Access Free Clay County Public Records (Arrests, Marital, Court, Criminal, Property & More)

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Free Clay County Public Records Search

Access Clay County Records: marriage, divorce, warrants, arrests, probation, criminal, court, background checks, and all public records.

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Clay County public records can provide a wealth of information and can be found for free once you know what’s available and which custodians host them.

Searchers can access criminal records (arrests, court documents) and prisoner information (e.g., sentences, warrants, probation) using background check reports, online search tools and in-person searches.

Interested parties can also find detailed information on property and family records (marriage, divorce, birth and death). These records are publicly available because of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Florida’s Public Records Laws.

This resource provides links to online databases, contact information for helpful agencies, and clear steps for efficiently tracking down various public records in Clay County, Florida.

This resource was written by Attorney Robert Bailey Jr, who holds a Juris Doctorate from Widener University School of Law.

How To Perform a Free Arrest Record & Inmate Search in Clay County

A person can search public records to get information regarding arrests, charges and incarcerations. When preparing to look for arrest and inmate information, gather all available information (e.g., name, arrest date, location etc.) to perform your search.

If you want to perform a broad search for Clay County arrest records and inmate information, you can do so with the sheriff’s office. Countywide searches allow you to search for Clay County bookings from every city and town under its jurisdiction. A county-level search can provide a person with a solid general understanding of a person’s arrest and incarceration information.

If you want more detailed information regarding an arrest, you must request a police report and related information from the local law enforcement arresting agency. This information is especially important if you need a report for an insurance or legal claim.

Also, if you have a time-sensitive need for arrest information and the offense just occurred, your sole option may be with the arresting agency.

Below are detailed steps outlining how you can perform a countywide arrest and inmate search and how to request data from local law enforcement agencies.

Determine if Someone Was Arrested & Taken to the Clay County Jail

If you want to find someone’s mugshot, arrest information and more, you can search through the Clay County Sheriff’s Office public index of inmates. A person can use this online tool to search Clay County Jail records by a person’s name, charge, arrest date and other options.

Once you find an inmate, you can view the person’s mugshot and a basic description (e.g., age, gender, race, etc.). You can also view when they were arrested, any upcoming court dates and their expected release date.

There is also a section that provides details on the person’s charges. This section briefly describes the charge, the applicable statute and any bond information. You can also obtain some basic court information, including the docket number and current status of the case.

The Clay County Sheriff’s Office also has a separate arrest search tool.² This online tool allows you to search for arrest information by a specific date. Once you select a date, you will get a list of all arrests that occurred on that particular date.

The arrest record will provide the following information:

• Name of the person arrested
• Brief description of the person (age, race and gender)
• Basis for the arrest
• Address where the arrest occurred
• Date and time of arrest
• Case number

For additional information, contact the Clay County Sheriff’s Office at 904-529-6090 or go in person to the below address:³

Clay County Sheriff’s Office
901 N. Orange Avenue
Green Cove Springs, Florida 32043

You can also contact the Clay County Sheriff’s Office at one of the substations listed below:

Clay County Sheriff’s Office – Orange Park
212 Blanding Boulevard
Orange Park, Florida 32073

Phone: 904-529-6600

Clay County Sheriff’s Office – Middleburg
3799 Irving Ct. 
Middleburg, Florida 32068

Phone: 904-213-6120

Additional contact information: A person can also contact the Clay County Jail for any inmate questions. The Clay County Jail can be reached by phone at 904-529-5905.

Retrieve Arrest Information & Police Reports via Law Enforcement Agencies in Clay County Florida

If you know the arresting agency, you can get a police report and records from local law enforcement agencies in Clay County, Florida. These types of records can provide greater detail than you may be able to receive using the county search tools.

When contacting local law enforcement, check if they have a records division; they should be able to answer any questions and provide you with the documents you seek.

