Miami-Dade County FL Court Records Search

Independent court-record guide: Public-Court-Records.us is an independent educational website. It is not the Miami-Dade Clerk of the Court and Comptroller, Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida, Florida Courts, Third District Court of Appeal, PACER, a law firm, law-enforcement agency, background-check company, or government agency. This page explains lawful ways to locate public court information. It cannot certify, seal, expunge, redact, remove, change, or correct an official court record. For official use, verify information with the Clerk or court maintaining the file.

Miami-Dade County FL Court Records Search: use the case type before you use the person’s name

A Miami-Dade County court records search is different from many counties because Miami-Dade has several specialized Clerk systems for civil/family/probate cases, criminal cases, traffic cases, official recorded documents, and other public records.

The trial courts themselves are part of Florida’s Eleventh Judicial Circuit. Florida has Circuit Courts and County Courts at the trial level; it does not operate a separate modern municipal-court tier like many other states. Municipal and county ordinance violations can instead be handled through County Criminal Court.

Clerk systems checked: August 30, 2026 11th Judicial Circuit jurisdiction checked Certified-copy fees checked Florida ACIS + PACER checked

Miami-Dade has one Clerk but several court-record search systems

Miami-Dade Court Record Route Finder

Felony criminal case Criminal Justice Online Case Search → Circuit Criminal.

Misdemeanor criminal case Criminal Justice Online Case Search → County Criminal.

Major civil lawsuit over $50,000 Civil Case Search → Circuit Civil.

Civil dispute up to $50,000 Civil Case Search → County Civil.

Small claim up to $8,000 County Civil / Small Claims.

Divorce / paternity / family matter Civil, Family and Probate OCS → Family.

Estate / guardianship / probate OCS → Probate.

Civil traffic ticket Traffic Online System.

DUI / criminal traffic County Criminal rather than ordinary civil-infraction treatment.

Florida appellate case Florida ACIS → Third District Court of Appeal.

Federal case Southern District of Florida → PACER.

Deed / mortgage / lien Miami-Dade Official Records—not the court-case search.

Florida’s Circuit Court and County Court distinction matters in Miami-Dade

The Eleventh Judicial Circuit covers Miami-Dade County and operates both Circuit Court and County Court divisions.

How to search Miami-Dade civil, family and probate court records

The Clerk’s modernized Civil, Family and Probate Courts Online System provides public standard and advanced search options.

Step-by-step OCS search

1. Open the Civil, Family and Probate Courts Online System.
2. Select the search method from the navigation menu.
3. Enter the required search fields marked by the Clerk’s system.
4. Search the party or business using the most accurate name available.
5. Review the result cards rather than relying on one name match.
6. Check the Local Case Number.
7. Check the State Case Number. Miami-Dade commonly shows both identifiers.
8. Review Section, Case Type, Filing Date and Case Status.
9. Open the case record and expand the relevant case-detail sections.
10. Use the document image when public electronic access is available.
11. If an image is unavailable, consider free registration. Access can differ under Florida’s electronic court-record access rules.
12. Order the certified document only after confirming the correct case and filing.

What Miami-Dade OCS search results actually tell you

The current OCS result format can display useful identifiers that help distinguish people with similar names.

Why free registration can improve Miami-Dade document access

The Clerk states that registered users can avoid CAPTCHA and some search limitations in its modernized court-record systems.

Registration can also matter when a public document image does not immediately display. The Clerk advises that a user may need to register—currently free of charge—to obtain electronic access permitted under the Florida Supreme Court Standards for Access to Electronic Court Records and the Access Security Matrix.

Miami-Dade case number prefixes provide useful routing clues

Miami-Dade’s online results commonly use local case numbers containing a filing year and a case-category code.

How to search Miami-Dade felony and misdemeanor criminal records

Miami-Dade’s Criminal Justice Online Case Search is separate from the Civil/Family/Probate system.

