Search Free Duval County Records: Arrest, Marital, Court & More

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Free Duval County Public Records Search

Access Duval County Records: marriage, divorce, warrants, arrests, probation, criminal, court, background checks, and all public records.

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You can find anything from criminal and prisoner information to marriage and divorce records with a free search of Duval County public records. Online search tools allow you to look up criminal records at no cost, including whether someone is on probation or has any warrants for their arrest. You can also find property records, view court dates, or request background check reports.

These databases and tools are available without fees because of the passage of the federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Florida’s Public Records Laws. These laws empower citizens to access records about themselves or others. That being said, there are certain exceptions, and some state agencies may only accept record requests through certain means such as by mail, phone, or in person.

Read this article to find free online tools and specific steps outlining the best ways to search for and access various public records throughout Duval County.

This resource was written by Attorney Robert Bailey Jr, who holds a Juris Doctorate from Widener University School of Law.

How To Look Up Public Arrest Records for Free in Duval County Florida

There are usually a couple of options to find someone’s mugshot and search for arrest records. Typically, you can search broadly at the county level or request recent arrest reports from specific city police departments. Both at the county and city level, you can call or go in person to request police reports and other relevant arrest information.

Often, especially at the county level, they provide an online directory to search through their jail roster.

Because of the county’s structure, a search for Duval County arrest records will require you to narrow your focus to the city level. Below, we will discuss how to search for arrest records in Duval County’s largest city, Jacksonville, and with other local police departments.

Search the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office for Recent Arrests

If you want to get recent arrest records to find out if someone is in jail in Duval County, a good starting point is using the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Inmate Search Tool.¹ Jacksonville is one of only five cities or towns in Duval County, and its government is consolidated with Duval County. Because the overwhelming majority of Duval County lies within the borders of Jacksonville, there is no county sheriff’s office.

To search for arrest records using their inmate search tool, you can look up an individual’s name, jail number, or Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office ID. The search tool allows you to search inmates currently in jail and those who were released. You can also specify if you want to limit your search based on an individual’s current incarceration status.

Once you find the individual you are looking for, you can review their inmate details. The information provided through this search tool can be useful in several ways. For instance, the inmate details include their jail number and housing location.

This, along with their admitted date and released date, is helpful information if you are trying to get in contact with a current inmate.

The search tool also provides descriptive information about the individual (e.g., height, weight etc.) along with their race and age. For instance, if you’re uncertain if you have the person’s right name, having this information might help confirm you found the correct individual.

If you want an arrest report, the search tool informs you of the arresting agency and provides detailed case information, including everything from the next court date to summary information about any criminal cases brought against the inmate. Here, you can view information about specific charges and sentencing information.

There are two additional options for searching jail records through the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office online search–the first being their In-Sheet tool. Here, you can select any date and see all individuals who were processed for arrest on that particular day. This tool provides similar information to a standard inmate search, including the individual’s descriptive information and the charges brought against them.

Alternatively, you can also view their End of Sentencing (EOS) Report, which will allow you to see a list of individuals (along with their jail ID number) and their tentative End of Sentencing date. This is helpful if you are trying to determine when someone will be released from jail.

For additional assistance searching for arrest records, contact the Jacksonville County Sheriff’s Office.² Depending on the information you are seeking, you may want to reach out to their headquarters or a specific district.³ You can contact the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office by phone at 904-630-0500 or the following address:

Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office – Headquarters
501 East Bay St.
Jacksonville, Florida 32202 

Jails operated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office may be able to provide you with additional helpful information, too. Here is the contact information for these jails:

Jail	Address	Phone Number
John E. Goode Pre-Trial Detention Facility	500 East Adams St. Jacksonville, Florida 32202	904-630-5765
Montgomery Correctional Center	4727 Lannie Rd. Jacksonville, Florida 32218	904-766-5076
Community Transition Center	451 Catherine St. Jacksonville, Florida 32202	904-630-2858

Check for Arrests or Request Police Reports via Local Police Departments

Another option is to get arrest information from local police departments by using any available online search tools or contacting them directly for Duval County public records. While Duval County is comprised mostly of the city of Jacksonville, there are a few other cities located within the county.

