Charlotte County Public Records

In Charlotte County, Florida, court records are considered part of the Charlotte County Public Records. This is because these records contain matters that the law considers to be of great interest to the public, and as such, Florida statute had made them available to the public at all times and at all circumstances. Court records are those collections of records that are made by the court to record the day to day events and other matters related to a specific case. These records contain not only the names and nature of a given trial, be they civil, criminal, or any other kind, but also the minutes of the trial itself, and the pieces of evidence that both sides had presented during the course of the trial.

These court records are some of the most searched documents in the whole of the United States, partly because they are used by higher tribunals in their appellate jurisdictions and because they are frequently searched for by students of the law. In addition, the doctrine of precedence in the legal system had them important for lawyers.

As a result of their relative importance, court records, or any other public records for that matter, could not be validly hidden. The official custodians of the documents have no choice but to produce the documents and to allow anyone regardless of circumstance the right to look into the records. The official custodian of court records in Charlotte County, or anywhere in Florida for that matter, would be the clerk of court. Under Florida Statute, the clerk of court has the responsibility to store and secure the court records as well as to grant persons access to the same upon request.

Following this mandate, the Clerk of Court of Charlotte County will make any court record available after following a relatively simple procedure that they had prescribed. For a person who wishes to see a court record, be it criminal or civil in nature, said person must first visit the office of the clerk of court and there, to request access to the records. Note that the custodian could not validly deny anyone the right to look into the records. Upon being granted access to the record, note as well that the records could be quite voluminous so it may take the searcher some time to locate the records and as such, it is suggested that the searcher request for the assistance of the clerk that is on duty at the time. Once the records had been located, note that the searcher could not validly take the same with him. This is because these are the official records, and because the right to look into the records is not the same as the right to take them. A copy could be obtained, however, after paying the requisite fee. This fee is typically one dollar per page plus a certification fee of two dollars.

For those who have not the time to personally go to the office of the clerk of court, or for those who do not want to go there and fall in line, there is another option. Arguably the more efficient option, this entails searching for the records online using specialized online search databases. These databases are everywhere in the World Wide Web and they are typically easier to use and understand. In addition, most of them are also free to use and would not charge the searcher a single dime for the results of their search. Note, however, that searches using such databases would not be certified, but at the same time, because they are internet searches, there is no need for the searcher to leave the comforts of their own home and to fall in line.

Charlotte County Court Public Records Access

To obtain a copy of a certified court record from the office of the clerk of court of Charlotte County, follow the following procedure.

  • Visit the office of the Clerk of Court
  • Inform the clerk of your request and request access to the records
  • Locate the court record that you wish to see. It is suggested that you ask for assistance from the clerk rather than to do the search yourself.
  • Once you have located the record, bring the record to the clerk and request for a copy of the same.
  • Pay the required copying fee which is typically one dollar per page.
  • Have the copy certified by the clerk after paying two dollars.

Charlotte County Public Records Free Access

The following offices also have copies of court records and may be reached through the following links

Florida Public Records

Comprehensive Public Court Records of Florida Counties