Search Manatee County Court Records

Manatee County court records are managed by the Clerk of the Circuit Court in Bradenton. The clerk's office runs an online records hub where you can search court cases, official records, board records, and plat records from one place. Manatee County is part of the 12th Judicial Circuit, which it shares with Sarasota and DeSoto counties. All court filings for Bradenton, Palmetto, Anna Maria, and other Manatee County communities go through this clerk's office. The records hub is the main way to look up case info from home, and the clerk has been working to bring all record searches under a single website to make things easier for the public.

Manatee County Clerk of Court Records

The Manatee County Clerk of the Circuit Court is the custodian of all court records in the county. This office handles the filing, storage, and management of every case that comes through the Manatee County courts. That covers circuit civil, county civil, criminal, family law, probate, and traffic matters. Beyond court filings, the clerk also maintains official records, which include deeds, mortgages, liens, and other recorded documents for Manatee County. The office is based in Bradenton at the county courthouse.

The Manatee County Clerk of Court website is the starting point for all records and services. You can find info on court filings, fee schedules, forms, and office locations. The clerk has been working to consolidate all recorded document searches to a single website, which makes it simpler for the public to find what they need without jumping between different systems. For any court record question in Manatee County, the clerk's site is where you should begin.

The Manatee County clerk's homepage at manateeclerk.com provides links to all record search tools and services.

Note: The Manatee County clerk is not liable for any damages that may result from the use of information found through its court records search tools.

Search Manatee Court Records Online

The Manatee County Records Hub is the main tool for searching court records in the county. This online system lets you look up court cases, official records, board records, plat records, and even animal cases. Before you can search, you need to agree to the terms and conditions on the site. Once you accept, you can search by party name, case number, or document type. The results show case details, docket entries, and filing dates for Manatee County court records.

The Manatee County records hub at records.manateeclerk.com brings together multiple record search types in one place.

The clerk has five main search categories on the records hub. Court Records cover all case filings in Manatee County courts. Official Records include deeds, liens, and other recorded documents. Board Records have minutes and agendas from county board meetings. Plat Records show subdivision maps and land surveys. Animal Cases track animal control matters. For most people looking for court records in Manatee County, the Court Records search is the one to use. You type in a name or case number and the system pulls up matching results.

If you want to search by case type, you can narrow your results to civil, criminal, family, or traffic cases in Manatee County. This helps when you have a common name and need to filter out cases that are not relevant. The search tool also lets you set date ranges to zero in on court records filed during a specific time.

Manatee County Court Record Types

Manatee County courts handle a wide range of case types. Circuit civil covers lawsuits over $50,000, foreclosures, injunctions, and other major disputes. County civil deals with smaller claims. Family law includes divorces, custody disputes, paternity cases, and domestic violence injunctions. Criminal cases split between felonies at the circuit level and misdemeanors at the county level. Probate covers wills, estates, and guardianships. Traffic cases include citations and infractions. All of these generate court records in Manatee County that the clerk must file and maintain.

The statewide court system at flcourts.gov lays out how Florida's courts are organized. Manatee County sits in the 12th Judicial Circuit alongside Sarasota and DeSoto counties. The circuit court handles the more serious cases while the county court takes misdemeanors, small claims, and traffic matters. Both levels of court produce records that you can search through the Manatee County clerk's records hub.

For official records in Manatee County, the same records hub handles those searches. If someone files a deed, records a mortgage, or places a lien on property in the county, it goes into the official records system. These are different from court records but are maintained by the same clerk's office in Bradenton.

Note: The Manatee County clerk is consolidating record search tools, so some older links may redirect to the new records hub.

12th Circuit Self-Help for Manatee Court Records

The 12th Judicial Circuit has a self-help center that serves people in Manatee County who need to handle court matters on their own. The center provides forms, instructions, and guidance for common filings like divorces, name changes, and small claims cases. Staff at the self-help center can tell you what forms you need and walk you through the steps, but they cannot give legal advice or fill out the forms for you. This is a free service for anyone in Manatee County.

The 12th Circuit online case search tool lets you look up cases across the circuit, including Manatee County court records. This gives you another way to search for case information beyond the clerk's records hub. Some people find it useful when they want to check on a case status without going through the clerk's main site.

The 12th Judicial Circuit self-help page also provides an online case search tool that covers Manatee County.

The Florida Courts Help website adds another layer of support. It has all the approved court forms for free. These are the same forms used in Manatee County courtrooms. You can download, fill them out, and file them with the clerk. The site also has step-by-step guides that explain what each form does and when to use it for your Manatee County court case.

Confidential Manatee County Court Records

Not all court records in Manatee County are open to the public. Florida law makes certain records confidential. Juvenile cases, adoption proceedings, and mental health records are sealed by default. If a judge orders a case sealed or expunged in Manatee County, it will not show up in any public search. These protections exist to balance the public's right to access court records with the privacy of people involved in sensitive cases.

Under Florida Statute 119.0714, the clerk must remove personal identifiers like social security numbers and bank account numbers from public court records. This applies to all Manatee County court records before they go online. The Florida Supreme Court's Rule of Judicial Administration 2.420 sets the full list of what counts as confidential. Administrative Order AOSC 16-14 provides additional guidance on how clerks across the state should handle public access to court records.

Florida Statute Chapter 119 gives you the right to inspect court records in Manatee County. You can visit the courthouse in Bradenton during business hours and ask to see any public record. The clerk must let you look at it. You only pay if you want a copy to take with you. The right to view Manatee County court records is free under the law.

Legal Resources for Manatee County

If you need help with a court case in Manatee County, several free resources exist. The Florida Court Clerks and Comptrollers network connects all 67 county clerks, and you can use it to find specific services or forms for Manatee County. The MyFloridaCounty.com portal handles online fee payments for court cases across the state, including those filed in Manatee County. Legal aid organizations in the Bradenton area serve people who meet income limits and need help with family law, housing, or consumer cases.

For people searching court records across multiple counties, the My Florida Court Access portal gives you a statewide search option. This can be useful if you are not sure which county a case was filed in or if you need to check records in both Manatee County and a neighboring county at the same time.

Cities in Manatee County

All cities and towns in Manatee County file court cases through the clerk's office in Bradenton. Bradenton is the county seat and the largest city. Palmetto, Anna Maria, Holmes Beach, Longboat Key (partly in Manatee), and Parrish are other communities in the county. None of these cities meet the population threshold for their own dedicated page, but all court records for these communities are handled by the Manatee County Clerk of Court. If you need court records for any Manatee County city, use the clerk's records hub.

Nearby Counties

These counties share borders with Manatee County. If you are not sure where a case was filed, check the neighboring county's clerk as well. Court records are kept in the county where the case was filed, so the right county matters when you search.