1. Open Criminal Justice Online Case Search.
2. Select the appropriate criminal search method.
3. Enter the defendant or case information requested by the system.
4. Review possible results carefully.
5. Open the correct case.
6. Read the Charges section.
7. Read the Disposition for each charge. Different counts can end differently.
8. Check Hearings and Dockets.
9. Review judge, defense attorney, filing/closing dates and other available context.
10. Use the document-image icon on an eligible docket entry when available.
11. Order certification from the Clerk when an official document is required.

Miami-Dade criminal case pages contain more than a charge list

The Clerk’s criminal case information can include fields such as:

• court case number;
• state case number;
• name;
• date filed;
• date closed;
• judge;
• defense attorney;
• arresting agency;
• arrest date;
• hearing date and time;
• charges;
• charge-level disposition;
• docket entries;
• bond amount/status;
• probation information when applicable; and
• additional documents when available.

Circuit Criminal vs County Criminal

Examples of County Criminal matters

The Eleventh Judicial Circuit identifies examples such as:

• petit theft;
• simple battery;
• trespassing;
• DUI;
• driving while license suspended;
• no valid driver’s license;
• municipal ordinance violations; and
• county ordinance violations.

Certified criminal disposition letter vs certified case document

Miami-Dade offers two products that should not be confused.

Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building: criminal records location

How to search Miami-Dade traffic court records

Traffic records have their own online application.

The current system can return fields including:

• defendant name;
• birth year;
• case type;
• citation number;
• case action;
• violation;
• issue date;
• state case number; and
• balance.

Users can click the citation number to open the case summary and, when eligible, access payment options.

Civil traffic and criminal traffic are not the same

Miami-Dade Traffic Online System also has driver-license status tools

The Clerk provides a driver’s-license-number search that can indicate whether the license has delinquent Miami-Dade citations requiring attention.

The current tool asks for the exact driver’s license number and provides an optional date-of-birth field.

Miami-Dade civil records: County Court vs Circuit Court

Do not read a civil filing as proof that the plaintiff won

After locating a civil case, check for later docket events such as:

• service;
• answer;
• motion;
• dismissal;
• default;
• summary judgment;
• trial;
• final judgment;
• appeal;
• vacatur;
• satisfaction of judgment; and
• other later orders.

How to request a certified Miami-Dade civil court document

The Clerk currently allows qualifying civil certified-copy requests online, by mail or in person.

1. Open the Civil/Family/Probate OCS.
2. Search and verify the correct case.
3. Open the docket/document details.
4. Identify the exact document you need.
5. If the image is available, use the online certified-copy option when appropriate.
6. If the image is not displayed, sign in/register if your access level permits the document.
7. For a mail request, include the case number or book/page, case year and party names.
8. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope for a mailed request.
9. Use the current published fee of $1 per page plus $2 per document for certification.
10. If the case year/number is unknown, account for the additional $2-per-year-per-name research fee.

Family court records: divorce, paternity and more

Miami-Dade’s Family Division handles matters including:

• dissolution of marriage;
• child custody;
• child support;
• adoption;
• paternity;
• modification proceedings;
• name changes; and
• certain domestic violence injunction proceedings connected to family cases.

Family certified-copy fee

The Clerk’s current mail instructions list:

• $1 per page; and
• $2 per document for certification.

If the year or case number is not known, the Clerk currently adds a search charge of $2 per year, per name searched.

Miami-Dade probate records have their own practical workflow

The Probate Division covers several very different proceedings, including:

• decedent estates;
• trust matters;
• guardianships;
• incapacity proceedings;
• Baker Act mental-health matters; and
• Marchman Act substance-abuse proceedings.

Those categories do not all have the same public-access treatment.

Probate search workflow

1. Open the Civil, Family and Probate OCS.
2. Search the decedent, ward, petitioner or other party as appropriate.
3. Confirm the local case number.
4. Check the case type—for example, estate or guardianship.
5. Review filing date and status.
6. Open public docket/document information available to your access level.
7. Do not assume mental-health or guardianship details are fully public.
8. Request a public certified document from Probate when legally available.

Probate certified copies

The current Probate correspondence instructions list:

• $1 per page;
• $2 per document for certification;
• case number or book/page;
• case year;
• party names; and
• a self-addressed stamped envelope for mailed requests.

