Retrieve Free Pinellas County Divorce Records & Details

Free Pinellas County Divorce Record Search
Find out if someone in Pinellas County, Florida is divorced, free of charge.

Look up free Pinellas County divorce records on anyone today.

Viewing this information lets citizens obtain separation documents to settle legal matters or determine if someone is still married. Members of the public can access these records thanks to Florida’s Sunshine Laws and the federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Marital records are found in Pinellas County offices and state vital records offices.

This resource offers citizens empowering search tools and aggregate links to find the records they seek in Pinellas County, Florida.

How To Search Pinellas County Divorce Records for Free

Patrons who need to view and acquire divorce records in Pinellas County may do so at county and state public agencies; in particular they can do so at the Clerk of Circuit Court and the Florida Department of Health – Bureau of Vital Statistics.1

Due to Florida’s Sunshine Laws, dissolution records in the state and Pinellas County are freely available to anyone.

Citizens can view and request divorce records from the Pinellas County Clerk of Circuit Court online and in person. Interested individuals may view dissolution records for free through the Pinellas County Case Records Search Tool without registering.2

A screenshot displaying the public view case search results from Pinellas County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller website, showing the case number, citation number, style and defendant information, date the case was filed, location, judicial officer, and type of case.
Source: Pinellas County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller2

Registration for use of this divorce index allows the same access as the public view but provides access to non-confidential probate and family law cases.

Users can selectively search for these records using the “All Case Records Search” or the “Civil, Family Case Records” link. Requestors may find divorce records using case, party name or date field, among other criteria. Select “Divorce” from the Case Type list to locate dissolution records.

Moreover, citizens can order certified copies of divorce records online; they may watch this video on how to pay for an invoice.3

A screenshot from the Pinellas County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller website showing selections of options with the service request type and description.
Source: Pinellas County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller3

Requesters may also view this fee schedule to obtain the costs of acquiring copies.4

A screenshot displaying the fee schedule under the "other" tab, including the miscellaneous charges and service charges, and more tab selections from the Pinellas County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller website.
Source: Pinellas County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller4

Finally, patrons can view court records in person in various offices throughout the county. Many offices have public computer terminals to view electronic records; older records are available in microfilm format and paper. The Clerk’s Office can perform queries for a $7.00 per name search fee; standard copy fees will apply.

These Pinellas County Circuit Court locations all have computer terminals that patrons can use to find records.5

Pinellas County Justice Center
14250 49th Street North 
Clearwater, FL 33762 

North County Branch
29582 U.S. 19 North 
Clearwater, FL 33761 

Civil Court Records Clearwater Courthouse
315 Court Street, Room 114 
Clearwater, FL 33756 

St. Petersburg Branch
545 1st Avenue North 
St. Petersburg, FL 33701

If requestors need to view microfilm records of divorce cases, they may call 727.464.3904 or email [email protected] to pull the films and shorten the wait time. Visit room 170 of the Civil Court Records Clearwater Courthouse, whose address appears above.

Patrons may view older records at the record center; call 727.464.7000 to ascertain the availability of records.

Check With Cities for Divorce & Dissolution of Marriage Records in Pinellas County Florida

Searching for divorce records through Pinellas County courts provides the widest search area for dissolution documents since it considers all separations in the country regardless of location.

In some states, it is possible to find divorce records from city clerks. These local public agencies have smaller offices serving smaller population segments, which could make requests for divorce records faster. They may also have perceptive staff to cater to the needs of requestors.

To showcase searching for divorce records in Pinellas County, the five most populated cities and towns will serve as examples. They are Saint Petersburg, Clearwater, Largo, Palm Harbor and Seminole.

When searching for divorce documents in St. Petersburg, Pinellas County’s largest city, the city clerk does provide a way for the public to request records.6 However, only records pertaining to city documents, such as agendas, reports and presentations, can be obtained from the city. Therefore, patrons can only seek divorce records from the Pinellas County Clerk of Circuit Court.7

The same applies to all the other cities in the county.

In addition, residents can get in touch with the state’s Vital Records Office, as seen in the following section.

How To Obtain Divorce Records for the Entire State of Florida via the Bureau of Vital Statistics

Interested parties needing to acquire divorce records may turn to state agencies particularly if they are unsure where the vital event occurred; the state’s primary custody of dissolution documents is the Florida Health – Bureau of Vital Statistics.8 This agency has divorce records recorded by the Clerk of Circuit Courts in the state from 1927 to the present.

