Search Charlotte County Records

Charlotte County court records are managed by the Clerk of Court in Punta Gorda, the county seat. With a population around 195,000, Charlotte County processes a significant volume of court cases each year. Clerk Barbara T. Scott runs the office and oversees all court filings, document storage, and public records access. The clerk handles civil, criminal, family, traffic, and probate cases for the 20th Judicial Circuit. Charlotte County court records are public under Florida law, and the clerk provides several ways to search and get copies of case filings. If you need to look up a case, check a court date, or pull documents from a Charlotte County case, this page covers how to do it.

Charlotte County Clerk of Court

The Charlotte County Clerk of Court is the official keeper of all court records in the county. Clerk Barbara T. Scott manages the office in Punta Gorda. You can reach the clerk at (941) 637-2245. The office handles all case filings, stores court documents, provides copies to the public, and manages jury services. Under Florida Statute Chapter 119, court records in Charlotte County are open to the public unless a judge seals the case or a specific exemption under state law applies.

Charlotte County is part of the 20th Judicial Circuit, which also includes Lee, Collier, Glades, and Hendry counties. The circuit court handles felonies, civil cases over $50,000, family law, probate, and juvenile matters. The county court covers misdemeanors, small claims under $50,000, and traffic infractions. Both sets of court records are kept at the clerk's office in Punta Gorda. The 20th Circuit is one of the larger judicial circuits in Florida by geographic area, and Charlotte County makes up a sizable part of it.

The Charlotte County Clerk of Court website is the main resource for court records and county services.

The clerk's site also provides info on marriage licenses, passport services, recording, and how to pay fines or fees in Charlotte County.

Charlotte County Court Records Online

The Charlotte County court records page gives you access to the clerk's case search tools. You can look up cases by party name, case number, or filing date. The search covers civil, criminal, family, traffic, and probate cases filed in Charlotte County. It is free to search. The results show case type, party names, filing dates, and the current status of each case. If you know the case number, you can pull up the record in seconds.

The online search is a good starting point for anyone who needs to look at Charlotte County court records. Keep in mind that not every document in a case file may be viewable online. Some records that are confidential under Florida law will not appear in the results. Per Florida Statute 119.0714, the clerk must remove personal information like social security numbers and bank account numbers from records before making them available. So the online data in Charlotte County has been scrubbed of certain sensitive details.

For broader searches that go beyond Charlotte County, the statewide MyFlCourtAccess portal connects to court data from multiple Florida counties.

The MyFlCourtAccess portal provides statewide access to court records data from Florida counties.

If you cannot find a specific Charlotte County court record online, call the clerk at (941) 637-2245. The staff can check if the record is available and tell you how to get a copy.

Note: Some older Charlotte County court records may not be in the online system, especially those filed before electronic records were standard.

Charlotte County Official Records

The Charlotte County Clerk also maintains official records, which are separate from court records. The Charlotte County official records page covers recorded documents such as deeds, mortgages, liens, and other instruments filed with the county. These are not court case filings. If you are looking for property records or financial documents recorded in Charlotte County, use the official records search. The court records search is for case filings from civil, criminal, family, and other court proceedings.

Both the court records and official records searches are available through the clerk's website. They are separate tools that search different databases. Charlotte County has a large volume of recorded official documents because of the active real estate market in southwest Florida. The official records database goes back further in time than the court records database in many cases. For very old documents that are not yet digitized, a visit to the clerk's office in Punta Gorda may be necessary.

Filing Records in Charlotte County

All new court filings in Charlotte County go through the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal. Florida requires electronic filing for most case types. The portal is available around the clock. Once you file a document, the Charlotte County clerk processes it and adds it to the case record. You can check on the status of your filing through the portal at any time.

Supreme Court Administrative Order AOSC 16-14 allows Florida courts to post public court documents online for viewing. Charlotte County follows this order. Florida Rule of Judicial Administration 2.420 sets out which court records are open to the public and which are restricted. The rule gives the public broad access rights, with exceptions for sealed records, juvenile cases, and records covered by specific confidentiality laws. If you think a Charlotte County court record has been wrongly withheld, Rule 2.420 provides a process to challenge the restriction.

Several state tools are helpful for Charlotte County court records work. The Florida Court Clerks and Comptrollers website links to all 67 county clerks. The MyFloridaCounty portal handles online payments for court fees. The Appellate Court Information System (ACIS) tracks appellate cases from all Florida courts, including appeals from Charlotte County. And the Florida Courts Help center has free forms and self-help guides for people representing themselves in court.

Copies of Charlotte County Court Records

You can get copies of Charlotte County court records by visiting the clerk's office in Punta Gorda, using the online system, or submitting a request by mail. The clerk charges fees set by Florida law. Certified copies are more expensive than plain copies and come with the clerk's official seal. If you need a document for court or a legal transaction, you will probably need the certified version.

Common fees for Charlotte County court records are:

• Plain copies: $1.00 per page
• Certification fee: $2.00 per document
• Search fee: $2.00 per year per name
• Electronic certified copies: varies by document

Walk-in requests at the Punta Gorda courthouse are the fastest option. For mail requests, include the case number, a description of what you need, and payment by check or money order. Call (941) 637-2245 if you need a fee estimate. Mail requests generally take a week or more to process, so give yourself plenty of time if you are working against a deadline. The clerk's staff in Charlotte County can help you figure out the best way to get the records you need.

Note: Charlotte County is part of the 20th Judicial Circuit, which also includes Lee, Collier, Glades, and Hendry counties.

Cities in Charlotte County

Punta Gorda is the county seat and the only incorporated city in Charlotte County. Port Charlotte is a large unincorporated community that many people think is a city, but it is technically a census-designated place. Other communities include Englewood, Rotonda West, and North Port (though parts of North Port extend into Sarasota County). All court records for Charlotte County are filed and stored at the clerk's office in Punta Gorda.

Nearby Counties

Charlotte County is on the southwest coast of Florida. It borders Lee County to the south, Sarasota County to the north, DeSoto County to the east, and Glades County to the southeast. Each county has its own clerk and court records system. Double-check which county handled your case before you start searching.