Below is the contact information for two municipal law enforcement agencies in Clay County, Florida that have jurisdiction over cities:

Green Cove Springs Police Department
1001 Idlewild Ave.
Green Cove Springs, Florida 32043

Phone: 904-297-7300

Orange Park Police Department
2025 Smith St. 
Orange Park, Florida 32073

Phone: 904-264-5555

There are only two independent police departments in Clay County. The remainder of the County (including various unincorporated communities) is under the jurisdiction of the Sheriff’s Office.

If an arrest occurs outside the jurisdiction of the two police departments listed above, you should contact the Clay County Sheriff’s Office for any police reports and arrest information. The Clay County Sheriff’s Office provides an online option to submit a records request.⁴ If submitted online, you can also view your request’s status and information from past public record inquiries.

For additional information on what information you can request, you can contact the Clay County Sheriff’s Office Public Records Section by phone at 904-529-6090. You can also write to them or talk to someone in person at the below address:

Clay County Sheriff’s Office
Attn: Public Records Section
901 North Orange Avenue
Green Cove Springs, Florida 32043

How To Search Clay County Florida Criminal Records

In addition to arrest information, you can search Clay County public records for a person’s criminal history. A free criminal record check can uncover information unavailable when looking up arrest or inmate information.

Clay County criminal records can provide details not only on what a person was charged but how a case was adjudicated and if a person was convicted, it will provide details on their sentence. This data can indicate whether a person was sentenced to time in prison, probation or just fines.

A person can also use criminal records to find specific information on warrants and other information related to the court proceedings. However, criminal records can be held by various custodians, which may make them accessible in different ways.

Below is information on how to access criminal records and specific types of information through online tools, in-person searches and background check reports.

Find Clay County Criminal Records Through the Clerk of Courts

One way to look up someone’s criminal record is to search online using the Clerk of Courts Online Court Records Search Tool. A person can search by either the person’s name or case number.

There are a couple of things to be aware of when searching for criminal records with this tool. First, this online tool is for various court cases, not just criminal records. Second, the search results provide the person’s name, party type, case number and status.

However, you have to click on each record to see whether or not the case is a criminal record or some other type of case.

Once you find a criminal record, you can view the information separated into several different sections. Here is a summary of what type of information each section provides:

Summary — Here, you can view general case information, including the case number, file date and Judge. You can also see their custody location and the arresting agency.

Parties — This section provides basic information about the Plaintiff and Defendant as well as the attorney representing each party.

Charges — Here you can view a brief description of the charge(s), Florida criminal statute, plea and final disposition (including the date).

Events — The Events section provides a chronological history of every court event, including the date, type of event, courtroom location and the result.

Case Dockets — A chronological history of every action taken in the criminal case, from the arrest to the final disposition and sentencing. Each docket entry contains a link to view the PDF of the original filing with the court.

View Prior Charges or Criminal Convictions by Searching Public Records Through the Circuit & County Courts

There are benefits to searching criminal records in person. You may be able to view additional information not included in the online records. To perform a criminal record search in person, a person will benefit from understanding how cases are handled between the two courts that adjudicate criminal cases.

Circuit Court: This court is responsible for handling any felony cases in Clay County. These are crimes that, if convicted, a person would be punished by over a year in jail and up to the death penalty. Examples of felonies include armed robbery, manslaughter and murder.

County Court: The County Court has jurisdiction over misdemeanors and criminal traffic cases. Misdemeanors are crimes that, if convicted, are punishable by no more than one year in prison. Examples include theft, assault and harassment.

Criminal traffic cases involve those laws that will lead to incarceration if a person is convicted.

Before searching for records, you may want to contact the Clerk’s Criminal Department for information on how to perform a search and what types of data can be accessed in person. You can contact the Clerk’s Criminal Department by phone at 904-529-4098.

The Clay County Circuit Court and County Court are at the same location. You can go in person to the below address to search their criminal records:

Clay County Circuit Court
825 North Orange Ave. 
Green Cove Springs, Florida 32043

How To Check if Someone Has an Arrest Warrant in Clay County Florida

If you want to specifically look up a person to see if they have any Clay County warrants, start by performing a criminal case record search using the Clerk’s Case Records Search Tool. Once you find the person you are looking for, scroll down to the “Case Dockets” section.