In-person Probate certified copies are available through the Osvaldo N. Soto Miami-Dade Justice Center, Suite 6.223.

Miami-Dade district court locations are branch courthouses—not separate court systems

The Clerk operates several branch locations throughout Miami-Dade County. These locations can provide civil, traffic, criminal, parking and other services depending on the facility.

Three locations currently advertise extended hours

The Clerk currently identifies extended operating hours for:

• North Dade Justice Center;
• South Dade Justice Center; and
• Joseph Caleb Center Court.

The published extended schedule is:

Miami Beach District Court is temporarily closed

This is a particularly important local detail for anyone using an older directory.

The Clerk currently lists Miami Beach District Court as temporarily closed.

The current routing information states:

• pretrial and special-set matters are routed to the Osvaldo N. Soto Miami-Dade Justice Center, Courtroom 14A; and
• traffic/misdemeanor matters are routed to the Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building, Courtroom 1-1.

Use e-Notify for upcoming Florida court hearing reminders

The Miami-Dade Clerk directs criminal-case users to Florida’s e-Notify service for text or email reminders about upcoming hearings.

The Clerk’s registered-user system also includes case-bookmark functionality for criminal, civil and family cases. A local case number is required to bookmark a case.

Case-monitoring workflow

1. Locate the correct Miami-Dade case.
2. Save the Local Case Number.
3. Register/login to the Clerk’s account system if you want available personalized features.
4. Bookmark the case when supported.
5. Configure available notification preferences.
6. For hearing reminders, use Florida e-Notify when appropriate.
7. Always verify the current docket before appearing in court.

Official Records are not the same as court case records

This causes frequent confusion because the same Miami-Dade Clerk maintains both.

Older recorded documents have a 1974 online-access distinction

The Miami-Dade Records Library currently states that most recorded Official Records from 1974 to present can be searched online.

Documents before 1974 are still being made available online, and the Clerk’s certified Official Records instructions state that documents older than 1974 may require mail or in-person access.

How to research an older Miami-Dade court case

1. Estimate the filing year.
2. Determine whether the matter was civil, criminal, family, probate or traffic.
3. Search the correct modern Clerk system.
4. Save any Local Case Number, State Case Number or former identifier that appears.
5. Check whether docket information exists even when document images do not.
6. Register for free electronic access if appropriate and permitted.
7. If the document remains unavailable, contact the relevant Clerk division.
8. Ask whether the file is electronic, scanned, archived, off-site or otherwise unavailable through ordinary web access.
9. If requesting by name without a year/case number, ask about the $2-per-year-per-name research charge.
10. Request certification only after identifying the precise document.

Florida court e-mail addresses can themselves become public records

The Miami-Dade Clerk places an important Florida public-record notice on its pages: under Florida law, e-mail addresses can be public records.

If you do not want your e-mail address released in response to a public-record request, the Clerk advises contacting the office by telephone or in writing instead of e-mail.

Public Records Request is not the fastest route for an ordinary court case

The Clerk’s Public Records Request page itself routes court-record users to dedicated systems:

• Official Records → Official Records search;
• Criminal Records → Criminal Justice system;
• Civil, Family and Probate Records → OCS; and
• certified court copies → the specific certified-copy process.

Sealed, juvenile, adoption, guardianship and mental-health records require extra care

Online public access does not mean every filed document is available to every user.

• Do not bypass a seal or confidentiality order.
• Do not reconstruct confidential information from cached copies.
• Do not publish protected addresses.
• Do not publish unnecessary Social Security numbers.
• Do not republish financial account numbers.
• Do not republish full birth dates without a legitimate lawful reason.
• Respect adoption confidentiality.
• Respect juvenile-access restrictions.
• Respect mental-health confidentiality.
• Respect guardianship and incapacity privacy protections.

Miami-Dade criminal record: allegation, disposition and sentence are different

A single criminal case can contain multiple charges, each with a separate disposition.

When researching a Miami-Dade criminal case, check:

• arrest date;
• original charge;
• amended charge;
• bond information;
• hearing history;
• plea;
• dismissal;
• trial result;
• judgment;
• sentence;
• probation/community-control orders;
• appeal; and
• later orders affecting case status.

