
- Select case number, state case number, citation/police number, defendant, jail number or calendar search.
- Use exact case information when available.
- Review docket details and document availability.
- Order certified copies through the criminal certified-copy route when required.
Use this when you have a case or citation number and want a quick official lookup.
- Enter the case or citation number in the official field.
- Do not enter sensitive identifiers on non-official pages.
- Compare the result with the citation, notice, or case paperwork.
- Contact the Clerk if the result does not match or does not appear.
Use this for official copies across multiple record types.
- Select the matching record category.
- Gather case number, year, party names, document title and mailing address.
- Review online, mail and in-person options.
- Confirm payment method and avoid personal checks where not accepted.
Use this for felony, misdemeanor and traffic-related criminal document copies.
- Search the criminal case first when possible.
- Provide defendant name, case number, date of birth, charge type and exact document needed.
- Use the correct felony, misdemeanor or traffic request route.
- Ask whether a certified copy or scanned file option is required.
Use this for deeds, mortgages, liens, releases, powers of attorney, plats, judgments and recorded instruments.
- Search Official Records instead of court-case search.
- Use book/page, name, document type, and recording year when known.
- Remember documents older than 1974 may require mail or in-person access.
- Order certified copies if the document must be used officially.
Use this when you need records that are not available through a self-service search.
- Describe the record clearly and narrowly.
- Include case number, party names, year, document name, and court division if known.
- Use phone or writing if you do not want your email address disclosed under Florida public-records law.
- Wait for the Clerk’s processing order and fee instructions.
Use this for court administration, courthouse locations, court divisions, local rules, judges, calendars and self-help resources.
- Use the Clerk for court records and certified copies.
- Use the Circuit website for judge, division, local rule, and courthouse information.
- Check courthouse locations before visiting.
- Do not contact chambers for legal advice or record-copy requests.
Use this for Florida appellate dockets and available appellate documents.
- Choose the correct appellate court.
- Use case, party, oral argument, document or advanced search.
- Compare the originating lower-tribunal case number.
- Contact the appellate clerk if document access is temporarily restricted.
Use this for federal district court matters in Miami.
- Use PACER to locate the federal docket.
- Confirm the case belongs in the Southern District of Florida.
- Use the Miami courthouse information for federal clerk contact and security rules.
- Bring picture ID if visiting a federal courthouse.
Use PACER for federal appellate, district and bankruptcy court records.
- Use Case Locator if you do not know the federal court.
- Use the individual court PACER site for current docket details.
- Review PACER pricing before opening reports or documents.
- Do not search county court systems for federal bankruptcy or district court filings.
Miami-Dade court-record offices and courthouse locations
Many searches can start online, but certified copies, restricted records, older files, public-record requests, and official-record questions may require the Clerk or courthouse location. Call or check the official location page before visiting because hours, security rules, payment methods and department locations can change.
20 NW 1st Avenue
Miami, FL 33128
General information: 305-275-1155
Use this as the official Clerk and Comptroller contact point for general court-record routing.
20 NW 1st Avenue
Miami, FL 33128
Commonly connected with civil and probate Clerk functions.
Civil office: Suite 6.240. Probate office: Suite 6.223. Verify before visiting.
1351 NW 12th Street
Miami, FL 33125
Hours listed by the Clerk location page: Monday–Friday, 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Criminal Court, felonies, misdemeanor, jury service and traffic offices are listed at this location.
175 NW 1st Avenue
Miami, FL 33128
Family Court and domestic-violence related routes are commonly associated with this courthouse area.
Family Court phone shown by the Clerk contact page: 786-767-7FAM (326).
Do not confuse court records with Official Records, jail records or background checks
Miami-Dade’s Clerk manages several record functions, but not every public-record need is a court-case docket. Choosing the wrong system can lead to no results even when the record exists.
- Civil lawsuits
- Small claims
- Family and divorce cases
- Probate and guardianship cases
- Criminal cases
- Traffic citations
- Deeds and mortgages
- Liens and releases
- Plats and powers of attorney
- Marriage records
- Recorded judgments
- Financial statements
- Jail custody and booking records
- FDLE criminal-history services
- Police incident reports
- State prison records
- Federal PACER records
- Federal bankruptcy records
Where Miami-Dade appeals, federal cases and bankruptcy records go
A Miami-Dade trial-court case can later appear in a different system if it is appealed or if the matter is federal. The local Clerk’s trial-court search is not a replacement for Florida appellate or federal PACER records.
Use Florida ACIS and the Third District Court of Appeal for appellate dockets and available documents. Search by appellate case number, party name, case title or originating lower-tribunal case number where supported.
Use PACER and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. Miami federal courthouses include Wilkie D. Ferguson, Jr. U.S. Courthouse, C. Clyde Atkins U.S. Courthouse and James Lawrence King Federal Justice Building.
Bankruptcy is federal, not county civil court. Use the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Florida and PACER for Miami bankruptcy dockets and documents.