Here is where you will find any warrant information, as the case dockets contain a history of every event in a criminal case. If there is an arrest warrant, you can click on the link to view a PDF of the original filing with the court.

An online statewide option is to use the FDLE’s Wanted Persons Search Tool. This search tool can be used to find people with arrest warrants throughout the state. A searcher can enter a person’s name or nickname and narrow their results based on a person’s date of birth, sex or race.

Once a search is complete, you can view information on any warrants a person has, when it was issued and the reporting agency. The search tool will also provide descriptive details about a person, as well as their last known job and address.

How To Look Up Clay County Probation Records

If you are looking for probation information in Clay County, start by performing a criminal case search with the Clerk’s Online Court Records Search Tool. Once you perform a search and find a person’s criminal record, there are a couple of places you can look to find probation information.

First, look at the summary under custody location. If the person was sentenced to probation, this information may be listed here. In addition, you can go to the case docket and look for the sentencing entry. Click on the PDF to view the specific sentencing term.

If a person was ordered probation, details will be provided here. Probation information will include the start date, length and other relevant information.

For additional probation information, you can contact the Clay County Probation Services Office.⁷ You can contact them by phone at 904-284-6302. You can also visit their office in person at the below address:

Clay County Probation Services Office
825 N. Orange Ave., Room 201
Green Cove Springs, Florida 32043

The Clay County Probation Services Office handles misdemeanors. For felony probation information, you can contact the Department of Corrections at 904-213-2930.

How To Obtain a Clay County Background Check & Report

Clay County public records can be accessed by requesting a background check report. A background check is a great option for getting a comprehensive report of public record information. However, background checks can vary greatly in scope and type.

At its most basic level, searching individual records using the tools provided in this article to learn more about a person is commonly referred to as a personal background check.

A professional background check is different as it is an official report from an authorized government agency. However, you can get background checks at the city, county, state and federal levels. Typically, the scope of the background check is limited to the area in which the government agency is the records custodian.

Professional background checks can also differ by type. A Level 1 background check consists of a name-based search, and the results can be subject to challenge. A Level 2 background check is a fingerprint-based search and can provide certain confirmation that the records found are accurate.

In Clay County, there is no city or county option for requesting a background check. Your best option is to request a background check through the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE).⁸ The FDLE provides three types of background check options, which are as follows:

Instant Search: This is the quickest option and allows you to perform an immediate search of criminal records in the FDLE’s database. After performing a search with this tool, you can have your results sent to you via email.

Request for Certified (or Non-certified) Search: You can make a request in person or by mail for a certified or non-certified search. What type of search results you will request will likely depend on your need for the records. If it is for professional purposes (e.g., job application), you will want to request a certified search.

Requests must include your identifying information as well as that of the person being searched.

You can then mail your request to the below address:

Florida Department of Law Enforcement
Criminal History Services
ATTN: VECHS
P.O. Box 1489
Tallahassee, Florida 32302

If you want to go in person to submit your request, you can visit the following location:

Florida Department of Law Enforcement
2331 Phillips Rd.
Tallahassee, Florida 32308

ORI Search: This search is limited to certain entities authorized by statute and is not used by the general public.

The fee for a background check with the FDLE is $24.00. If you need more information on how to request a background check, you can contact the FDLE’s Criminal History Services Section by phone at 850-410-8161 or by email at [email protected]. They are available 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM, Monday through Friday.

Fingerprint-based background checks can be done with the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI). You can schedule an electronic fingerprinting with a Florida Livescan Service Provider as part of the process of requesting this type of federal background check.

How To Access Criminal Records in All of Florida via State & Federal Agencies

In addition to searching Clay County, you can also find similar information throughout the state by searching Florida public records for criminal history data. Searching throughout the state can help give a person a better picture of someone’s criminal record. That search can be further expanded with the use of certain federal resources.

