Free Escambia County Public Records: Search Criminal, Court, Arrests & Vital Records

Free Escambia County Public Records Search
Access Escambia County Records: marriage, divorce, warrants, arrests, probation, criminal, court, background checks, and all public records.

Escambia County public records can be accessed due to the Florida Sunshine Laws, which place the state among the most open in the union. These public records include marriage, divorce, criminal, arrest, warrants, probationer information, background check reports, property records and court records, which are available through various government agencies.

Knowing what type of records can be accessed and which agency hosts and distributes said records can be the difference between finding them quickly or searching around for hours.

No matter what’s being searched for or the reason why, this resource provides citizens with everything necessary to find public information in Escambia County, Florida, quickly and efficiently.

How To Find Free Arrest Records, Mugshots & More in Escambia County FL

Offenders who may be in custody in the county can be searched for through the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and local city police departments that may operate city jails.

Before beginning the search for arrest records in Escambia County, it is imperative to have some details of the person that needs to be found. Having information such as last name and first name is for the most part sufficient. However, having more details like the date of birth and offender number can make the search easier.

Law enforcement agencies such as the sheriff’s office and local city police departments may have online rosters that make it easy and quick to find this information online. These rosters are mostly free to use, and they typically don’t require any form of registration. If these online tools are not available, then interested parties can opt to either call or visit the police departments and obtain this information.

Search Arrest Logs via the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office

The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office (ECSO) is the main law enforcement agency in the county and the town of Century—therefore, the sheriff’s office will be the main point of contact when looking for Escambia County arrest records. The ECSO has 6 precincts and one county jail that houses male and female inmates.

Florida’s Sunshine Laws in the state’s constitution mandates that records either created or received by public agencies including criminal records are available for public consumption without the need to provide a reason barring some exemptions such as sealed court records.1

Due to these laws, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office has made a database of inmates who are booked into custody available for public viewing which can be used to find out if someone is in jail. This database can conveniently be accessed using the Escambia County Arrest Records Search Tool for free and without the need to register. Upon opening the jail roster, users can view Escambia County bookings of inmates booked within the last 24 hours.

A screenshot taken from Escambia County Inmate look-up shows the required fields to search, which include the inmate's full name, begin booking date, end booking date, and an option to sort the result from the dropdown, submit and reset button at the bottom, alongside was the information of offenders booked for the last 24 hours.
Source: Escambia County Inmate Lookup17

Jail records can be queried to find someone’s mugshot using these criteria.

  • Last name
  • First name
  • Middle name
  • Begin or end booking date
  • Choosing the option to find current or released inmates

The second option to search for daily arrest records is by contacting city police departments within the county. In some cases, some city police departments may operate city jails that may have arrest logs of offenders who are in custody.

There is however only one city police department in Escambia County—this is the Pensacola Police Department. To obtain information on recent arrest reports, interested parties can contact the police department directly.

How To View Marriage & Divorce Records in Escambia County FL

Marriage and divorce records and certificates are considered public records in the state of Florida except in the cases when they are sealed—they can be found and requested from 3 sources, namely the Escambia County Clerk of the Circuit Court, Florida Department of Health (DOH) – Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics, and online through VitalChek which is a 3rd party vendor that is authorized by the DOH.

Whether requestors are looking to find out if someone is married or obtain their divorce records for official purposes, it is best to start with county resources since these events are performed at these agencies.

Marriage license copies and divorce decrees may be obtained from the Escambia County Clerk of the Circuit Court, and the processes for obtaining both sets of vital records are outlined in the next sections.

Order Copies of Marriage Licenses & Divorce Decrees From the Escambia County Clerk of the Circuit Court

Interested parties can request certified and uncertified copies of marriage licenses and divorce decrees by filling out the divorce decree requests form and furnish information such as name of the parties and case number.2 In cases, where a party to the case is requesting the record and requires information that is typically redacted, valid government issued ID will be required.

The cost for a certified and uncertified license cost $3.00 and $1.00 respectively. Payments can be made in cash but in person only. Money order, cashier’s check and personal checks are also accepted. While major credit cards such as MasterCard, Visa, American Express, and Discover can be used as payment, a 3.5% surcharge will apply.

