How to Search Broward County Court Records
The official portal is the Broward Clerk Case Search. It covers civil, criminal, family, probate, traffic, and misdemeanor records held by Brenda D. Forman's office. The portal is free. Florida's Standards for Access to Electronic Court Records control which document images open for which user account.
Before starting, gather the party's full name, the case type if known, and the approximate filing year. A case number is the fastest path. The Clerk caps each result list at the first 200 hits, so narrow the search with court type, middle name, or a date range when a name is common. The Clerk also runs an anonymous case search interface for users without a registered account.
The image below shows the live case search page used by the public.
The four tabs at the top control which Broward County court records search mode runs.
- Open the Clerk site at browardclerk.org/Web2 in a current browser.
- Choose Party Name, Business Name, Case Number, or Citation Number.
- Type the full last name and first name. Add a middle name for common surnames.
- Narrow with Court Type, Civil Case Type, or a filing date range. Both Date From and Date To are required for a range.
- Click Search. Review case number, parties, court type, filing date, and status in the result list.
- Click into a case to read the progress docket and the available documents.
- Buy an electronic certified court document at $8.00 each if the image is viewable.
- If a document is older or restricted, file a Court Records Request Form with the Archives Division.
Broward County Court Records Search Fields
Each field on the portal has its own rule. Short names trigger exact-match behavior, and a filing-date range needs both ends filled. The table below maps each field to its job.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes / Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Name | Text | Yes for party search | Last names under 3 characters return exact matches only. |
| First Name | Text | Yes for party search | First names under 2 characters return exact matches only. |
| Middle Name | Text | No | Use to cut down on common-name hits. |
| Court Type | Dropdown | No | Civil, family, probate, felony, misdemeanor, traffic, and more. |
| Civil Case Type | Dropdown | No | Eviction, small claims, removal of tenant, distress for rent, and similar codes. |
| Date From / Date To | Date | Both for date range | MM/DD/YYYY format. |
| Business Name | Text | Yes for business search | Searches business or organization parties. |
| Case Number | Text | Yes for case search | No spaces, dashes, or punctuation. Up to 12 characters. |
| Citation Number | Text | Yes for citation search | Traffic only. Example format: 1234ABC. Boating uses party name. |
Case number prefixes are part of the identifier. CACE is Civil Action Central, COCE is County Civil Central, DVCE is Domestic Violence Central, FMCE is Family Central, and PRC is Probate.
Types of Broward County Court Records
Broward divides court records by case type. Each type sits in its own division with its own access rule. The list below tracks the main record buckets the Clerk holds.
- Circuit Civil - civil disputes above $50,000, injunctions, real-property title actions, and limited appeals from County Court.
- County Civil - small claims, evictions, landlord-tenant cases, and civil suits up to $50,000.
- Circuit Criminal - felony prosecutions filed by the State Attorney for the 17th Judicial Circuit.
- County Criminal - misdemeanors and criminal traffic, including DUI/DWI in many cases.
- Unified Family - divorce, paternity, child support, and time-sharing files.
- Probate & Guardianship - estates, wills, guardianships, and mental health cases.
- Traffic - civil traffic infractions and citations from BSO and local law enforcement.
- Domestic Violence - injunctions and protective orders, with limited public access.
What Broward County Court Records Show
A typical Broward case detail page lists a fixed set of fields. Confidential data is redacted under Florida Rule 2.420 and Rule 2.425. The table below shows each field and what it carries.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Case Number | Prefix plus two-digit year plus sequence. Example: CACE15085978. |
| Filing Date | Date the case opened in the Clerk's system. |
| Parties | Plaintiff/defendant, petitioner/respondent, or State of Florida/defendant. |
| Court Type | Division code such as Civil, Family, Probate, Felony, or Traffic. |
| Progress Docket | Date-stamped list of filings, hearings, and orders. |
| Disposition | Pending, disposed, dismissed, adjudicated, withhold adjudication, sealed, or expunged. |
| Hearings | Date, time, courtroom, judge, and hearing type when set. |
| Financials | Filing fees, fines, costs, restitution, bond, and payment status. |
| Documents | PDFs of viewable filings, where allowed for that case type. |
Public Access Framework for Broward Court Records
Florida builds its open records system on three layers. Article I, section 24 of the Florida Constitution sets the right of access. Chapter 119 of the Florida Statutes governs agency records. Florida Rule 2.420 governs judicial branch records. The right is broad, but each layer carries exemptions for sealed cases, juvenile files, and confidential information.
Section 119.07 requires custodians to allow inspection and copying at reasonable times. If an exemption applies to part of a record, the custodian must redact the exempt part and produce the rest. The custodian must cite the exemption and, if asked, state the reason in writing with particularity.
The Clerk implements those standards by limiting electronic document images for Domestic Violence, Family, Guardianship, Mental Health, and Probate cases to Attorney of Record or Registered User access. Public counters and Public Access Terminals at courthouse locations help when an online view is blocked.
Note: Online court information does not constitute the official court records of the Clerk. For a court-ready copy of any Broward case file, order a certified document or visit the Clerk in person.
Records That Are Sealed or Confidential in Broward County
Several Broward case categories carry tight rules. Juvenile and adoption records are the most restricted. Juvenile records are only sold by the Juvenile division. Domestic Violence, Family, Guardianship, Mental Health, and Probate cases need Attorney of Record or Registered User access for electronic documents. Divorce document images filed after 2002 are not online under a Florida Supreme Court order, but the case index can still be viewed.
To view a sealed record, a person typically needs a court order showing standing or party status, or counsel for a party. To clear a record, a defendant applies to FDLE for a Certificate of Eligibility, then petitions the court under section 943.0585 for expunction or section 943.059 for sealing. The FDLE seal and expunge FAQ covers the process in detail.
In-Person Court Record Requests
When a document is older or restricted, the Clerk's Archives Division handles the request. Archives sits in the Central Courthouse East Building at 201 SE 6th Street, third floor, Room 03305. The Clerk's Archives Division page lists the year ranges by case type. Plain copies are $1.00 per page. Certification adds $2.00 per document. Records search runs $2.00 per year searched.
The image below shows the Clerk's self-service filing tool, which is a separate path for small claims, eviction, and dissolution forms.
The self-service tool is not a substitute for the case search, but it helps a self-represented party prepare a new case before filing.
Clerk of Courts - Archives Division
201 SE 6th Street
East Building, 3rd Floor, Room 03305
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
954-831-6565
Mon-Fri 8:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Older Broward County Court Records
Older Broward records do not always sit in the main online system. The Clerk's records-request page calls out Civil Court Records filed before 04/01/2013 and Criminal Court Records filed before 01/06/2014 as categories where older documents may need a request or in-person visit. Traffic and misdemeanor cases filed before 2011 were routinely purged from the main system and now need a Court Records Request or an in-person trip to the Archives Division.
Sealed or expunged criminal cases follow a different rule. Those records are only sold by the division where the case was filed, not by the general Archives counter. Juvenile records are only sold by the Juvenile division. Older marriage records from 1915 to 1997 are only available in person at the Marriage Central Courthouse location, while records from 1998 to the present can be ordered from any listed courthouse counter.