There are also specialized tools that allow you to search for particular offenses that may be of importance to a person. Use the below state and federal search tools to get criminal record and case information throughout the state of Florida and beyond:

Florida Online Public Case Docket — Here, you can find links to search criminal cases and other matters through the various trial and appeals courts as well as the Supreme Court.¹¹ At the county level, each Clerk of Court provides their own unique search tool.

Florida Department of Corrections (DOC) Offender Information Search — Use this tool to search for individuals convicted of crimes throughout the state of Florida.¹²

Career Offender Search (FDLE) — This is another search tool for convicted felons.¹³ However, this search tool is limited to offenders who are part of a smaller group of criminals because of the nature of the crimes they committed.

FDLE Criminal Records Tool — This tool provided by the FDLE allows for searching and accessing Florida criminal records online.¹⁴ This can be used as a means of conducting a personal criminal background check in Florida.

Florida Sexual Offenders & Predators Search — The Sex Offenders Search Tool allows individuals to search by name or neighborhood for individuals who have been designated as sex offenders in Florida.

U.S. National Sex Offender Search Tool — This tool also provides a search of sex offenders throughout the entire United States and its other territories. This tool can be used to conduct a name or address search. The address search will cover a radius of 1, 2, or 3 miles and list all registered sex offenders in that area.

Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Search Tool – If a person has been convicted of a federal crime, they will not be located in state prison. Use this search tool to find a person who is or was incarcerated in federal prison, either by their name or their assigned BOP number.

How To Track Down Clay County Court Records

Clay County public records can be searched to find court case information on a variety of matters and disputes. To check public records online, you can use the Court Records Search Tool provided by the Clerk of Courts. This case search tool is designed to search all types of Clay County court cases (e.g., civil, criminal, family etc.).

You can also get other types of court records through the Clerk’s Official Records Search Tool. This online search tool can be used to search for a variety of legal documents, including the following examples: Affidavits, Judgments, Estates and Assignments.

You may also want to perform a Clay County Case search in person. Depending on the type of case, Clay County judicial records are handled by either the Circuit Court or the County Court.

The Circuit Court handles the following types of cases:

• Civil cases involving $50,000 or more in claims
• Domestic cases (e.g., divorce, child custody etc.)
• Criminal felonies
• Juvenile cases
• Guardianship
• Probate
• Mental Health

The County Court is responsible for adjudicating these types of cases:

• Civil cases with claims less than $50,000
• Certified Questions
• Criminal Misdemeanors
• Traffic Violations
• Small Claims

To search these Clay County court records in person, you can go to the below address:

Clay County Courts
825 North Orange Ave. 
Green Cove Springs, Florida 32043

Tip: When planning to conduct an in-person search, it’s always a good idea to contact the Clerk of Court to ask them about the process for looking up records. You can call them directly at 904-284-6302.

How To Request Clay County Florida Vital Records (Marriage, Divorce, Birth & Death Records)

If you are looking to gather birth and death information to perform a genealogy search, or you want to check if someone is married or divorced, you can search Clay County’s vital records.

Vital records are another tool for people conducting personal searches to learn more about a person. A birth certificate and death certificate can let you know when a person was born or died and where at, along with other information.

Many times, a certified vital record is essential for business or legal purposes. Since vital records are often used to confirm a person’s identity, they can be used in situations where a government agency or business needs official documentation.

For example, if a spouse wants to make a claim under a decedent’s life insurance policy, they will likely have to provide a certified marriage record. Or, when applying for a passport for your child, you may need a certificate of birth to prove their identity and relationship to you. A certificate of death is required most often to handle a person’s estate after they die.

These are just a couple of many examples. Below are steps you can take to search online for these types of records. Also, information and resources will be provided for requested certified copies of these vital records in Clay County.

Request Clay County Marriage or Divorce Records via the Clerk of Court & Comptroller

If you are looking to find out if someone is married, you can perform an online search using the Clay County Clerk of Court & Comptroller Search Tool. This tool allows you to search marriage records since they are considered public information in Clay County and Florida as a whole.

