Orange County Court Records

Orange county court records are official documents and case information produced by the Orange County Courthouse during its legal proceedings. These records detail all trials, hearings, and court actions created within the county court system. Court records are maintained by the Orange County Clerk of Courts, an administrative arm that doubles as the primary custodian of public records. The office of court clerk grants access to public court information in compliance with the Administrative Order AOSC16-14 issued by the Florida Supreme Court.

Under Florida Public Records Laws, most court records are considered public records. However, certain confidential/sensitive case information are exempted from this provision to protect the privacy of parties involved. Court records include case files, motions, exhibits, court hearings/judgements, transcripts and other related documents involved in civil and criminal proceedings. Based on case type and judicial division, these records relate to traffic, probate, family, civil, criminal, prosecutorial and bankruptcy cases.

Are Orange County Court Records Public?

Yes. Unless sealed, redacted or expunged, non-confidential court records are open to public view and inspection, per Florida Public Records Laws, Chapter 119, Florida Statutes. Access to Orange county court records depends on the Case type and nature of the record i.e adoption records are generally exempted from the state’s public records law, with the aim to protect the privacy of parties involved in the adopted process. A court order is therefore necessary to access this type of record.

Basic information of certain court records may be generally accessible. However, intrinsic details regarding legal proceedings of certain court cases are restricted from public access. Classified by case type, the following records are accessible by the public:

• Probate case records
• Criminal case records
• Family case records (with exception to sensitive family/adoption cases)
• Civil case records
• Traffic case records.

What Information is Available in Orange County Court Records?

Information available on orange county court records includes a wide range of legal matters based on case jurisdiction and type. The following are basic information found on Orange county court records across its multi-tiered judicial system:

Specialized Records

This covers records relating to probate cases such as granting of wills, conservatorship, guardianship, estates administration to descendants, mental health illness and involuntary hospitalization. Juvenile records contain legal proceedings maintained by the Juvenile court. Amongst others, juvenile records are not accessible by the public due to its nature of confidentiality, aimed at protecting the privacy of minors. Traffic citations, case numbers and fines form part of a traffic case record.

Civil and Criminal Records

Information available on criminal records includes plea, fines, charges, motions, court dates, sentences and terms of probation. Arrest and booking records are usually available on this record. Civil records covers all civil cases on matters of small claims, landlord/tenants disputes, contracts, personal injury claims, business litigations, franchise, and property cases.

Family records

The court also manages domestic relation records which includes cases relating to domestic violence, adoption, child support, dissolution of marriage (divorce) and name changes.

Orange County Court Records Search

Orange county runs a multi-tiered court system with distinct state and federal judicial structure, with each having autonomous administrative authority. Proper understanding of this layered judicial system is essential to determine the relevant court to access a specific case type. Orange county court records search are obtainable through the following channels:

Online Access

Orange county court records are accessible via the following remote portals:

• ’myeClerk’ portal: This is a comprehensive and user-friendly system maintained by the Orange county clerk of courts as a primary tool for court record searches. This portal provides access to court records cases such as civil, criminal, probate, traffic and family cases using the names of attorneys, parties involved and case number to conduct searches.
• State Attorney’s Public Record Request: This is a state-level case search platform which grants public access to prosecutorial cases.
• PACER: Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) system is a federal portal for accessing federal criminal, civil and bankruptcy cases originating from the county.

In-Person Access

Individuals can access public records via an in-person visit to the relevant court authority in custody of these records during its business hours. Orange county court records are accessible via walk-in to:

• Orange county clerk of courts office (general case records)
• The Office of the State Attorney (investigative/prosecution case records)
• Thomas S. Kirk for Juvenile records (family case)
• Federal court clerk’s office (criminal, civil, and bankruptcy cases)

Mail and Phone Requests

Orange county court records requests can be processed via mail request to the specific court jurisdiction.

• State Attorney prosecution case records are accessible via mail / call and associated request fees are preferably payable via money order/cashier’s check to the State of Florida and payment proofs sent to the Office of the State Attorney’s public records department for processing. This division also receives equivalent cash payment.
• Federal court records mail / phone request fees are payable via its online payment portal and phone call. Record request fees are payable via the use of Mastercard, VISA, American express or Discover. Requesters are required to mail payment proofs to the accurate mail account available on its official websites.

Fees

Cost associated with obtaining a court depends on the record types and channel of request.

• Orange courthouse records are accessed at no cost. However, producing copies of original court documents requires the payment of a specific amount.
• Certified copies of the State Attorney’s records are obtained at $1.00 per certification. Associated fees to access this record type is influenced by the volume, time, and resources required to process records.
• PACER maintains a payment structured system, and all its official records are obtained at a fee. Federal court records accessible in-person visit to the federal court clerk’s office are charged at a fee of $.50 per page.