Their mailing address appears below:

Public Records Center
P.O. Box 333
Pensacola, FL 32591-0333

Marriage & divorce records can be requested by visiting the Escambia County Clerk of the Circuit Court’s public record center at:

Escambia County Clerk of the Circuit Court
Public Record Center
120 E. Blount Street
Pensacola, Florida 32501
850.595.4146
[email protected]

Note: Complete steps for obtaining Escambia County marriage records can be viewed for greater insight, or searchers can follow the guidance below. Similarly, the tutorial for looking up records of anyone divorced in Escambia County can make for a seamless search.

Retrieve Copies of Marriage Licenses & Divorce Decrees Through the Florida Department of Health (DOH) – Bureau of Vital Statistics

Citizens of Escambia County can request marriage and divorce records and certificates from the Florida Department of Health (DOH) – Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics through either mail-in, in-person request or online through VitalChek.

Mail & Walk-in Requests for Marriage & Divorce Certificates: Download and print either the marriage certificate application or divorce certificate application. Both cost $5.00 for the first copy, and any additional copies will cost $4.00. Sometimes, the department may search for additional years for an unknown vital event date. This will cost $2.00 per year of search with a maximum charge of $50.00.

Rush orders cost an additional $10.00, and envelopes should be marked “Rush.”

All documents will need to be mailed to this address:

Florida Department of Health
Bureau of Vital Statistics
ATTENTION: Vital Records Section
P.O. Box 210
Jacksonville, FL 32231

It takes 3-5 business days for certificates to be processed. This applies to events that took place in 1970. Records issued before then will require more processing time and are mailed as photocopy certificates.

A screenshot of the form from the Department of Health Application for Florida marriage certificate shows the required information the applicant must provide, including the information for marriage search; the Department's logo is at the top left corner.
Source: Florida Department of Health Bureau of Vital Statistics18

Walk-in requests can be dropped off during business hours at:

Department of Bureau of Vital Statistics
1217 N. Pearl St
Jacksonville, FL 32202

Applicants who may have concerns and queries can direct them to (904)-359-6900 or email [email protected].

Online Requests for Marriage & Divorce Certificates Using VitalChek: Online requests for marriage and divorce certificates can be done through VitalChek which is the only authorized contracted vendor of the Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics.3 Marriage and divorce certificates cost $15.00 and additional copies cost $4.00.

A screenshot from the Florida Department of Health showing the available certificates that can be obtained from their website and a link to order certificates online; the logo of the Department is at the top left corner.
Source: Florida Department of Health3

Interested parties who desire to obtain records for marriages that took place outside Florida or those that took place outside the United States should visit the National Center of Health Statistics.4

For marriages and divorces that took place before 1927, contact the Escambia County Clerk of the Circuit Court.

If a record is needed for a marriage or divorce that occurred within the state but outside of Escambia County, citizens can learn how to look up any statewide public records with the resource on how to obtain free marital, court, criminal, and more public information in Florida.

How To Locate Public Criminal Records in Escambia County

Criminal records in Escambia County for both personal and professional reasons can be obtained in several ways—these include county, state and federal government outlined below:

Look Up Criminal Records Through the Escambia County Clerk of the Circuit Court: Interested parties have the option of finding criminal records by scouring through court records maintained by the Escambia County Clerk of the Circuit Court.

The clerk of the circuit court has a convenient Escambia County Criminal Records Search tool that is free to use and can be utilized to find court records that are of a criminal nature—when using this feature, interested parties should select felony and criminal traffic options.

An image displays the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Escambia County, Florida's case search feature where Users can search by name, case number, or citation number and must complete a captcha to verify they are human; a search button is available to proceed, and the login page appears on the left side of the page.
Source: Pam Childers, Clerk Of The Circuit Court of Escambia County, Florida19

They may also make an official request to Obtain a Copy of a Court Record or contact the custodian of Escambia County public records who may be reached via (850)-595-4149 or [email protected].

Access Criminal Records via the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE)

The main repository for criminal history data in the state of Florida is the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) – Division of Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) and would be the main point of contact to retrieve criminal history information records (CHIR).5

Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) provides resources on searching Florida criminal records and national CHIR to government agencies for employment purposes and to allow the issuance of licenses such as real estate licenses and nursing licenses.