Miami-Dade civil and eviction cases also require outcome verification

An eviction, foreclosure, collection or other civil filing proves only that a case was filed.

It does not by itself establish that:

• the defendant was properly served;
• the plaintiff won;
• a final judgment was entered;
• the judgment remains valid;
• the judgment remains unpaid;
• the case was not dismissed;
• an appeal did not change the result; or
• a later satisfaction was not filed.

Miami-Dade state appeals: use Florida ACIS and the Third DCA

Miami-Dade County is within the jurisdiction of Florida’s Third District Court of Appeal. The Third DCA’s district includes the Eleventh Judicial Circuit in Miami-Dade and the Sixteenth Judicial Circuit in Monroe County.

Florida’s Appellate Case Information System—ACIS—now provides public docket and available document searching for:

• Florida Supreme Court;
• First District Court of Appeal;
• Second District Court of Appeal;
• Third District Court of Appeal;
• Fourth District Court of Appeal;
• Fifth District Court of Appeal; and
• Sixth District Court of Appeal.

ACIS public search does not require registration

Florida currently states that public users can search public appellate dockets and available documents without registering.

ACIS supports search routes including:

• Case Search;
• Party Search;
• Oral Argument Search; and
• Advanced Search.

Trial-court case vs appellate case

Use Miami-Dade Clerk systems for the underlying trial case. Use ACIS for the appellate docket and appellate documents.

Federal Miami-Dade court cases: Southern District of Florida

Federal criminal and civil cases are not Miami-Dade County court records. They belong to the federal judiciary.

Federal search workflow

1. Open PACER.
2. If the federal court is uncertain, use PACER Case Locator.
3. Search the person’s or organization’s name.
4. Confirm that the result belongs to the Southern District of Florida.
5. Open the docket report.
6. Use a filing-date range when possible to reduce unnecessary PACER charges.
7. Identify the specific docket-entry number.
8. Open only the document you actually need.

PACER fees currently in effect

If a Miami-Dade court-record search returns no result

1. Check the database. Civil/family/probate and criminal records use separate systems.
2. Check Circuit vs County Court.
3. Check spelling and name order.
4. Use the Local Case Number if you have it.
5. Use the State Case Number if available.
6. Register for free if CAPTCHA/search limits or image permissions are interfering.
7. Traffic matter? Move to the Traffic Online System.
8. Recorded judgment/deed? Check Official Records.
9. Appealed? Check ACIS / Third DCA.
10. Federal? Use PACER.
11. Older record? Contact the correct Clerk division and ask about archived/offline access.
12. Restricted? Respect sealing and confidentiality rules.

How to confirm the Miami-Dade result belongs to the correct person

• full name;
• middle name or initial when shown;
• local case number;
• state case number;
• court division;
• judicial section;
• filing date;
• case type;
• party role;
• attorney information;
• lawfully displayed identifying information; and
• final or latest disposition.

What to do after finding the correct Miami-Dade case

1. Save the Local Case Number.
2. Save the State Case Number when displayed.
3. Confirm Circuit Court vs County Court.
4. Confirm the division and judicial section.
5. Read the docket chronologically.
6. Identify the latest disposition or status.
7. Identify the exact document that answers your question.
8. Register for authorized document access if needed.
9. Order a certified document only when certification is necessary.
10. Verify any upcoming hearing through the current case system or e-Notify.