What to do if your Dade County court-record search returns no result
- Wrong official name: use Miami-Dade, not only Dade.
- Wrong system: civil/family/probate vs criminal vs traffic vs official records.
- Wrong spelling, maiden name, suffix, business name, or abbreviation.
- Wrong case number format or missing filing year.
- Searching a federal or appellate case in a local trial-court system.
- Sealed, expunged, juvenile, confidential, or restricted record.
- Document image requires registration, party access, or Clerk review.
- Older recorded document predates online coverage.
- Public-record request must be processed in order received.
- Official copy must be ordered rather than downloaded.
How to read Miami-Dade docket information without over-interpreting it
A docket is a timeline of case activity. It is not always a plain-English explanation of the legal outcome, and it may not include every document online. Use neutral language and verify the official record with the Clerk when the result matters.
Plaintiff, defendant, petitioner, respondent, appellant, appellee, creditor, debtor, decedent, personal representative, guardian and ward are roles. A role does not always mean wrongdoing.
Complaint, petition, summons, motion, notice, order, hearing, judgment, dismissal, plea, sentence, continuance and warrant entries should be read in context.
Open, pending, disposed, dismissed, closed, reopened, stayed or satisfied can mean different things depending on case type. Check later entries and certified records.
Use Dade County court records carefully
- Do not identify a person from a common name alone.
- Compare case number, court division, filing date, party role and docket events.
- Do not assume an arrest or charge is a conviction.
- Do not assume a civil judgment shows current payment status.
- Do not harass, threaten, shame or retaliate against anyone.
- Do not republish children’s names, addresses, protected health details or unnecessary sensitive information.
- Do not bypass sealed, expunged, juvenile or confidential restrictions.
- Contact the official custodian for corrections, sealing, expungement and certified-copy needs.
Frequently asked questions about Dade County court records
What is the official way to search Dade County court records?
For the common search term “Dade County court records,” use the Miami-Dade Clerk of the Court and Comptroller because the official county name is Miami-Dade County. Start at the Clerk’s Records page, then choose the correct system for civil, family, probate, criminal, traffic, official records, or certified copies.
Is Dade County the same as Miami-Dade County for court records?
Yes for Florida court-record searching. The county is officially Miami-Dade County, but many users still search for Dade County court records. Official court and Clerk pages use Miami-Dade Clerk of the Court and Comptroller.
Can I search Dade County court records by name?
Yes, several Miami-Dade Clerk systems support name-based searching, but a name match alone does not prove identity. Compare case number, court division, filing date, party role, docket activity, disposition, and other lawful details before relying on a result.
Where do I search Miami-Dade civil, family, probate, and small-claims cases?
Use the Miami-Dade Civil, Family and Probate Courts Online System. It provides standard and advanced search options, record cards, document details, public access, and registered access that can reduce captcha and search limits.
Where do I search Miami-Dade criminal felony and misdemeanor cases?
Use the Miami-Dade Criminal Justice Online Case Search for criminal felony and misdemeanor records. The system includes search options such as case number, state case number, citation or police number, defendant, jail number, calendar search, and judge hearing calendar.
Where do I search Dade County traffic citations?
Use the Miami-Dade Clerk traffic or quick case/citation search route. The county service index says traffic violations can be paid online by entering a citation number, name, or driver’s license number. Enter sensitive information only on the official Clerk or county system.
Are all Miami-Dade court records available online?
No. Online systems may provide docket and document access, but the Clerk states that electronic access is not the official record and that the office should be consulted to assure accuracy. Confidential, sealed, juvenile, restricted, or unreviewed documents may not be available online.
How do I get certified copies of Dade County court records?
Use the Miami-Dade Clerk certified-copy pages for the matching record type. Civil, family, probate, criminal, official records, marriage, traffic, and juvenile copy rules differ. Common court-copy guidance lists $1 per page and $2 per document for certification, with a $2 per year, per name search fee when the year or case number is unknown.
Where do I search Miami-Dade deeds, liens, mortgages, or marriage records?
Use the Clerk’s Official Records and Records Library routes, not ordinary court case search. Official Records include deeds, mortgages, liens, satisfactions, releases, plats, powers of attorney, financial statements, marriage records, and recorded judgments.
Where do I search Miami-Dade appeals, federal cases, or bankruptcy records?
Use Florida ACIS and the Third District Court of Appeal for state appellate records. Use PACER and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida for federal district cases. Use the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Florida for bankruptcy records.
Official-source review checklist
This guide was reviewed against official Miami-Dade Clerk records, certified-copy, criminal, civil/family/probate, official records, public-records, contact and location pages; Eleventh Judicial Circuit courthouse and Clerk-contact pages; Florida ACIS and Third District Court of Appeal resources; Southern District of Florida federal court resources; Southern District of Florida Bankruptcy Court resources; and PACER pricing and case-search resources. Review date: September 7, 2026.