Pursuant to Florida Statute 943.056, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) provides Florida citizens a chance to review their criminal records for completeness to ensure they are accurate.6

There are several types of criminal background searches that can be done through the FDLE—these are:

  • Personal review checks
  • Instant searches
  • Certified or non-certified searches
  • Originating Agency Identification (ORI) searches

Personal Review Criminal Record Search: Personal reviews are free criminal record checks that allow citizens to ensure their criminal records are accurate; they are a fingerprint-based search (biometric) and cannot be used for employment purposes, immigration, licensing purposes and certification.

To perform these searches, download and print the personal review of Florida criminal history record form. Fingerprints can be captured at either Escambia County Sheriff’s Office or at the Pensacola Police Department. The completed request should then be mailed to this address:

Florida Department of Law Enforcement
Attention: Criminal History Record Maintenance Section
P.O. Box 1489
Tallahassee, FL 32302-1489

If no record is found, the FDLE will mail a “no record” response.

For inquiries about the personal review process or how to challenge incorrect criminal records, contact the Criminal History Record Maintenance Section by email: [email protected]. or phone: (850)-410-7898

These types of checks can only be run by the owner of the record or designated attorneys. To run a background check on someone else, the other 3 forms of searches will need to be performed. These are discussed below.

Find Criminal Records Through Instant Search: This type of search can be done either for personal checks of criminal history or can be done for someone else without the need to obtain consent. Unlike the personal review, this type of search is name based and is done online, giving instantaneous results of the criminal history information (CHIR).

Nevertheless, they are not certified, nor are official records.

Users can print and email copies of the results. These searches cost $24.00, and since they are paid for via credit card, there is a $1.00 processing fee, bringing the total amount to $25.00.

To run an Escambia County public records search for criminal records, interested parties should proceed to the Instant Florida Criminal History Search and select the ‘Public Search’ link. Input the required information and make payment, upon which the results of the search will be displayed.

Locate Criminal Records Through Certified or Non-Certified Searches: These types of searches cost $24.00 and are name based, but are conducted by FDLE staff upon receipt of the bio data placed by the requester. The results can be certified (notarized) upon request and are also paid for via credit card.

To commence these searches, Escambia County citizens will need to proceed to the Florida Criminal History Search link. They should then enter the required information and can apply for up to 10 alias names per subject. Review all the data and edit any incorrect information.

Non-certified and certified requests are processed within 5 and 7 business days, respectively. The processing time does not include U.S. mail delivery times.

Originating Agency Identification (ORI) Criminal Record Searches: ORI-based Florida criminal history searches are done by authorized agencies such as employers and state agencies. These are not conducted by the public, rather by state bodies that issue licenses and need to run criminal background checks for their employees.

How To Find Criminal Records Through State Resources (FL)

Other than the methods discussed before, the scope of the search can be widened to a Florida-wide criminal record lookup by contacting state and federal agencies, including the Florida Department of Corrections and searching the state’s sexual offender and predator system.

Florida Department of Corrections (FDC) — The FDC has a database of state offenders that can be accessed using the Florida Criminal Records Search tool. The feature allows the user to look up someone’s criminal record by accessing the index it maintains of offenders that have been sentenced to state prison and those under state supervision such as parolees.

A screenshot from the Florida Department of Corrections page shows the offender information request tab; users must input the offender's last name and first name to request, include the DC number to narrow the result, and submit and clear the request button at the bottom.
Source: Florida Department of Corrections20

Florida Sexual Offenders & Predators Registry—The sexual offenders and predators registry database can be accessed using the Florida Sexual Offenders & Predators Search Tool for free.

An image showing the Florida Sexual Offenders and Predators Registry from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement displays the offender search results, which include the inmate mugshots, full name, status, and address, search button at the top to filter the result.
Source: Florida Department of Law Enforcement21

The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP)—Interested parties can broaden the scope of their search even further by looking for offenders that have federal criminal records using the Federal Criminal Records Search Tool to find convicted and released offenders.

A screenshot of the Federal Bureau of Prisons' inmate search (Find By Name) displays a list of offenders with their full name, register number, age, race, sex, release date, and location.
Source: Federal Bureau of Prisons22

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)Federal criminal records can sought by submitting a biometric (fingerprint) based background check via the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). This Federal criminal record check can be submitted either online through the prior link or through a written request.