To search Clay County marriage records, start by selecting “marriage” for the document category. Then, you can enter the person’s name you want to search or whatever available search criteria you have. Next, you can narrow down your search results by providing a date range for when you believe the marriage occurred.

The search results are limited to showing any names that match the criteria you entered. You have the option of selecting as many marriage records as you would like to view at once and then clicking “Submit.”

Once you select a particular marriage record, you can view information about the marriage license as well as the parties to the marriage. The record also provides a PDF copy of the original marriage license, which you can print or save.

To request a certified copy of a marriage record, you can do so through the Clay County Clerk’s Official Record Search & E-Certify. This tool can be used to search for a record and then order it for an $8.00 fee.

You can search for Clay County divorce records through the Clay County Clerk’s Court Records Search Tool. This tool does not allow you to filter your search results to particular types of cases, so you will have to look through all search results tied to the search criteria you provide. Once you locate the record you are looking for, you can find detailed case information, including when the divorce decree was issued.

An option for purchasing both marriage and divorce records is through the Florida Department of Health Bureau of Vital Statistics in Clay County.¹⁶ They have both of these records available from June 6, 1927 to the present.

To request a record from the Bureau of Vital Statistics, start by completing either an Application for Marriage Certificate or an Application for Dissolution of Marriage. You can then submit this application, along with the applicable fee, to the address below:

Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics
P.O. Box 210
Jacksonville, Florida 32231

Walk-in service is available at the below location:

Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics
1217 North Pearl St.
Jacksonville, Florida 32202

The cost of a marriage or divorce record is $5.00, which includes the search fee for one calendar year. If you need to search for additional calendar years, it is $2.00 per year (maxing out at $50.00). For additional certified copies, you will have to pay $4.00.

Finally, the rush fee is $10.00 and for records being mailed, there is a $1.00 shipping and handling fee.

The Bureau of Vital Statistics processes requests in approximately 3 to 5 business days, excluding shipping time. Records prior to 1970 will take longer. If you have additional questions, you can contact the Bureau of Vital Statistics by phone at 904-359-6900 (ext. 9000).

Another option for ordering marriage or divorce records is through a third-party company approved in Clay County, VitalChek.¹⁷

Obtain Clay County Birth & Death Records Through the Florida Department of Health

For access to birth and death records, you can make a request through the Florida Department of Health in Clay County.¹⁸ Birth records are available from 1917 to the present but can only be provided to the applicant, their parent, guardian or a legal representative. The only other exception is if it is required by court order.

Death records can be provided from 2009 to the present to anyone; however, only immediate family members can request a certified copy with the cause of death listed.

To request a record, complete the Application for Birth Record or Application for Death Record. Requests can be made either by mail or in person. If you want to make a request by mail, you can send your completed application, along with a copy of a current government-issued ID and fee, to:

Florida Department of Health in Clay County
P.O. Box 578
Green Cove Springs, Florida 32043

You can make a request in person at their Orange Park office located at the below address:

Florida Department of Health in Clay County
3229 Bear Run Boulevard
Orange Park, Florida 32065

For birth records only, you can also go in person to make a request at the Clay County Tax Collector’s Office at the following address:

Clay County Tax Collector
1518 Park Avenue
Orange Park, Florida 32073

The cost of a Florida birth record is $13.00 (with an additional convenience fee if received at the tax collector’s office), and a death certificate is $10.00 per copy.

If a person is looking for an online option, they can make their request for a birth or death record through VitalChek. VitalChek is an approved third-party vendor that provides an online service for obtaining Clay County vital records.

If you have additional questions, you can contact the Florida Department of Health in Clay County by email at [email protected] or by phone at 904-529-2800.

For death records only, there is an online option for performing a search. You can do so by using the Clay County Clerk of Court & Comptroller search tool. This tool provides a search option for death records (without the cause of death).

To search for a death record, start by selecting “death certificates” for the document category. Then, you can enter a person’s name you want to search and narrow down the search results by including a date range for when the person died.

How To Browse Clay County Property & Tax Records for Free

A person looking for property and tax records can perform a search with the Clay County Property Appraiser’s Search Tool.²⁰ A person can search this public records repository using various types of identifying information. This includes the owner(s) name, location address, parcel number and legal information.