Here are the other city police departments to assist you in locating information on Duval County bookings and arrest reports:

Police Department	Address	Phone Number
Jacksonville Beach Police Department	101 Penman Rd. South Jacksonville Beach, Florida 32250	904-270-1667
City of Atlantic Beach Police Department	800 Seminole Rd. Atlantic Beach, Florida 32233	904-247-5800
Neptune Beach Police Department	200 Lemon St. Neptune Beach, Florida 32266	904-270-2413

This information can be used to contact local municipal police departments if you believe they may be the arresting agency for an individual you’re searching for. They may be able to provide you with a police report or other information to assist you with your search.

How To Execute a Free Public Criminal History Check

To learn more about a person’s situation, past and present, you can perform a free criminal record check. If someone has a criminal record, there is a lot of different information you can gather on them. Here are a few examples:

Warrants — You can search criminal records to see if there is a warrant out for someone’s arrest.

Probation — Check to see if an individual that is no longer in jail is still under any type of court-ordered supervision.

Charges — See what particular crimes an individual was charged with and convicted on.

Sex Offender Registries — Run a specific check to see if an individual was convicted of any type of offense that would require them to register as a sex offender.

Background Check Reports — Obtain an official criminal record at the city, county, or state level (more on the scope and process for obtaining background checks will be discussed later in this article).

There are multiple types of criminal records, and criminal records are often held by various custodians.

Below we will discuss how to look up someone’s criminal record, where you can find this information, and what you can learn from any records you find. 

Determine if Someone Has a History of Crime in Duval County Florida via the Clerk of the Circuit Court

You can perform a free public records search through Duval County’s Clerk of the Circuit Court online search tool.⁴ You can use this online search tool to search Duval County judicial records for an individual’s criminal history. To perform a search you can either search by case number or criteria.

The search criteria will provide you with several different options to find the criminal records you are searching for. You can look up Duval County public records with any of the following criteria:

• Party information
  • Name
  • Gender
  • Date of birth
  • Race
  • License number
  • Party type (e.g., plaintiff, defendant, etc.)
• Case information
  • Year
  • Court type
  • Case sequence number
  • Case party ID
  • Case type
  • Offense group
  • Agency
• Dates
  • File date
  • Arrest date
  • Case age
• Reference numbers
  • Citation number
  • Incident number
  • Offender number
  • Attorney bar number
  • ePortal filing number

Since this tool can be used to browse a variety of court records, it is important to know the best ways to narrow your search to criminal records. One way is to select criminal cases (e.g., Circuit Criminal, County Criminal, etc.) under the case type criteria option. You can also pick a particular court type (e.g., felony) that deals with criminal cases.

If you have specific information such as an incident or offender number, you can narrow down your search a lot more quickly. Once you enter either the case number or search criteria, you can find a summary of general information such as prominent dates (file date, offense date) and information that can help you if you want to request a police report (arresting agency, incident number, etc.).

The remainder of the criminal records information is separated into various sections.

Parties — Here, you can get basic information on a defendant including county-specific identifying information, such as their offender number.

Attorneys — Determine the name and contact information of the attorney that represented the defendant.

Charges — Find specific information about what charges were brought against an individual and what criminal statute they were ultimately convicted of violating. You can also view the level of offense as well as the individual’s plea.

Fees — You can view any fees that the defendant was required to pay and whether or not there is still a balance owed.

Dockets — View a timeline of information from when subjects were booked to their sentencing.

Note: The Duval County Clerk of Circuit Court requires you to register for a free account before accessing their online court search tool. 

You can also contact the Clerk of the Circuit Court if you are looking for other ways to find Duval County criminal records. You can either call or visit in person at one of the Clerk’s Office Locations.⁶

How To Access Warrant Details in Duval County Florida

To access Duval County warrants, you can search online using the Florida Crime Information Center Wanted Persons Search Tool.⁷ While this is a statewide database, it is the only online search designed specifically to perform a warrant search for people in Duval County and throughout Florida.

Check if someone has a warrant in Duval County (and all of Florida) by entering any of the following search criteria into its search engine:

• Name
• Nickname
• Race
• Sex
• Date of Birth or Age

If the person you are searching for has a warrant, once a search has been completed you can view their mugshot and detailed criminal history information.

In addition to some of the information typically found with criminal records, you can get warrant-specific information such as the date the warrant was issued and the warrant number. The search tool also provides you with the last known address of the individual, along with any distinguishing scars, marks, or tattoos to help identify them.