A screenshot from the Federal Bureau of Investigations shows the seven steps to submit a request such as (1) Complete the application form, (2) Select Preferences, (3) Submit fingerprints, (4) Payment, (5) Review and confirm the request, (6) Check request status and (7) Receive results.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation23

Written requests are completed using a fingerprint card. Fee for the check is $18.00 and is paid via money order or certified check. It is payable to the “Treasury of the United States.”

Criminal record requests should be sent to:

FBI CJIS Division – Summary Request
1000 Cluster Hollow Rd.
Clarksburg, WV 26306

How To Get a Background Check Done in Escambia County

Escambia citizens have several options when it comes to running background checks using county resources—these include:

  • Pensacola Police Department
  • Escambia County Sheriff’s Office
  • County Government of Escambia
  • Escambia County Clerk of the Circuit Court

Background Checks via the Pensacola Police Department—The Pensacola Police Department (PPD) gives citizens the ability to conduct background checks. However, these checks are for only those in the jurisdiction of the police department and do not include the city of Pensacola or Escambia County. The background checks costs $5.00 and requestors should bring a government issued ID to this address.

Pensacola Police Department
711 N. Hayne St.
Pensacola, Florida 32501
(850)-435-1900

The PPD also offers livescan and not roll (ink) fingerprints that costs $10.00 for first print and $5.00 for additional prints.

Background Checks via the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office—The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office records unit performs local criminal background checks. This is done by completing the criminal records request form where users can either create an account or make a request anonymously. The records office accepts local criminal history background checks.

The cost for the check will depend on the amount of record research and the resulting record duplication required.

Background Checks Through the County Government of Escambia—Public records, including criminal records, may also be retrieved from the County Government of Escambia pursuant to Chapter 119 of the Florida Statutes by making a Public Records/FOIA Request. Requesters may either log in or make the request anonymously.

Background Checks Using the Escambia County Clerk of the Circuit CourtCriminal records may be sought from the Escambia County Clerk of the Circuit Court, as was delved into earlier.

Other than the county resources, comprehensive background checks can be done through the (FDLE) – Division of Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS). This was touched upon earlier.

An Overview of Professional vs Personal Background Checks

There are two forms of background checks are carried out in Florida, and by extension in Escambia County : personal and professional background checks mostly carried out by employers and government agencies.

Personal Background Checks: Escambia County citizens will conduct personal checks for several reasons, including running criminal history checks on themselves to allow them to check the completeness and accuracy of their criminal records—this is a service the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) offers at no cost.

The FDLE has provisions that permit citizens to appeal any wrong information in their records. By having knowledge of information on their records, employees and job applicants will be better prepared when consenting to employer-based checks. Lastly, individuals may want to know information about members of family, friends, neighbors or even new acquaintances.

The FDLE has a provision to permit Florida citizens to run instant criminal history name-based checks that give immediate results—this was expounded upon earlier. This capability allows convenient background checks that can be done for personal reasons as well as checking on other people.

Additionally, requestors may have an apprehension about running checks through the FDLE or other government agencies—in these cases, they may choose to conduct searches through 3rd party vendors for a fee. These services are convenient to use because there is no need to know the location of the records or which government agency has custody of them. An element of privacy is introduced since there is no need to interact with government bodies.

Professional Background Checks: Professional background checks are carried out for a multitude of reasons, including:

  • They allow employers to make certain that qualified employees with the right credentials are hired.
  • By having data from background checks, employers are in a better position to make informed decisions before hiring.
  • They are required to obtain a license for firearms.
  • Landlords will run these checks for potential tenants.
  • Pursuant to Florida Statute 943.0542 and to safeguard public safety in the state, Florida has mandated level 1 and level 2 checks in the healthcare and childcare sectors which ensures the appropriate care of at risk members of the society as a result of hiring competent employees.7

Two types of background checks are performed in Escambia County, these are name based (level 1 checks) and fingerprint based checks (level 2 checks).

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) provides a service to conduct level 2 checks for employment purposes. They are more accurate than their name-based counterpart checks as it is not uncommon for individuals to use alternate names (aliases), which could result in wrong records being pulled up.

Additionally, background checks can be done through 3rd party vendors. These companies charge a fee but make the process of running background checks easier since there is no need to know the intricacies of the process of obtaining records. Performing checks in this way is also more of a private affair since there is no direct interaction with public agencies.