Fees for Court Records in Orange County

Public court records are generally open to public access. However extensive requests are performed at a cost. Public records bulk requests which require substantial time or technological resources to process, usually involve payments of certain fees. Estimated upfront payment is typically required and balance due when requests are fully processed and available.

Orange County Courthouse Locations

Orange county judicial system operates a network of court facilities where each serves a distinct jurisdiction/function. Listed below are the location of the various courthouses, contact address and its area of jurisdiction:

• The Orange county courthouse: The Orange county courthouse is the main judicial facility which serves as the central hub for most legal proceedings such as civil, criminal, probates, family and traffic cases.
• The Orange county Clerks of Court: The Orange county clerk of courts serves as the physical contact point for public/court records inquiry. This courthouse is responsible for handling all official court files.
• Thomas S. Kirk Justice Center: The Thomas S. Kirk Justice Center is a state-level court under the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida and it houses specialized functions such as the Juvenile court.
• Office of the State Attorney: The Office of the State Attorney for the Ninth Judicial Circuit is a state-level judicial system which serves Orange and Osceola counties. This court is responsible for prosecuting crimes.
• George C Young Federal Annex Courthouse: This is a federal courthouse for the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida with distinct physical location and function, for prosecuting all federal court matters originating within county boundaries. Its legal jurisdiction includes bankruptcy, criminal and civil court cases. It also serves as the federal court of Appeal.

Criminal Records Access in Orange County

Orange County criminal records are locally managed by the Orange county Corrections Department and the office of the clerk of courts. The county’s department of corrections maintains records relating to jail and inmate bookings. These records are accessible through Orange county Corrections Department Inmates Database, granting the public access to current inmate’s list, charges and bond amount.

The office of the clerk of courts has custody of arrest records and other related information such as dispositions and charges. The Orange county clerk of courts maintains custody of official court files of criminal court cases which are searchable via the "Criminal case records" search option available on "myeClerk" portal. Case files of criminal records not available online are accessible via phone call or walk-in visit to the office of the clerk of court.

Although official judicial records are maintained by the clerk of courts, the Office of the State Attorney for the Ninth Judicial Circuit operates as a state-level independent law enforcement body, primarily responsible for prosecuting crimes. This division exclusively maintains records relating to legal strategies, investigations and other administrative functions. Prosecution cases can be accessed via the State Attorney’s "Public records request" search option available on its official websites.

Orange county criminal records are obtainable through the interactive efforts between the prosecutorial division and county’s judicial system. For exhaustive criminal record search, dual record requests should be submitted to the Clerk of Courts to obtain official court files and the State Attorney’s Office for case prosecution records.

Orange County Probate Records

Probate records details the legal process of validating the will of a deceased person and estate administration. In Orange, probate cases are managed by the clerk of courts probate division which is primarily responsible for maintaining all legal proceedings and administrative matters relating to wills, administration petitions, conservatorship and guardianships.

Probate cases are public records, and are accessible through the "Probate case record" search options available ’myeClerk’ system. To navigate records with ease, interested persons can call or visit the probate division of the Clerk of Courts.

Orange County Family Court Records

Family court records handle all personal and sensitive matters relating to domestic violence, child custody, support and divorce. Generally, information on the existence of family cases are widely accessible but intrinsic details, case files and its related documents are usually held in confidentiality to protect the identity and privacy of parties involved i.e adoption records

Family records pertaining to paternity, change of names and divorce are filed through the office of clerk of courts and accessible via "Family case records" search option on its official websites.

Access to specific non-public/confidential family documents are only granted to the legal representatives of a case/parties involved. Individuals seeking access to any restricted document are required to file a formal request to the office of the court clerk.

Federal Court Records in Orange County

In Orange County, Federal cases are entirely handled by a separate court system which differs from the state court. Orange county falls under the jurisdiction of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida and records under this jurisdiction are accessible via the Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) system with distinct rules and fee structure. PACER operates as an electronic database for managing all federal court case information and dockets.

To remotely access federal court records, users are required to register to own a PACER account. Search options on this system are fee based and it applies for download of all its official documents. Transcripts have specific charges regardless of the number of pages as fee accrues to the entire document. Court calendars and ’pro se litigants’ information are valuable resources which are accessible on the federal court official website. Alternatively, interested persons can request records via mail or an in-person visit to the office of Federal court clerk at a fee of $0.50 per page.