Columbia County Public Records

Perhaps the most searched for document within the collection of documents that are labeled as Columbia County Public Records would be court records. This is because these records contain information that many consider to be important even if they are not directly related to the person who is actually doing the search. Court records contain not only the basic specifics about a given case such as the name of the parties or the type of the case or the final disposition of the same. Court records also contain the minutes of the trial, the evidences that had been presented by both parties, and, more often than not, the reason why the trial ended the way it did. This made these particular records of special interest to business owners who desire to look into the records of prospective employees, to the appellate court who is presiding over a review of the same case, to law students who are studying the law, and to lawyers who are looking for precedent to use in their current case, among others.

Court records are so important that no less than a written statute had made them part of the public records. Under the same stature, the official custodian of the records cannot deny any person the right to look into the records no matter the circumstance. The same statute had also identified the official custodian of the records in the person of the clerk of court.

This means that a person who desires to obtain a copy, or even to just see, a court record would be well advised to head over to the office of the clerk of court first. The office of the clerk of court in Columbia County, Florida is located in Lake City, Florida.

To obtain a copy of a court record from the office of the clerk of court of Columbia County, the person who desires the same should first submit a request letter to the clerk of court, detailing the request and the records that the person is searching for. Note that the clerk could not deny anyone the right to look into the records. The clerk would then schedule a specific time and date for the person to search the records or, alternatively, the clerk could do the search and the person could just return some other time to look into the records. Either way, note that the records maintained by the clerk are quite voluminous so the search may take some time.

Once the records are located, note that the right to look into the same could not be equated as the right to take the same. This is because these are the official records of the case and the same statute that grants the right to look into them prohibits them from being taken out of the records. A copy could, however, be made for the searcher after paying the requisite fee which is usually one dollar per page. The same could be certified by the clerk for the price of two dollars per document.

Another option for those who wish to see a court record would be to take the search online. The state of Florida operates and maintains a database where almost all of their records are kept, but for a truly efficient search, it is suggested that the searcher rely on other online resources. These other online resources come in the form of specialized online databases that are everywhere in the World Wide Web. These resources are often more efficient because they provide more information than the one that was asked for. In addition, they are also free to use, easy to understand, and typically are instantaneous with their results. As they are searches conducted online, there is typically no need for the searcher to leave the comforts of their own home in order to make the search.

Florida Public Records

Comprehensive Public Court Records of Florida Counties