Background Check Statutes & Protections for Employees in Escambia County Florida

Florida has statutes and laws that protect employees’ privacy rights when it comes to background checks. While the state of Florida does not prohibit employees from obtaining criminal histories on employees, it does have ban-the-box laws in several counties and cities.

These laws protect employees by prohibiting employees from asking a job applicant about their criminal history or any police reports they may have when applying for a job. As a result of these laws, employers must also assess a candidate’s history before making a final determination of whether or not to hire them.

Escambia County is unfortunately not one of these counties ban-the-box laws and there are no cities within its boundaries that have these laws in place.

Nevertheless, there are other cities in Florida that have ban-the-box laws, including:

  • Orlando
  • Tampa
  • Jacksonville
  • Tallahassee
  • Sarasota

In addition to ban the box laws, federal government bodies such as the Fair Credit Reporting Act’s (FCRA) and the Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) protect employees of Escambia County in regards to criminal background checks.

The FCRA, for example, makes it such that employers need to obtain written consent from job applicants before they can perform criminal history checks. It also guides employers on what to do in case they take the steps of not hiring an applicant due to results from a check.

The EEOC has several laws—one of them being that not all arrest records can be treated equally by employers when it comes to hiring employees.

How To View Active Arrest Warrants in Escambia County

Warrants are part of public records in Florida and, by extension, in Escambia County—there are several options to search for warrants in the county; these include contacting the County Sheriff’s Office, the County Clerk of the Circuit Court and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE)

Look Up Warrants Through the Escambia County Clerk of the Circuit Court: The courts typically issue warrants such as bench warrants when offenders fail to show up for court hearings or when requested by law enforcement agencies due to an investigation being carried out—they would therefore be a viable method to find warrant information.

To find out if someone has a warrant, interested parties can use the Escambia Warrant Information Search Tool from the clerk of the courts. This is essentially a public index that searches court records from the court.

They may also contact the court to perform an official request to obtain a copy of a court record and search for the record by either case type or attorney and specify that they are performing general records search. This will cost $1.00 per copy per page.

Alternatively, they may also contact the custodian of public records who may be reached via (850)-595-4149 or [email protected].

Search for Warrant Information via the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE): The FDLE has a record data set of offenders that have warrants and to access this Public Access System (PAS), interested parties can make use of the Warrant & Wanted Person Search Tool.

The Public Access System provided by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Wanted Person Search page screenshot shows the required information to conduct a search which includes the offender's full name, nickname, race, sex (from the dropdown), DOB or age, and a captcha to verify that the user is human, help and submit button at the bottom.
Source: Florida Department of Law Enforcement Public Access System (PAS)24

This search feature can be used to find warrant information in Escambia County and other counties in the state; it is free to use and requires no registration. Several criteria can be used to run a warrant search, including:

  • Last, first and middle names
  • Nicknames (aliases)
  • Race
  • DOB etc.
A list of wanted individuals (page 1 out of 50) with their full name, date of birth, race, gender, and reporting agency; at the bottom, help and a new search button.
Source: Florida Department of Law Enforcement Public Access System (PAS)24

Obtain Warrant Information via the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office: The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office has a warrant division that has the task of finding and apprehending those with outstanding and active warrants.

This warrant unit cooperates with the clerk of court and the Florida’s State Attorney’s office using several databases to maintain warrant information. While the office does direct the public to the clerk of court and the Florida Department of Law (FDLE), interested parties may contact the sheriff’s office warrant unit located at the address below:

Escambia County Sheriff’s Office
Warrant Division
1700 W. Leonard St.
Pensacola, Florida 32501
(850)-436-9630

Further guidance on tracking down details of anyone wanted can be found by reviewing the instructions for finding Escambia County warrants.

How To Check if Someone Is on Probation in Escambia County

There are two options when it comes to searching for probation information in Escambia County: contacting either the Probation Services & the Escambia County Misdemeanor Probation Program or the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

In the state of Florida, probation is defined as a set period of time in which an offender who has been convicted and sentenced for a crime receives community supervision under certain conditions set by the court in lieu of a prison term.8

It should be noted that typically, the information released to the public by probation offices about offenders is limited, but Florida Probate Rules make it such that probation records are not part of Escambia County public records—nevertheless, conviction information is considered public record and is available online.9,10

Look Up Probation Information From the Escambia County Misdemeanor Probation Program: Interested parties may contact the Escambia County Misdemeanor Probation Program, which is charged with supervising defendants who are on probation and ensure that they can successfully complete the conditions set by the court.11

Contact information for the program can be found here.