You can also use the Duval County’s Clerk of the Circuit Court online search tool to search for warrant information. When you access an individual’s criminal record through this search tool, you can check the docket section. Here, you will see a list of all hearings that have occurred for a particular criminal case.

If a person has a warrant issued, there is likely case information here detailing such.

You can do the same for searching for warrant information with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Inmate Search Tool. In the charges section, you can find detailed case data, which may include information on any issued warrants.

How To Determine if a Duval County Resident Is on Probation

While there is no specific county search tool, the Florida Department of Corrections provides a Supervised Population Information Search Tool.⁸ You can search with this tool by either name or a person’s Department of Corrections (DC) number.

Once you enter your search information, you can view–among other things–the supervision type that the person is currently under, and their supervision status–such as probation or parole. You can also verify when their supervision is set to end.

The record contains other information such as the probationer’s current location, which may assist in confirming that the person in question is in Duval County. If you want to perform a more local search, you can use either Duval County’s Clerk of the Circuit Court online search tool or Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Inmate Search Tool.

With either of these, you can browse recent case information to see if their sentencing included probation. Other information–such as a person recently being released–may indicate that the probationer is likely under court-ordered supervision.

For additional information, you can also contact the Jacksonville Circuit Office for Probation at 904-924-6847 or in person at:

Jacksonville Circuit Office
921 North Davis St.
Building B, Ste. 260
Jacksonville, Florida 32209

The office may be visited in person at any of their local offices as well.⁹

How To Conduct a Criminal Background Check in Duval County Florida

If you are looking to perform a criminal record check for yourself or someone else, you can do so by conducting your own personal background check. To conduct a personal background check, use any or all of the search tools and resources outlined in this article.

A personal background check is the right option for you if your basic purpose is to simply learn more about a particular person, whether a friend, colleague, or neighbor. The advantage of a personal background check is that you do not need the person’s consent, and you can use the information as long as it is not for anything illegal.

A professional background check is done for more formal reasons such as employment, renting a property, or obtaining a firearm. There are more rights and responsibilities regarding professional background checks, which we will discuss in the last section of this article.

Background checks in Duval County can be requested through the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. You can submit an online request with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, or you can submit your request in person with their Central Records Unit at:

Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office
Central Records Unit
501 East Bay St. 
Jacksonville, Florida 32202

You can go in anytime Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM or make a request in person at any any of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office District Stations. A criminal background check through the Sheriff’s Office costs $0.15 per page ($0.20 for a double-sided page).

With specific questions about requesting a background check, you can also contact the office at 904-630-2209.

A background check with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is limited to criminal records in Duval County. If you need a state or nationwide background check, you’ll need to make your request with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE).¹⁰ Serving as the central criminal public records repository for the state of Florida, you can request a statewide background check from FDLE for $24.00.

You have three options for requesting a Florida background check with FDLE:

Instant Search — Use FDLE’s public index of criminal records for immediate results.¹¹ After conducting a search, you can have your results either printed or emailed for the $24.00 search fee (there is also a $1.00 credit card processing fee).

Certified/Non-Certified Search — You can also submit a certified or non-certified search request by mail or in person. To make a request, you must provide certain information, including your mailing address and the demographic information of the person you are searching for (e.g., name, age, etc.). You can then elect whether you want the records certified or not.

Both the mailing address and physical address of the FDLE are listed below.

Mailing Address:

Florida Department of Law Enforcement
Criminal History Services
Attention: VECHS
P.O. Box 1489
Tallahassee, Florida 32302

Physical Address:

Florida Department of Law Enforcement
2331 Phillips Rd. 
Tallahassee, Florida 32308

ORI Search — This is a search provided to certain organizations authorized by state, statute, authorized entity, or agency to request a criminal background check.

For additional information, contact FDLE’s Criminal History Services Section at 850-410-8161. They are available Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM. You can also contact them by email at [email protected].

To get a nationwide background check, you would need to submit electronic fingerprints for the FBI to conduct a search.¹³ You can submit your fingerprints through any of these Florida Livescan Service Providers.¹⁴

How To Look Up Public Criminal Records Throughout Florida

In addition to public records in Duval County, you can search for criminal records throughout Florida. Whether you are looking for someone who was convicted in Duval County or somewhere else in Florida, there are some great statewide resources to check for public criminal records.

