About the Duval County Clerk's Office
Florida uses a unified clerk structure. In Duval, the office is the Clerk of the Circuit and County Courts. The current Clerk is Jody Phillips. Unlike Texas, Duval is not split into a District Clerk and a County Clerk. One elected office covers both court levels and the county-recorder role. That makes the Clerk the single custodian for circuit-court files, county-court files, official records, and a long list of county-service functions tied to those records.
The Clerk's site at duvalclerk.gov is the front door. It points users to CORE for court cases, the Official Records portal for deeds and liens, eCertify for digital certified copies, and a forms library. The office also runs jury services, marriage licenses, traffic payments, passport intake, and tax deeds. Court-record access is shaped by Florida Supreme Court rules; the Clerk applies the access matrix.
Duval County Clerk: Downtown Courthouse
Clerk: Jody Phillips
501 W. Adams Street
Jacksonville, FL 32202
(904) 255-2000
Mon-Fri 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
What the Duval County Clerk Does
The Clerk wears many hats. The office files pleadings, maintains the case docket, issues process, manages exhibits, posts orders, and collects fees. Beyond the courts, the Clerk records instruments under the county-recorder role spelled out in Fla. Stat. § 28.222. The Recording function logs party names, instrument type, filing number, and the filing date and time. The fee structure is built on Fla. Stat. § 28.24, which authorizes copy, search, certification, and recording charges. The Clerk's office locations page lists hours and addresses for the public counters.
- Court files for circuit civil, county civil, small claims, felony, misdemeanor, family, probate, juvenile, traffic, and mental health cases.
- Recording deeds, mortgages, judgments, satisfactions, claims of lien, and military discharges.
- Marriage licenses, premarital course discounts, and ceremony coordination through the Marriage License Department.
- Jury services for Duval-based trials, including summons handling and check-in at the courthouse.
- Traffic payments through the Traffic Violations Bureau and online portal.
- Public records requests through the Public Information Officer.
- Tax deeds, passports, eRecording, property fraud alert, and unclaimed funds.
A snapshot of the Clerk's home page from duvalclerk.gov shows the main service menu users start from.
The page links to court records, official records, services, payments, forms, and contact information in one block, which is why most users start at this URL rather than at a specific department page.
Duval Clerk Office Locations and Hours
The Clerk lists two public locations. The Downtown Courthouse on West Adams Street holds most court and records functions. The Beaches Branch in Neptune Beach handles a smaller set of services, marriage appointments, and recording. Both sites are closed on city holidays. Court hours from the Fourth Judicial Circuit page are 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. weekdays; the Clerk public counters open at 8:00 a.m. Anyone heading downtown should plan for security screening at the courthouse door.
The Downtown Courthouse sits on West Adams Street between Pearl and Broad Streets. Records traffic moves through several specific rooms. Marriage license service lives in Room 2403. Official Records and Research uses Room 1253. Public records inquiries route through Room 2338. Probate, traffic, criminal, family, jury, and payments are also handled on the same floors. The Clerk's office locations page publishes the current address list.
The Beaches Branch at 1543 Atlantic Boulevard, Neptune Beach, is open 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and runs out of Tradewinds Plaza. Marriage applicants can use a QR-code or kiosk option at the branch and pre-apply through eMarriage. The screenshot above is the source for the address list.
Duval Clerk Online Systems
The Clerk runs four main online tools, and each handles a different record type. CORE is for court cases. Official Records is for recorded instruments like deeds. eCertify is for digital certified copies. eRecording is for title companies, lenders, and other authorized submitters. The Clerk's court-records access page ties it all together.
- CORE: Clerk Online Resource ePortal
- The court-record portal at core.duvalclerk.com. Public users see non-confidential records in non-confidential case types. A free registered account lets a user ask the Clerk to review and publish a specific document under Florida Rule 2.420.
- Official Records and Research
- Search and view recorded instruments since 1988 at the Official Records and Research page. Marriage licenses recorded since February 1981 are also included. Uncertified copies can be downloaded for free.
- eCertify
- Order digital certified copies of official records back to 1988 and certified court records through CORE. The email link is valid for 30 days, and the digital seal can be verified by link or QR code.
- eRecording
- Authorized submitters file deeds, mortgages, liens, and satisfactions electronically with the Clerk as county recorder under Fla. Stat. § 28.2221.
A look at the Official Records and Research page shows how the office presents these tools side by side. The page is the source for room numbers, search options, and contact lines.
That same page is where users start when they need a deed copy from the 1990s or when an older marriage license is being verified for a benefits claim.
