View Free Alachua County Divorce Records: Resource

Obtain free Alachua County divorce records seamlessly via the methods explained in this streamlined resource. Whether you want to learn about someone’s marital past or present situation — or track down these details for genealogical reasons — finding information about a divorce is helpful.

In Florida, divorces are also called dissolutions of marriage and are initiated by family courts. These records can often be searched at no cost by checking online databases. Find out how you can quickly access dissolution of marriage records in Alachua County, Florida, using the steps and links in this article.

How To Track Down Divorce Records for Free in Alachua County Florida

Public divorce records and the information contained within them are available for members of the public to check for free. Because dissolutions of marriage are court documents, a researcher should check with the local clerk of court to find divorce records.

Circuit courts in Florida have jurisdiction over dissolution of marriage proceedings. Circuit courts in Florida house the criminal, civil, and family law courts. The Alachua County Family & Civil Justice Center has jurisdiction over dissolution of marriage proceedings in the county.¹

All court files produced from dissolution of marriage cases are maintained by the Alachua County Clerk of the Court.² Interested parties can request to copy or inspect divorce records by contacting the clerk’s office. The oldest case files that are available to the public for in person inspection are from 1928.

Online dissolution of marriage records are available for cases from September 2001 to the present. These records are available on the Alachua County Clerk Court Records Access Page. This database allows researchers to locate court case information, including for dissolution of marriage cases.

Users of this database search can perform a general index search or a name-based search. The General Index Search allows users to narrow the search to exclusively dissolution of marriage cases. This can be accomplished by checking the ‘Civil’ box under ‘Search Options’ and selecting ‘DRDA – Dissolutions and Annulments’ in the ‘Case Type’ drop-down menu.

The General Index Search also requires users to enter a last name, status date range, or citation number to produce results. When results are generated you will see dissolution of marriage cases. This could mean either a divorce or annulment.

To view additional information specific to a particular dissolution of marriage case, click on the case number. This will reveal the type of case, whether it is a divorce or annulment, the names of the parties, hearing dates, and disposition date.

The Case/Name Information search requires both the last and first name or case number for the search to yield results. You cannot strictly narrow results to dissolution of marriage cases using this method.

In addition to viewing dissolution of marriage records online for free, interested persons can make a request to the Alachua County Clerk of Court. There are no clear instructions on what exactly the request should contain. A request should at least contain enough information about a divorce case such that the clerk’s office can locate the correct case file.

Generally, this information includes the names of the parties and the date of the dissolution of marriage. The requester should also provide their contact information, including their name, address, email, and phone number.

The cost of certified and non-certified court records is $1 per page. Additional fees may be applied for searches.

Requests can be emailed or mailed:

Alachua County Clerk of Court
Attn: Public Records Custodian 
201 East University Avenue
Gainesville, Florida 32601

Email: [email protected]

It is unclear whether the requested records are certified or not. For more information, contact the Alachua County Clerk of Court Family Law Division.

Phone: 352.374.3618
Fax: 352.338.3207

Review Divorce or Dissolution of Marriage Information via Cities Within Alachua County

Counties in Florida are the primary go-to for dissolution of marriage case records. As described in the section above, county circuit courts house the family courts that have jurisdiction over divorce and annulment cases.

County searches allow for the broadest results because they encompass dissolution of marriage cases filed by residents who live or have lived in the cities and towns located in the county. In Alachua County, this includes cities like Gainesville, Hawthorne, High Springs, and the city of Alachua.

There are instances where requesting divorce records on the city or municipal level is beneficial. It is common for municipal government staff to be more attentive and receptive to in-person requests. Also, the municipal city halls where document request services are likely performed are generally located more conveniently than county courthouses or administrative buildings.

However, the cities in Alachua County do not offer dissolution of marriage record copying and inspection services. This is because dissolution of marriage cases are handled by the county circuit court, and interested persons may request these records from the Alachua County Clerk of Court.

Alternatively, interested persons can also request divorce records from a Florida state agency. More on that below.

How To Search the Florida Department of Health Bureau of Vital Statistics for Divorce Records Throughout the State

Every search for divorce records will not be successful on the first try. There are times when searching the county circuit court in your county does not produce the results you need. This could be because the dissolution of marriage records you are looking for are not located in your county.

