Access Free Broward County Florida Divorce Records (Resource)

Conduct a free Broward County Florida divorce records search to look up marriage dissolutions within the county.

These records can contain information about the divorcees, the circumstances and nature of the divorce, where it took place, as well as details of other legalities (such as custody of children, child support, division of assets, and alimony) surrounding the separation.

This streamlined resource gives complete guidance on how to search for divorce records in Broward County free of charge through various official agencies.

How To Look Up Broward County Florida Divorce Records

In Broward County, Florida, the Family Division of the Department of Clerk of Courts manages divorce records.¹ The department has an online records search tool that can be used to look up marriage dissolution records that took place in the county.

Interested individuals can search records through this free online tool using the party name (either one of the divorcees), case number, and citation number. However, it is important that searchers select “Family” in the “Court Type” section as Family Courts handle divorces in Broward County, and this will help in getting more accurate results.

In addition to that, interested parties can also narrow down their divorce records search by adding a time frame in the tool. The search results will have all the basic information about the case including the filling date and the name of the judge assigned.

It is also important to keep in mind that the department can restrict some information in the records for the purpose of the safety and privacy of the parties involved in the case.

Furthermore, in case children are involved in the divorce, the department will limit certain details about them for safety purposes.

In case researchers want more detailed court documents, they can choose to purchase and view them electronically or obtain hard copies from the department. The Clerk of Courts Department of Broward County offers different methods for obtaining these documents.

Residents can purchase electronic certified divorce records at $8 per document, which can be paid to the department through American Express, Visa, or Mastercard.³ The request for such documents is processed as soon as the order is confirmed and the fee is paid.

Interested individuals can also obtain divorce papers by filing a formal records request with the department. For this, a court records request form will have to be filled and submitted to the department in person at the following address.

Family Division – Clerk of Courts Broward County
Judicial Complex, West Building (Family Courts)
201 Southeast 6th Street
Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33301

Phone: 954-831-6565
Fax: 954-831-6572

The office of the department is open from 8:00 AM to 3:30 PM Monday through Friday (note that it is closed during weekends and public holidays). In addition to that, the filled-out form can also be emailed to [email protected] or faxed to 954-831-5550.

The Clerk of Court Office of Broward County charges a fee of $1 per page of the requested document. There is also a search fee of $2 per each year that is searched as well as a $2 fee for certification per document. Once the request is submitted, it will take the department around 2 weeks to process it and contact the requestor.

In addition to that, the Records, Taxes & Treasury Division of the Broward County government can also help in obtaining divorce records.^{4, 5} The free online search tool can be used to look up records of divorces that took place in the county after 1 January 1978. However, users must register themselves first to use the tool.

Public divorce records can be searched by the divorcee’s name, case number, date of filing, instrument number, and document type.⁶

In case of questions, queries, or confusion in using the tool, users can call at 954-831-4000.

Search for All Florida Divorce Records via the State Department of Health Bureau of Vital Statistics

While searching for divorce records, researchers could face instances where the desired records are not actively available at the county agency and must be obtained from a different centralized source. In such a case, they must know which agencies are appropriate to search all Florida divorce records.

Where divorce records are not available at the city level in Florida, they are definitely available at the state level.

All Florida marriage dissolution records (including common law divorce records) are managed and can be searched through the State Department of Health Bureau of Vital Statistics.⁷ Marriage dissolutions and records are originally managed by each individual county’s Clerk of Circuit Court. However, after the final judgment, a report is forwarded to the Division of Vital Statistics for permanent recording.

The department has records of all divorces that took place in the state dating from the 6th of June 1927 to present.

A person can order a Florida dissolution of marriage certificate directly through the department or place an online order and have it delivered to their doorstep with VitalChek.

To obtain divorce records directly from the Division of Vital Statistics, an Application for Marriage Dissolution Records will have to be filled out and submitted to the department.⁸ The application can be mailed to the following address:

Florida Department of Health – Bureau of Vital Statistics
1217 North Pearl St.
P.O. Box Number 210
Jacksonville, Florida 32231-0042

Phone: 904-359-6900 Extension 9000

In addition to that, the application can also be handed to the department by an in-person visit at the above-mentioned address. The central office is open from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM Monday through Friday (note that it is closed during public holidays and weekends).

It usually takes 3 to 5 days for the department to process a records request (for divorces that took place till 1970, for those that took place even before days, additional days may be required) and it charges a fee of $5 per year search and a single copy.

A $4 fee is for all additional copies and a $1 fee is for shipping and handling. For rush orders in which the department gives the records the same day, there is a fee of $10.

An online order for divorce records can also be placed through the third party VitalChek. The fees involved include $15 that goes to the Department of Vital Statistics for all processes and $7 that VitalChek charges for processing and handling (keep in mind that additional certification costs $4).

Residents can alternatively place an order through phone call by calling +1-877-550-7330 (people residing outside the US can call +1-615-372-6800).

To track family history, obtain lineage information or for the purpose of genealogy research, interested citizens can search older divorce records through the archives (divorce index) of the Broward County Clerk of Courts.⁹

Are Details of Divorce Accessible to Everyone in Broward County?

Yes, divorce records are available to the general public in Broward County except when the court specifically orders to seal them.

The right of the public to view court records has been established in Chapter 119 of the Florida State Legislature.¹⁰ However, it is important to note that where divorce certificates (single-page documents announcing the dissolution of marriage) can be viewed by the public, divorce decrees (complete orders of the court in regard to divorce) are not entirely available.

Some sensitive information can be restricted for the purpose of safety and privacy of the people involved in the case.

Third-party sites can also be used to search divorce records as they use official state sources but unless the third-party provider is endorsed by the state, county or city the records obtained from them should not be used for official purposes.

This resource covers complete details on how to search for Broward County Florida divorce records free of charge through local record custodians and online databases.