Access Broward County Clerk Records

About the Broward Clerk of Courts

The elected Clerk is Brenda D. Forman, Clerk of the Circuit and County Courts. The Clerk's official biography states that she was first elected in November 2016 and sworn in on January 3, 2017, then reelected to a second term in August 2020 and sworn in January 5, 2021, then reelected to a third term in August 2024 and sworn in January 6, 2025. She is the first African American and first elected female Clerk in the history of the Broward County Clerk of Court's Office. Before becoming Clerk, she worked in the Broward County Clerk of Courts Office, the State Attorney's Office, and private business.

The Clerk's About the Office page lists the agency biography and the official functions of the Broward Clerk.

Unified Clerk Structure in Broward

Florida runs a unified Clerk model in most counties. Broward does not have the Texas-style split between a county clerk and a district clerk. The same Clerk holds the circuit and county case records. The same office issues marriage licenses, registers passports, files probate, and runs the family forms counter. The unified structure cuts down on confusion for residents because one Clerk holds the court file regardless of court type.

The Clerk's office handles court filings, retrieval of arrest records, traffic citations, affidavits, marriage licenses, probate filings, and related court documents. The office also collects court fees, creates court dockets, notifies participants, and serves as custodian for the official court file. Online services include court payments, court records search, forms, eFiling references, marriage licenses, passports, traffic and misdemeanor records, probate and guardianship, family forms, self-service filing, records requests, and electronic certified documents.

Broward Clerk Locations and Services

The Clerk runs four main courthouses and the Midrise Building. Each location offers a different set of services. Public counters generally operate Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., excluding holidays. The hours and locations page is the official source.

• Central Courthouse West Building, 201 SE 6th Street, Fort Lauderdale - passports, family law, domestic violence, foreclosures, probate, wills, guardianship, mental health, traffic, misdemeanor, small claims, and evictions.
• Central Courthouse North Building, 201 SE 6th Street - felony criminal court.
• Central Courthouse East Building, 201 SE 6th Street - jury services and archives reference.
• Midrise Building, 540 SE 3rd Avenue - Child Support Depository, marriage licenses, and ceremonies.
• North Regional, South Regional, and West Regional courthouses - traffic and regional services.

Clerk Office Contact Card

Broward Clerk Records Requests

The Clerk's records request page covers three paths. The path depends on whether the document is online, in person, or in the Archives. Records by Request can take up to two weeks once received.

The Archives Division page lists the year ranges covered for each case type and the request workflow for older Broward records.

• Electronic certified documents - $8.00 per document; viewable online court documents only.
• In-person court records - $1.00 per page; $2.00 per certification; $2.00 per year searched.
• Court records by request - same fees; processing can take up to two weeks once received.
• Marriage records - $5.00 first copy; $3.00 each additional copy.
• Older records - civil before 04/01/2013 and criminal before 01/06/2014 may need a request or in-person trip.
• Sealed or expunged criminal records - only sold by the division where the case was filed.
• Juvenile records - only sold by the Juvenile division.

Broward Clerk Fee Schedule

The Clerk publishes a fixed fee schedule on the fees and costs page. The table below holds the items most users need.

The Clerk's official fee schedule is the live source. Confirm fees before paying because the schedule may be updated.

Broward Clerk Case Search

The Clerk's case search portal is the central search tool. It supports party name, business name, case number, and citation searches. The Clerk also offers an Advanced Search Service for bulk-data customers. The Clerk's notice on the case search site states that the information on the site does not constitute the official court records of the Clerk.

Public users without an Attorney of Record or Registered User account see a limited document layer for Domestic Violence, Family, Guardianship, Mental Health, and Probate cases. The case index remains searchable. Document images need registered access for those case types.

How to Request a Broward Certified Copy

Certified copies are court-ready documents. They carry the Clerk's seal and signature. The step-by-step below walks through a Broward certified-copy request.

1. Identify the case using the Clerk case search.
2. Check whether the document image is viewable online. If yes, order an electronic certified court document for $8.00.
3. If the document is not online, fill out the Court Records Request Form.
4. Specify the case number, document title, and certification request.
5. Include contact information and a delivery method.
6. Pay the per-page fee, the $2.00 certification fee, and any per-year search fee.
7. Wait up to two weeks for a Records by Request order.
8. Verify the receiving agency accepts the certified copy format and age.

Broward Clerk Self Service Center

The Broward Clerk Self Service Center is an interactive form-preparation tool. It supports Small Claims, Eviction, and Dissolution of Marriage. The page warns that it is built for PC or laptop use with older Internet Explorer compatibility and may not run as designed on Chrome, Firefox, Safari, smartphones, tablets, or Mac platforms. The page also states it is not a substitute for legal advice and that the Clerk is not responsible for the legal sufficiency of any document prepared.

The Self Service page lets a user prepare basic forms before filing with the Clerk's Family or County Civil divisions.

Marriage, Probate, Traffic, and Family Services

The Clerk runs several specialized counters. See marriage and divorce records for marriage licenses and family filings. See probate records for estates and guardianship. See traffic court records for civil traffic and criminal traffic citation lookups. See court records for the general case-search walkthrough.