Miami-Dade County Public Records

MiamiDadeRecords.org provides data and publicly available information related to public records in Miami-Dade County. Users may locate links and guidance for property, court, criminal, inmate, marriage, recorded-document, and government records. Availability depends on the responsible public agency, the record’s status, applicable exemptions, and the accuracy of search information.

How to Find Public Records in Miami-Dade County

Public records can be found by identifying the government office that created or maintains the requested record.

Identify the record category. Court filings, deeds, property assessments, jail custody information, police reports, and municipal records are held by different custodians.
Use the official online search system. The Clerk, Property Appraiser, Corrections Department, and county departments maintain separate databases and request portals.
Search with available identifiers. A full name, case number, address, parcel folio number, document recording date, or incident number can help narrow results.
Submit a records request when no online record is available. The county’s centralized public-records portal accepts requests for records maintained by county departments.
Request certified copies when required. Online search results and unofficial copies do not replace a clerk-certified court or recorded-document copy.

The Clerk of the Court and Comptroller maintains court records, recorded official records, and marriage records. The Property Appraiser maintains assessment data, while the Sheriff’s Office and Corrections Department maintain distinct law-enforcement and custody records.

How To Access Miami-Dade County Public Records in 2026

Members of the public can access many records online or request inspection and copies from the applicable records custodian.

Florida’s public-records framework requires agencies to provide access to nonexempt records. Under § 119.07, Florida Statutes, a custodian must permit inspection and copying of public records at reasonable times and under reasonable conditions. A requester does not need to explain why a record is requested.

County department requests can be submitted and tracked through the Miami-Dade public records request system. The request should describe the record with sufficient specificity, such as the department, date range, address, case number, or subject matter.

“It is the policy of this state that all state, county, and municipal records are open for personal inspection and copying by any person.” — Florida public records law

Agencies can charge lawful duplication costs and may require payment before producing extensive records. A special-service charge can apply when fulfilling a request requires extensive staff or information-technology resources. Requesters can ask for an estimate before work begins.

What Are Public Records in Miami-Dade County?

Public records are materials made or received by a government agency in connection with official business, unless a statute or court rule makes them confidential or exempt.

The scope is broad and includes records in paper, electronic, audio, video, photographic, and database formats. Records can be created by county departments, constitutional officers, municipalities, courts, or law-enforcement agencies. Each office remains responsible for its own files.

Common categories include:

Official records: deeds, mortgages, satisfactions, liens, notices, plats, and other recorded instruments.
Property records: ownership information, assessed values, exemptions, legal descriptions, and folio numbers.
Court records: civil, criminal, family, probate, traffic, and county court case information.
Marriage records: marriage licenses and related clerk-maintained records.
Criminal justice records: court case dockets, arrest reports, incident reports, and traffic crash reports.
Inmate information: records identifying persons currently in custody in county correctional facilities.
Government records: contracts, meeting materials, permits, inspection records, budgets, correspondence, and departmental reports.

The county’s open-data resources state that “transparency and open government” support access to government information through searchable services and data resources.

Is Miami-Dade County an Open Records County?

Yes. Miami-Dade County is subject to Florida’s statewide public-records requirements.

Florida does not use a separate county-level open-records statute. Instead, county agencies must follow Chapter 119, Florida Statutes, often called the Sunshine Law. The law applies to records made or received by public agencies in the course of official business.

“Providing access to public records is a duty of each agency.” — § 119.07, Florida Statutes

Public access does not mean every record is available in full. Agencies must protect information made confidential or exempt by state or federal law, court order, or applicable court rule. The Eleventh Judicial Circuit serves exclusively Miami-Dade and administers circuit and county court matters, while the Clerk is the custodian for court-file records.

Municipal governments within the county, including Miami, Miami Beach, Coral Gables, Hialeah, Homestead, Doral, Aventura, and North Miami, maintain records separate from county government. A request for city police, code-enforcement, commission, or permitting records should be directed to the relevant municipality.

Does Miami-Dade County Have Free Public Records?

Yes. Many Miami-Dade public-records searches are available without charge, although copies, certifications, and extensive requests can involve fees.

Free resources at present include online property searches, recorded-document index searches, court case-information tools, county GIS maps, and the county inmate search. Free search access does not guarantee that every image, report, or certified document is available without cost.

Members of the public may encounter charges for:

Paper copies, scanned copies, or mailed records;
Certified copies of court documents, marriage records, or recorded instruments;
Clerk processing services;
Search or retrieval work not available through a public online system; and
Extensive use of staff or information-technology resources.

The Property Appraiser’s real estate search provides ownership, assessment, legal-description, and parcel information. Miami-Dade parcels use a folio-number system with municipality-based coding; for example, Miami is code 01, Miami Beach is code 02, Coral Gables is code 03, and Hialeah is code 04.

Who Can Request Public Records in Miami-Dade County?

Any person can request nonexempt public records held by a Miami-Dade public agency.

Florida law does not impose a citizenship, residency, or stated-purpose requirement for ordinary public-records requests. Individuals, businesses, journalists, researchers, attorneys, and organizations can seek records. Agencies may need contact information to deliver records or send a cost estimate, but a requester is not required to establish a particular interest in the record.

The public can use online systems or submit a written request. A concise request improves processing because it enables the custodian to identify responsive records. Useful details include:

Full names and known name variations;
A court case number or criminal case number;
A property address, folio number, or legal description;
Dates or a defined date range;
The department believed to hold the record; and
Whether inspection, electronic delivery, paper copies, or certified copies are sought.

The Clerk’s records services include “court records, official records and marriage records,” reflecting the separate custody functions handled by that constitutional office.

What Records Are Sealed or Restricted in Miami-Dade County?

Records are sealed or restricted when a statute, court order, or legal confidentiality provision limits public disclosure.

Court files can contain protected personal information, sealed filings, juvenile information, adoption records, certain mental-health proceedings, and documents protected by court rule. § 119.0714, Florida Statutes addresses exemptions affecting court files and records.

Restrictions can apply to:

Sealed or expunged criminal case records;
Active criminal investigative or intelligence information;
Juvenile dependency, delinquency, and education-related information;
Victim information protected by law;
Social Security numbers, financial-account details, medical information, and protected addresses;
Trade secrets and protected proprietary submissions;
Certain personnel, security, and emergency-response information; and
Documents sealed by judicial order.

The Clerk offers information about criminal-record sealing and expungement, but public search results do not establish the complete legal status of a case. Criminal case information, arrest reports, prosecution records, and incarceration records are maintained by separate agencies and can contain different access restrictions.

Miami-Dade County Recorder's Office: Contact Information and Hours

Miami-Dade Clerk of the Court and Comptroller
73 W. Flagler Street, Miami, FL 33130
Public counter hours: Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., excluding county holidays
305-275-1155
Miami-Dade Clerk of the Court and Comptroller

Miami-Dade County Property Appraiser
111 NW 1st Street, Suite 710, Miami, FL 33128
Public counter hours: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., excluding county holidays
305-375-4712
Miami-Dade County Property Appraiser