Use the Florida public records search tools below, depending on if you want to search for state or federal criminal records:

Florida Department of Law Enforcement — The Florida Department of Law Enforcement provides an online tool to search criminal history records throughout the state.¹⁰

Florida Department of Corrections Offender Information Search — You can also search for criminal records of inmates located at the Florida Department of Corrections.⁸

Florida Sexual Offenders and Predators Search — Use this search tool to search for Florida criminal records of individuals registered as sex offenders.¹⁵

United States National Sex Offender Public Website — To broaden your search for individuals convicted of sexual offenses, use this tool to search throughout the United States.¹⁶

Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) — If someone has been convicted and incarcerated for a federal crime, you can use this search tool to search for Federal inmates in Florida and throughout the United States.¹⁷

Combining the county search tools with these statewide resources will help ensure you have conducted a thorough criminal record search.

How To Access Duval County Court Records & Cases

You can perform a Duval County case search for various types of court records using the Duval County Clerk of the Circuit Court online search tool. Here is a brief list of the Duval County court records you can search for with this online tool:

• Adoption
• Business transactions
• Civil litigation
• Child support and custody
• Criminal cases
• Divorce
• Guardianship
• Insurance claims
• Malpractice
• Foreclosure
• Probate

You can check Duval County public records on cases involving these types of matters and much more. 

If you are looking to search for records in person, you can use the contact information below:

Duval County Courthouse
501 W. Adams St. 
Jacksonville, Florida 32202

The Duval County Courthouse is used for both Duval County Cases and Florida’s Fourth Judicial Circuit Courts. The primary number to contact the Duval County Courthouse is 904-255-2087. Another option when searching for court records in person is to reach out to the Duval County Clerk of Court.

How To Acquire Vital Records in Duval County (Marriage, Divorce, Birth & Death)

Vital records typically consist of birth certificates, death certificates, and marriage and divorce records.

Vital records can be a valuable tool in a variety of situations. You can search these records to check if someone is married or request a certified marriage record for legal purposes. A certified marriage record could be used for anything from requesting a name change to submitting an insurance claim as a beneficiary.

Birth and death records can have several different uses as well. Some things you may need a certificate of birth or death for include genealogy searches and handling a decedent’s estate as an executor.

Below, we will discuss how best to find these records and any restrictions or rules you may need to know before you request a vital record.

Review Marital Information & Obtain Certificates Through the Duval County Clerk of Courts

You can search for Duval County marriage records using the Clerk of Court’s Official Record Search Tool. Marriage records in Duval County are public, and you can use this search tool to find these records ranging from February 1981 to the present.

To find out if someone is married, select “marriage license” or “marriage license amended” using the search tool. From there, you can enter the individual’s name that you want to perform a marriage record search on. To narrow down your results, set a Record Date range.

Once you submit your search request, you can view both applicants’ names, the record date and the marriage date. In addition, you can view and download an uncertified copy of the signed marriage record, which also provides additional information about the parties to the marriage.

For a certified copy of a marriage record, you can contact the Duval County Clerk of Courts Official Records and Research Department at 904-255-2025 for more information.¹⁸ Their office can be located at:

Duval County Clerk of Courts
Record and Research Department
501 W. Adams St., Rm. 1253
Jacksonville, Florida 32202

If you need marriage records outside of Duval County, you can submit a request with Florida’s State Bureau of Vital Statistics.¹⁹ You can request marriage certificates here, starting from June 6, 1927 to the present. Mail-in requests can be sent to this address:

Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics
P.O. Box 210
Jacksonville, Florida 32231-0042

You can also make a request in person at the following address:

Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics
1217 N. Pearl St.
Jacksonville, Florida 32202

Their hours are Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM. The cost is $5.00 for the initial copy (including the search if the marriage record is not found) and $4.00 for every subsequent copy.

To submit a request, you will need to provide the following information:

• Both party’s full names prior to the marriage
• Date of birth for both parties
• Date of the marriage
• City or county where the marriage license was issued
• Requester’s contact information
• Relationship to the individuals listed on the marriage record

If you are looking for an online option, you can opt to request through an approved third-party service, VitalChek.²⁰

Duval County divorce records can be looked up through the Clerk of the Circuit Court’s case record tool. Here, you can select any of the “Dissolution of Marriage ” options from the case type to search only divorce records. Once you enter your search criteria, relevant divorce case information will be displayed.