Official sources reviewed for this Miami-Dade guide

• Miami-Dade Clerk — Records — official record-search systems, advanced access and registration information.
• Civil, Family and Probate Courts Online System — modernized civil/family/probate record search and document access.
• Criminal Justice Online Case Search — felony/misdemeanor case search, dockets, charges and certified-copy ordering.
• Miami-Dade Traffic Online System — citation search, case action and balance information.
• Civil Certified Copies — civil copy fees, research fees and order methods.
• Family Certified Copies — family copy fees, correspondence address and in-person location.
• Probate Certified Copies — probate copy fees and Probate correspondence procedures.
• Criminal Certified Copies — felony/misdemeanor copy request procedures, fees and criminal-copy contacts.
• Miami-Dade Criminal Court — Circuit Criminal, County Criminal and disposition-letter information.
• Miami-Dade Clerk Locations — central and district court locations.
• Osvaldo N. Soto Miami-Dade Justice Center — current Civil/Probate location and hours.
• Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building — current felony, misdemeanor and traffic locations/hours.
• Eleventh Judicial Circuit — Court Divisions — current civil, criminal, family, probate, traffic and appellate jurisdiction.
• Eleventh Circuit Traffic Division — civil vs criminal traffic distinction.
• Eleventh Circuit Probate Division — estates, trusts, guardianship and mental-health jurisdiction.
• Florida Appellate Case Information System — Florida Supreme Court and six DCA dockets/documents.
• Florida Third District Court of Appeal — Miami-Dade appellate court.
• Southern District of Florida Records — Miami federal records location and PACER access.
• PACER Pricing — current federal electronic record charges and announced 2027 change.

Research review date: August 30, 2026. Court assignments, courthouse availability, fees, online-search features, document permissions and hearing information can change. Verify time-sensitive details directly with the Clerk or court before traveling, paying, or relying on a record for an official purpose.

Frequently asked questions about Miami-Dade County court records

1. Where can I search Miami-Dade County court records by name?

Use the Miami-Dade Clerk’s Civil, Family and Probate Courts Online System for those case types and the separate Criminal Justice Online Case Search for felony and misdemeanor records. Traffic cases use the Traffic Online System. There is no single search page covering every Miami-Dade court-record category.

2. What is the difference between Miami-Dade Circuit Court and County Court?

Circuit Court handles matters including felonies, divorce, probate and civil disputes exceeding $50,000. County Court handles civil disputes up to $50,000, small claims up to $8,000, misdemeanors, criminal traffic, civil traffic and other matters assigned by Florida law.

3. Does Miami-Dade have separate municipal courts for city ordinance cases?

Florida’s current trial-court structure consists of Circuit and County Courts rather than a separate municipal-court tier. The Eleventh Judicial Circuit states that County Criminal handles municipal and county ordinance violations within its jurisdiction.

4. How do I search Miami-Dade felony and misdemeanor records?

Use the Miami-Dade Criminal Justice Online Case Search. Open the correct case and review the charges, charge-level dispositions, hearings and docket activity. Felony cases are Circuit Criminal matters, while misdemeanors generally fall within County Criminal.

5. How much does a certified Miami-Dade civil, family or probate copy cost?

The Clerk’s current mail instructions list $1 per page plus $2 per document for certification. If the year or case number is unknown, an additional search charge of $2 per year, per name can apply. Verify the final amount before ordering.

6. What is a Miami-Dade certified criminal history disposition letter?

It is a certified local case-record search result associated with Miami-Dade felony and misdemeanor cases. The Clerk’s current criminal guidance lists the disposition letter at $7. It is different from ordering a specific certified judgment, sentence, information, indictment or other filed document.

7. Why can’t I see a Miami-Dade court document image online?

The document may not be available to anonymous public users, may require free Clerk registration, may not have an online image, or may be restricted by Florida’s electronic court-record access rules. Registration does not override sealed or confidential status.

8. Is Miami Beach District Court currently open?

The Miami-Dade Clerk currently lists Miami Beach District Court as temporarily closed. Pretrial and special-set matters are being routed to the Osvaldo N. Soto Miami-Dade Justice Center, while listed traffic and misdemeanor matters are being routed to the Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building. Verify current routing before traveling.

9. Where do Miami-Dade County court appeals go?

Miami-Dade is in Florida’s Third District Court of Appeal. Public appellate dockets and available documents can be searched through Florida ACIS. Federal Miami-area cases are different and are searched through PACER for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

10. Can Miami-Dade court records be used as an employment or tenant background report?

Public-Court-Records.us is not a Consumer Reporting Agency and should not be used as an FCRA consumer-reporting service for employment, housing, credit, insurance or similar eligibility decisions. A name match also does not independently establish identity, liability or a criminal conviction.