Patrons may acquire dissolution records through several means, including walk-in and mail requests; they may also do so online. Mail-in requests are completed by filling out and mailing the Florida divorce certificate application form.9

A screenshot showing an application for Florida dissolution of marriage certificate, either divorce or annulment, requiring some information such as applicant's name, mailing address, city, phone, state, zip code, phone, email address, relationship to the person on record, signature and others.
Source: Florida Department of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics9

Each certified copy costs $5.00, which is also the search fee; each additional copy thereafter is $4.00.

Shipping and handling is $1.00; if rush orders are needed, they incur a $10.00 fee. Ensure to include details of the records, such as party names and event dates. The requestor’s information is also needed.

Certificates are ready in three to five business days, and payment is made through money order or check payable to “Vital Statistics.” Public divorce records that are older than 1970 will take longer to process. Mail the request to the Vital Records Office in Jacksonville.

Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics
Post Office Box 210
Jacksonville, Florida 32231-0042

Walk-in requests are also completed in the Jacksonville office; the lobby hours are Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 4:30 PM.

Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics
1217 North Pearl Street
Jacksonville, Florida 32202

In addition, interested persons may order certificates through VitalChek, an authorized third-party vendor—they may call the company at +1-877-550-7330 to make requests.

For further questions on how to track down divorce records in Pinellas County through this custodian, call 904.359.6900 or email [email protected].

Are Details of Divorce Accessible to Everyone in Pinellas County?

Due to Florida’s Sunshine Laws, divorce records are part of court data that comprise public documents.10 This means that anyone can view these records without restrictions. Moreover, unlike many states, the public can request certified copies of divorce decree without any hindrances.

Typically, certified copies of divorce documents are restricted to parties of the records, close family members and legal representatives.

In addition, it should be noted that there is a difference between dissolution decrees and divorce records. Dissolution decrees or divorce papers are the documents that the judge signs upon approval of the petition for separation at the courts. They are detailed and contain divorce provisions such as alimony matters, child custody if applicable and division of assets.

Conversely, divorce records are abstracts of the information on decrees summarizing the actual decrees and serving as data to prove the event occurred. Details such as the name of the parties, date and place of the divorce are on these records.

Florida does not recognize common law marriage records. As such, records of common law divorces are not available since the events are not recorded at circuit courts in the state.

Lastly, requesters can acquire data on divorce records in Pinellas County and Florida by getting in touch with the third-party vendors. Many of these are not authorized by official public agencies but operate within state and county laws and statutes. These services offer elements of convenience and privacy when searching for public records.

Nevertheless, documents procured from these vendors cannot serve as official documents.

Pinellas County divorce records are available for public inspection due to mandates in place from state laws; this resource provides helpful databases and links to official channels to aid in the search for these documents.


References

1Pinellas County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller. (n.d). About Us. Retrieved December 20, 2023, from <https://www.mypinellasclerk.org/Home/Clerk-Administration>

2Pinellas County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller. (n.d). Public View. Retrieved December 20, 2023, from <https://ccmspa.pinellascounty.org/PublicAccess/default.aspx>

3Pinellas County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller. (n.d). Public Request Center. Retrieved December 20, 2023, from <https://pinellascountyfl.govqa.us/WEBAPP/_rs/(S(sj12drzitdc5klskl31ra1oz))/requestselect.aspx?cat=20>

4Pinellas County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller. (n.d). Fee Schedule. Retrieved December 20, 2023, from <https://www.mypinellasclerk.org/Home/Fee-Schedule#695249-other>

5Pinellas County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller. (n.d). Customer Wait Times. Retrieved December 20, 2023, from <https://www.mypinellasclerk.org/Find-A-Service/Clerk-Office-Location-Wait-Times>

6St. Petersburg, Pinellas County. (n.d). Public Records. Retrieved December 20, 2023, from <https://www.stpete.org/government/transparency/public_records.php>

7Pinellas County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller. (n.d). View Records. Retrieved December 20, 2023, from <https://www.mypinellasclerk.org/Home/View-Records#1264262-viewing-online>

8Florida Department of Health. (2023, November 15). Divorce. Retrieved December 20, 2023, from <https://www.floridahealth.gov/certificates/certificates/divorce/index.html>

9Florida Department of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics. (2023, June 30). Application for Florida Dissolution of Marriage Certificate (Divorce or Annulment). Retrieved December 20, 2023, from <https://www.floridahealth.gov/certificates/certificates/marriage/_documents/DH260-diss-marr-app-6-30-2023.pdf>

10The Florida Legislature. (2023). Statutes & Constitution. Retrieved December 20, 2023, from <http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=0100-0199/0119/Sections/0119.01.html>