After performing your free public records search, you can see a list of summary results, including the following: Parcel ID, Owner, Property Address, Legal description, whether there is a homestead exemption and the date of the last sale.

In addition, there is an option to select the “map” link to view satellite images of the property. You can also click on the Parcel ID for additional information. From here, you can get basic information regarding the property, such as the tax district, acreage and general land and building information.

Within this property search tool, there is additional information you can gather. For instance, there is a sales section that lists every time the property was sold. Each sale lists the deed book and page with a link you can click on to view a PDF of the original deed provided by the Clay County Clerk of Court and Comptroller.

Below this information is also a tool that allows you to view recent sales in the area by date range or neighborhood.

You can also use this search tool to get other information, such as property valuation and other related data. For additional information, you can contact the Clay County Property Appraiser by phone at 904-269-6305. You can also talk to someone in person at the address below:

Clay County Property Appraiser
477 Houston St. 
Green Cove Springs, Florida 32043

The office is open Monday through Friday, from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM.

If you want to look up property tax records, you can search the online directory provided by the Clay County Tax Collector. This is a great tool if you want to make sure a property is current on its taxes or to get a better understanding of tax costs in a particular neighborhood.

To use this online tool, enter the property address, owner’s name or tax account number. After performing a search, the account summary will start by providing basic background information on the owner and property.

Moving through the record, you can next view the amount due. If paid already, it will indicate so and provide the date and amount for the last payment. You can then access the account history of tax bills for the past ten years.

When you click on a past tax bill, you can view detailed tax information, including both the total and an itemized listing of all taxes and their amounts.

For additional information, you can contact the Clay County Tax Collector by phone or in person at any of its three locations.

If you want to look for official property records, you can use the Clay County Clerk of Court & Comptroller search tool. This tool can be used to search deeds, mortgages, easements and other property-related records.

An Overview of Citizens’ Rights & Using Clay County Public Records Responsibly

Public records in Clay County can contain valuable yet sensitive information. Because of this, it’s important to understand your responsibility with these public records. Just because you have access to these records does not mean there are no restrictions on how this information can be used.

When discussing a person’s rights and responsibilities with public records, start by determining what you are using the records for. Personal use has limited (yet important) responsibilities, while professional use contains several rules you need to clearly understand.

When using records for professional use, your first step is to make sure you receive the person’s consent before you begin your search. Failure to do so can be reported to the FTC by the person being searched.²² You can also be reported to the FTC if you do not provide notice of adverse action when required.

Often, a business or person will want to check your public consumer records to determine your creditworthiness. This could be to make sure a tenant can pay their rent, for a loan and many other reasons.

When these types of records are viewed, the Fair Credit Reporting Act imposes a variety of rights for the person whose records are being accessed. These range from being informed as to what’s in your file to challenging the validity of certain information. A person can seek damages when a violation occurs.

More subjective is discriminatory actions which are regulated by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). If a person was discriminated against with their public records, for instance, because of being in a protected class or having an arrest record, they can file a claim with the EEOC.²³ A claim can be filed using their online portal.

Personal use of public records is important as it helps us learn more about people, can provide safety and much more. However, personal use comes with requirements as well. A general reminder is that you make sure to confirm that you are, in fact, using the records for personal use and not for some professional reason.

Once you make this confirmation, you must make sure not to use these public records in any type of criminal matter. This is often seen when a person uses public records to stalk or harass a person.

When searching personal records, you do not have to tell anyone you are performing the search, what information you found or the reason you wanted to access these documents.

In addition, as a citizen, you have a right to all public records, not just those easily accessible online or in person. For instance, a person may want access to meeting minutes from a public government meeting. This information can be received through a FOIA request.

Just be aware that if there is any information that falls under an exception, it will be redacted.

Regardless of how you are using public records, make sure to ask yourself whether you are using them in an ethical and responsible manner. Clay County public records can be a powerful tool that must be handled with integrity.