Duval Clerk Fee Schedule
The Clerk publishes a fee schedule that mirrors statutory charges from Fla. Stat. § 28.24. The table below pulls the items most users ask about. Card payments carry a 3.5% in-office service fee and a 2.75% online public-records service fee. Personal checks are not accepted for marriage license purchase, and cashier's checks or money orders are preferred for mail orders. The full list is on the Clerk's fee schedules page.
| Item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Certified copy per instrument or document | $2.00 | Statutory rate; same for in-office and digital. |
| Plain copy per page (up to 14 in. x 8.5 in.) | $1.00 | Standard size; office copy. |
| Plain copy per page (oversized) | $5.00 | Larger than 14 in. x 8.5 in. |
| Exemplified certificate | $7.00 | Includes signing and sealing. |
| Records search per year searched | $2.00 | Per name, per year. |
| Seal a court file or expungement of record | $59.00 | Charged once per order processed. |
| CD duplication | $2.00 | From general fee schedule. |
| DVD duplication | $5.00 | From general fee schedule. |
| Online eCertified official record | $2.00 + $6 vendor + card fee | Triedata processing fee plus 3.5% card service fee. |
The fee schedule itself is shown below. The Clerk updates it as Florida statute changes; always confirm against the live page before mailing a payment.
Note: Online card surcharges for public-records payments differ from in-office rates, so check the totals at the cart step before submitting.
Duval Records Request Form Fields
For complex public-records or court-records requests, the Clerk uses the "Request to Obtain Complex Public and Court Records" form. The PDF is on the Clerk's forms library. Email submissions are preferred at Public.Info@duvalclerk.com. Mail goes to the Public Information Officer at the Downtown Courthouse address. The form's field list is short, but each line matters because the Clerk uses it to estimate cost under Fla. Stat. § 119.07.
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| Name of Person Requesting Records | Full legal name; needed for fee receipt and notice. |
| Street Address | Mailing address for paper return. |
| City | City of the requester. |
| State | State; out-of-state requesters use the same form. |
| ZIP Code | Required for mail return. |
| Used for the cost estimate and pickup notice. | |
| Phone Number | For follow-up if the Clerk needs to narrow the request. |
| Date of Request | The date the form is signed and submitted. |
| Description of Records Requested | Free-text section; the more specific, the lower the search fee. |
| Signature | Required for the Clerk to log and process the request. |
After the form lands, the Clerk's Public Records Department contacts the requester with a cost estimate and a pickup or delivery plan. Payment can be made online, in person, or by mail.
How to Request a Certified Copy
Certified copies are the legal-grade version of a court record. They carry the Clerk's stamp or digital seal, and they hold up in other courts, agencies, and consulates. The Duval Clerk offers two main paths. The eCertify path goes through CORE for court records or the Official Records portal for recorded instruments. The in-person path goes through Room 1253. The steps below cover both.
- Find the case or instrument first. Use CORE for court records and the Official Records portal for deeds, liens, and marriage records.
- Verify identifiers. Have the case number, party names, filing date, or instrument number ready. Older files may need a date-of-birth or year of filing.
- For an eCertified court record, open the document inside CORE and pick the eCertify option. Pay the $2 certification fee plus the $6 Triedata processing fee and the 3.5% card-service charge.
- Check the email for the secure link. The link works for 30 days and can be re-verified by link or QR code.
- For an in-person certified copy, walk into Room 1253 at 501 W. Adams Street between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Bring photo ID and the case or instrument number.
- For mail requests, send the case or instrument number, party names, dates, a self-addressed stamped envelope, and a money order or cashier's check to the Clerk at 501 W. Adams Street, Jacksonville, FL 32202.
- For sealed or expunged matters, the Clerk applies the $59 fee under the order, and the file is not produced as a public certified copy.
Note: An uncertified PDF downloaded from the public portal is not the same as a certified copy and is not accepted by most agencies as proof of a court order.
Public Records Department Contacts
Routine departmental requests, like a copy of one docket entry, are handled by the relevant department line. Bigger or media-style requests route through the Clerk's Public Records Department. Email is preferred for tracking. The full list of contacts is on the Public Information page. Florida's broad open-records law under Fla. Stat. § 119.0714 and Chapter 119 shapes the timelines and exemptions.
- All Clerk departments general line: (904) 255-2000.
- Official Records and Research: (904) 255-2025.
- Public Records Department: (904) 255-1828, Public.Info@duvalclerk.com.
- Jury Services: (904) 255-2087.
- Traffic Violations Bureau: (904) 255-2300.
- CORE access help line: (904) 255-2389 or CORE@DuvalClerk.com.
Personal identifiers are redacted under Fla. Stat. § 119.0714. Protected-group home addresses can also be redacted on written request. Family, juvenile, probate, and adoption files have separate online access rules under Rule 2.420.