In these cases, your county clerk of court will not be able to assist. Nonetheless, a broader state vital records office will prove to be helpful. When you cannot find divorce records in Alachua County, requesting dissolution of marriage records through the Florida Department of Health Bureau of Vital Statistics is your best bet.⁵

Every clerk of the circuit court in Florida forwards reports concerning vital records to the Bureau of Vital Statistics. Specifically, after a dissolution of marriage is filed with the circuit court, the clerk will forward a report within 60 days. These reports or divorce certificates are available for any member of the public to obtain.

Dissolution of marriage certificates can be requested by walk-in service, mail, or online. Interested persons can save time by completing an Application for Dissolution of Marriage.⁶

In addition to providing the requester’s name and contact information, the name of at least one spouse, the date of the dissolution, and the county where the divorce was granted should also be included. If the dissolution of marriage happened before 1970, the husband’s name must be provided as this was the manner in which the records were indexed.

Because divorce records are public you do not have to be related to any of the parties to the proceeding. If you do not have access to the application, a written request can substitute as long as it includes:

• Full name of both spouses
• Date of dissolution
• County
• Full name of person making request
• Requester’s mailing address
• Requester’s phone number
• Signature

There are several fees associated with requesting dissolution of marriage certificates. They are as follows:

• Search fee for one year and first certified copy $5
• Additional certified copy $4
• Additional search fee per year $2
• Rush order fee $10
• Shipping $1

Walk-in orders may be paid by cash, card, check, or money order. Mail-in orders may only be paid via check or money order. Checks and money order payments must be made payable to ‘Vital Statistics’.

For walk-in orders, the Florida Department of Health Bureau of Vital Statistics is open to the public from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Walk-in address:

Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics
1217 North Pearl Street
Jacksonville, Florida 32202

Mail-in address:

Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics
PO Box 210
Jacksonville, Florida 32231

Interested persons may also request dissolution of marriage certificates online through the third-party platform VitalChek. Requests can also be made by calling VitalChek at +1.877.550.7330.

The fee for the first certificate is $15. There is also a $7 process fee, $4 additional computer-generated certification fee, $2 additional calendar year search fee, and shipping fees.

Alachua County and the state of Florida do not maintain a historical divorce index. The Alachua County Clerk of Court Archives Entry Page does contain marriage records from 1837 through May 1973. This is a name-based search where researchers can enter the name of a groom or bride to locate marriage records.

Are Alachua County Divorce Records Publicly Accessible?

Divorce records in Alachua County are publicly available. Under the Florida Sunshine Law, records within the control of public and government agencies are available for inspection.⁷

The Florida Sunshine Law can be read in Code 119.07. It states that a government agency with control of a public record must permit the record to be copied and inspected by anyone who makes a request, unless a specific exemption applies. Exemptions are listed in Florida Code 119.071.⁸

Dissolution of marriage records are not only public but also vital records. Florida Code 382.002(18) defines certified copies of vital records to include dissolution of marriage records.⁹

Florida Code 382.025 is the state law that governs the public’s authority to copy vital records. It asserts that government departments like the Florida Department of Health Bureau of Vital Statistics must comply with requests for copies of dissolutions of marriage. It also provides that departments may attach fees and other rules for requests.

If a member of the public is denied access to a dissolution of marriage certificate, they have 30 days after receiving the denial to file a civil action. The Florida Attorney General’s Office can assist requesters who have been denied a dissolution of marriage certificate or decree.¹⁰

When someone is served with ‘divorce papers’, it generally means their spouse has filed for divorce. The spouse will be named as the Petitioner or Plaintiff, and the person who has received service will be the Respondent or Defendant.

At the end of the dissolution of the marriage proceeding, the family court judge will enter the judgment or order. This judgment is called the decree.

Divorce decrees in Florida can only be obtained from the county circuit court where the event took place. Certificates can be obtained from the Florida Department of Health Bureau of Vital Statistics.

There is no such thing as common law marriages in Florida, so there is no such thing as common law divorce. You need an official marriage license from a county court judge to be legally married in Florida.

If a person cannot locate a dissolution of marriage record from the county clerk of court or the Florida Vital Statistics office, a third-party provider may be able to assist. However, any divorce records obtained from a third-party provider independent from a county or state agency cannot be used in any official capacity.

You can inspect and copy Alachua County divorce records today; learn the process and methods described above and you will be on your way to obtaining a dissolution of marriage record.