Union County Court Records

Union County court records are held by the Clerk of Court in Lake Butler. This is one of Florida's smallest counties, with a population of about 16,000. Clerk Regina H. Parrish oversees the office, which handles all civil, criminal, family, and traffic court filings. Union County follows the same public records laws as the rest of the state. Most court records are open for anyone to see. You can search for records online through a state database or visit the courthouse in Lake Butler for in-person help.

Union County Clerk of Court

The Union County Clerk of Court is the official keeper of all court records in the county. Regina H. Parrish serves as clerk. The office is at the Union County Courthouse in Lake Butler. You can call them at (386) 496-3711 for any questions about case records, copy requests, or how to file documents. Under Florida Statute Chapter 119, court records in Union County are open to the public unless sealed by a judge or exempted by law.

Union County is part of the 8th Judicial Circuit. This circuit also includes Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Gilchrist, and Levy counties. The circuit court handles felony cases, civil cases over $50,000, family law, probate, and juvenile matters. County court covers misdemeanors, small claims, and traffic cases. Both levels of court records go through the same clerk's office in Lake Butler. Alachua County and its seat in Gainesville serve as the hub for the 8th Circuit, but each county in the circuit has its own clerk.

The Union County Clerk website provides access to court services, official records, and office contact details.

From the site you can also get information on recording services, marriage licenses, and jury duty for Union County residents.

Searching Union County Court Records Online

Union County court records are available through the CiviTek online records portal. CiviTek hosts court records for many of Florida's smaller counties, and Union County is one of them. You can search by party name, case number, or document type. The system covers both court cases and official recorded documents like deeds and liens. It is free to search, though there may be fees to download or print certain documents.

Search results show basic case info. You will see party names, case type, filing date, and case status. Detailed documents may not always be viewable online. For full case files, you may need to visit the courthouse in Lake Butler. Union County has a very small volume of court records compared to the state's urban counties. That makes searching simpler. But older records from before the digital system may not be in the database at all.

The CiviTek portal gives you access to Union County court data and official recorded documents.

If you can't find what you need in the online system, call the clerk's office at (386) 496-3711. They keep paper files that go back further than the digital records.

Note: Union County's online records may not include all historical filings. Records from before the digital switchover may only be available in paper form at the courthouse in Lake Butler.

Public Access Rules in Union County

Florida Statute 119.0714 tells the clerk to redact certain personal data from public court records. Social security numbers, bank account numbers, and other sensitive info get removed before records go online or are handed out. Filers in Union County must also strip out confidential details before submitting documents. This rule applies statewide.

Florida Rule of Judicial Administration 2.420 controls which records are open and which are not. Most court records in Union County are public. Juvenile cases, certain mental health files, and records sealed by a judge are exceptions. If you believe a Union County record has been wrongly withheld, you have the right to challenge that under Rule 2.420. You would file a written request with the court.

Supreme Court Administrative Order AOSC 16-14 allows Florida courts to post public documents online. Union County follows this order. The number of records posted online may be smaller than in a big county, but your rights are the same. The size of the county makes no difference when it comes to public access to court records.

Getting Copies of Union County Court Records

You can get copies of court records by going to the clerk's office in Lake Butler, by mail, or through the online portal. Fees are set by state law. Certified copies cost more than plain ones. If you need the document for a legal matter, you most likely need the certified version.

Standard fees in Union County:

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

For mail requests, send a letter to the Union County Clerk of Court in Lake Butler with the case number, the documents you need, and a check or money order for the fees. Call ahead at (386) 496-3711 to find out the cost. Walk-in visits are the fastest option. Mail requests can take a week or more. All new court filings go through the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal, which is required for most case types in the state.

State Resources for Union County

The Florida Court Clerks and Comptrollers website links to all 67 county clerk offices. It is a useful starting point if you are looking for records in more than one county. The MyFloridaCounty portal processes online payments for court fees in Union County and all other Florida counties.

For appellate records, the Appellate Court Information System (ACIS) gives free case data from all Florida District Courts of Appeal and the Supreme Court. If a Union County case was appealed, ACIS is where you find it. The Florida Courts Help center has free forms and guides for people who represent themselves in court. These cover common case types like divorce, custody, and small claims that come up often in smaller counties like Union.

Note: Union County shares the 8th Judicial Circuit with Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Gilchrist, and Levy counties. Circuit resources may reference all six counties together.

Cities in Union County

Union County includes the communities of Lake Butler, Worthington Springs, and Raiford. Lake Butler is the county seat. All court records for these areas are filed with the Union County Clerk of Court in Lake Butler. No cities in Union County meet the population threshold for a separate page. The clerk's office serves all residents regardless of where they live in the county.

Nearby Counties

Union County sits in north-central Florida and borders several other rural counties. Each has its own clerk and court records system. Records filed in one county will not show up in another county's system, so check the right place before you search.