Once the searcher clicks on a divorce record, they can view detailed information about the case and parties involved. To determine when an individual was divorced, you can go to the Docket section to see the date the marriage ended.

A request for a divorce decree can be made with the Florida Department of Health Bureau of Vital Statistics for any marriage held between June 6, 1927 and the present that has since been dissolved.²¹ You can utilize the same information that was provided above for marriage records to mail or go in person to make your request. The cost is $5.00 for the initial copy and $4.00 for every subsequent copy.

Also, like with marriage records, you can make an online request through VitalChek.

Check Birth & Death Records Through the Duval County Health Department

Whether you need a certificate of death or a birth record, you can acquire these via the Florida Department of Health in Duval County.

For birth records, only the following people may make a request:

• An adult requesting their own record.
• Parents of the person on the birth record
• Legal guardians
• An attorney representing the individual on the record (if they are a minor)

For death records, anyone can make a request with the cause of death redacted. For death records with the cause of death included, you must be one of the following individuals:

• Immediate family members (e.g., spouse, siblings, children, etc.)
• The beneficiary of a life insurance policy held by the decedent
• Estate executor or administrator

To make a request, complete either a birth certificate application or death certificate application and provide it along with the following information:²²

• Valid Government-issued identification
• Individual’s full name
• Date of birth or death
• County of birth
• Parent’s full names (mother’s information must include her maiden name as well)

In-person requests can be made any time on Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM at:

Florida Department of Health – Duval County
3225 University Blvd. S., Ste. 100
Jacksonville, Florida 32216

You can also mail your request to the address below:

Office of Vital Statistics
Florida Department of Health in Duval County
921 North Davis Street
Building A, Ste. 251, MC-21
Jacksonville, Florida 32209

Emailed requests for these vital records are accepted at [email protected], and finally, you can make a request by phone or online through VitalChek.

The cost for both a birth and death certificate is $15 for the first copy and $10 for each additional copy. If you have any further questions, contact the Florida Department of Health in Duval County at 904-253-1620.

Birth records can also be obtained through the Jacksonville and Duval County Tax Collector’s Office.²³ The Tax Collector’s Office charges $15.00 plus a $6.25 service fee. Additional copies cost $10.00.

How To Figure Out Who Owns a Duval County Property & if There Are Unpaid Taxes

Another set of public records you can search for is real property, and you can perform a search easily with the county’s Property Appraiser Search Tool.²⁴ To use this tool, you can search by (1) real estate number, (2) property owner information, or (3) property address.

Once you perform a search, you can get comprehensive information about a particular piece of property. For instance, you can view several different value summaries for the current and past year along with the property’s sale history. This tool can also provide you with details on the current property owner(s) and additional property information, such as the tax district and legal description.

You can also use the Duval Clerk of Court’s Official Record Search Tool to search various property records. For instance, this tool can be used to find deeds, easements, and more.

If you’re simply looking for tax information, you can perform a Property Tax search with Duval County’s Tax Collector. Here, you can view someone’s account history for their tax bill dating back several years or check when the last payment was made and whether or not the property owner is current on their taxes.

Utilizing Duval County Public Records Responsibly & Understanding Your Rights

Before you start searching for public records, you must understand your rights and responsibilities. Those rights and responsibilities differ depending on whether you are searching public records for personal or professional reasons.

Personal Rights and Responsibilities — If you want to check public records for personal reasons, there are very few restrictions. You cannot use them for illegal reasons or for purposes that require a professional background check (e.g., employment or rental applications). Another benefit of searching public records for personal reasons is that you do not need to get consent from the person whose records you are searching.

Professional Rights and Responsibilities — As described earlier, professional background checks are used for specific reasons and require the consent of the person whose records are being requested. That person has additional rights through the Fair Credit Reporting Act, including:

• The ability to ask for their credit score
• The right to challenge information in the report and have it removed if it is inaccurate, outdated, or incomplete
• Being informed if any information from public records was used against them
• Limiting information to only be provided to people with a legitimate need

For professional background checks, you also have recourse through the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; you can file a charge through their online portal if you believe you were discriminated against as a protected class because of information they obtained.

Access to public records is vital for many reasons. However, responsible use of these records is important.

When searchers know how to find them and how they can be used, Duval County public records can be an incredibly useful resource for many different purposes.