Suwannee County Court Records Search

Suwannee County court records are kept by the Clerk of Court in Live Oak. This is a rural county in north-central Florida with a population of about 45,000. Clerk Barry A. Baker manages the office, which handles all court filings for civil, criminal, family, and traffic cases. Despite its small size, Suwannee County follows the same public records laws as the rest of the state. Most court records are open to the public. You can search online or visit the courthouse in Live Oak to get copies and view files.

Suwannee County Clerk of Court

The Suwannee County Clerk of Court is the official record keeper for all court filings in the county. The office is at the Suwannee County Courthouse in Live Oak. You can reach them at (386) 362-0500. Under Florida Statute Chapter 119, court records in Suwannee County are open to the public unless sealed by a judge or exempted by a specific law. Clerk Barry A. Baker and his staff handle all case filings, record storage, and public access requests.

Suwannee County is part of the 3rd Judicial Circuit. This circuit also includes Columbia, Dixie, Hamilton, Lafayette, Madison, and Taylor counties. The circuit court handles felonies, civil cases over $50,000, family law matters, probate, and juvenile cases. County court covers misdemeanors, small claims, and traffic offenses. Both levels of court records go through the same clerk's office in Live Oak.

The Suwannee County Clerk website gives you access to court services, official records, and contact details for the office.

From the clerk's site you can also find information on marriage licenses, jury duty, and recording services in Suwannee County.

Searching Suwannee County Court Records Online

Suwannee County court records can be searched through the CiviTek online records portal. CiviTek hosts online records for many of Florida's smaller counties. You can search by party name, case number, or document type. The tool covers court case data and official recorded documents. It is free to search. Some files may be viewable online, while others may require a trip to the clerk's office or a mail request.

The search results show basic case info. You will see party names, case type, filing date, and case status. For detailed documents like full case files, motions, or orders, you may need to visit the courthouse in Live Oak. Suwannee County has a smaller volume of records than Florida's urban counties, which makes searching a bit easier. But the same legal rules apply. Every case filed in the county goes into the clerk's system.

The CiviTek portal for Suwannee County provides access to court case data and official records.

If you get no results from CiviTek, the record you need may be too old for the online system. Call the clerk's office at (386) 362-0500. They keep paper records that go back years before the digital system started.

Note: Suwannee County's online records database may not include all historical filings, especially those from before the clerk's office went digital.

Public Access Rules for Suwannee County

Florida Statute 119.0714 requires clerks to redact certain personal info from public records. Social security numbers, bank account numbers, and other sensitive data get removed before records go online or are given out. Filers in Suwannee County must also remove confidential details before submitting documents to the clerk. This protects privacy without changing the public nature of court records.

Florida Rule of Judicial Administration 2.420 controls access to court records statewide. Most are public. Juvenile cases, certain mental health records, and files sealed by a judge are off-limits. If you believe a Suwannee County record has been wrongly kept from you, Rule 2.420 lets you challenge that. You file a written request with the court explaining why you think the record should be open. The judge then decides.

Supreme Court Administrative Order AOSC 16-14 allows courts to post public documents online. Suwannee County follows this order, though the number of records posted may be smaller than what you would see in a larger county. Your right to access public records is the same regardless of county size.

Getting Copies of Suwannee County Court Records

You can get copies of Suwannee County court records a few ways. Walk into the clerk's office in Live Oak for the fastest service. You can also send a written request by mail or use the online system. Fees follow state law and are the same as most Florida counties.

Standard fees in Suwannee County:

• Plain copies: $1.00 per page
• Certification fee: $2.00 per document
• Search fee: $2.00 per year per name

For mail requests, include the case number, the specific documents you need, and a check or money order. Call the clerk first if you are not sure about the total cost. Mail requests can take a week or more in Suwannee County. All new court filings go through the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal, which the state requires for most case types.

State Resources for Suwannee County

The Florida Court Clerks and Comptrollers website links to all 67 county clerk offices. It is a solid starting point if you need records from more than one county. The MyFloridaCounty portal handles online payments for court fees in Suwannee County and statewide.

For appellate records, the Appellate Court Information System (ACIS) provides free case data from all Florida District Courts of Appeal and the Supreme Court. If a Suwannee County case was appealed, ACIS is where you track it. The Florida Courts Help center has free forms and guides for people going to court without a lawyer. These cover divorce, custody, small claims, and other common case types in Suwannee County.

Note: Suwannee County shares the 3rd Judicial Circuit with Columbia, Dixie, Hamilton, Lafayette, Madison, and Taylor counties. Circuit resources may reference all seven counties.

Cities in Suwannee County

Suwannee County includes the communities of Live Oak, Branford, and Wellborn. Live Oak is the county seat and the largest town. All court records for these places are filed with the Suwannee County Clerk of Court in Live Oak. No cities in Suwannee County meet the population threshold for a separate page, but the clerk serves all residents regardless of where they live.

Nearby Counties

Suwannee County is surrounded by several other rural counties in north Florida. Each has its own clerk and court records system. Be sure your case was filed in the right county before you search.