Escambia County Misdemeanor Probation Program
6400 North West St.
Pensacola, FL 32505
(850)-595-3100

Search for Probation Information Using the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE): The Florida Department of Law Enforcement – Probation Services is charged with the supervision of almost 150,000 offenders throughout Florida and monitors and supervises offenders from court ordered supervision.12 This includes regular probation, drug-related probation and administrative probation.

To access information on individuals that are under conditional release and on parole, the FDLE has an online Probation Search Tool that can be used to track offenders in the county and in Florida.

A screenshot from the Florida Department of Corrections shows the list of individuals with their full name (attached link), DC no. race, sex, scheduled termination date, current location, and BOD.
Source: Florida Department of Corrections25

Additionally, the FDLE has community corrections regions & circuits in the State—Escambia County falls under the jurisdiction of the Pensacola Circuit Office with approximately 8000 offenders under supervision.13 The contact information for the circuit office appears below.

Pensacola Circuit Office
2108 Douglas Avenue
Pensacola, Florida 32504
(850)-595-8953
[email protected]

How To Find Court Records in Escambia County via the County Clerk of the Circuit Court, Case Search & Clerk E-Certify

Escambia County has several courts in its jurisdiction that serve different purposes and cater to varying case types. These Escambia County Court Services include the following. 14

  • Criminal Court—Criminal court deals with misdemeanor and felonies.
  • Civil Court—The civil court deals with small claims, civil claims up to $30,000, personal injury, foreclosures etc.
  • Family Law Court—Family law court primarily deals with divorces, adoption, custody, paternity, name changes cases etc.
  • Child Support—Child Support court provides information on where to make child support payments, requesting a name or address change etc.
  • Century Office—The Century office performs marriage licenses and issues licenses, issues hunting licenses etc.
  • Probate, Guardianship, Mental Health—The Probate, Guardianship, and Mental Health Service also provides marriage ceremonies dealing with matters of probate, baker acts etc.
  • Juvenile Court—Juvenile court deals with juvenile delinquency and dependency.

As was touched on before when retrieving criminal records from the clerk of the court, there are 3 main ways to obtain all types of Escambia County court records and this includes using tools such as Case Search or Clerk E-Certify.

Escambia County Court Records Case Search Tool: This tool provided by the Escambia County Clerk of the Circuit Court can retrieve all types of court records including civil, criminal, appeals, felony records etc. The case search tool can be queried using criteria such as name, case number and court date (opened or closed).

Clerk E-Certify Court Case Search Tool: The Clerk E-Certify finds Escambia County judicial records using 2 search criteria: local case number and the uniform case number. The case number can be obtained using the Escambia County case search tool. While this tool does not require registration, registered users will have access to probate, family and guardianship cases.

Obtain a Copy of a Court Record: It is possible to perform an official request to obtain a copy of a court record by using this link. Specify a general records search and retrieve the record by either case type or attorney. This will cost $1.00 per copy per page.

Alternatively, interested parties may contact the custodian of public records who may be reached via (850)-595-4149 or [email protected].

How To Acquire Other Escambia County Vital Records Including Birth & Death Certificates

While birth and death certificates are considered Florida public records, there are certain stipulations that limit their access—these exceptions include birth certificates that are less than 100 years old and death certificates that are less than 50 years old.15,16

Marriage and divorce records can be requested from the Florida Department of Health (DOH) – Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics.

The general norm for other counties in Florida is that the local county health departments can be a source of birth and death records and certificates, but the Escambia County Health Department links back to the Department of Health – Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics as the office to retrieve them.

However, death certificates can be obtained from the Escambia County Clerk & Comptroller. This can be accomplished online using the Escambia County Official Records Search Tool. Users will select “death certificates” as the document category and input the required information.

In addition to county and state resources, interested parties can order these vital records from VitalChek which is an approved vendor by the DOH. This is touched upon in brief below—caution should be exercised to not order vital records from 3rd party vendors that claim to be affiliated with the Bureau of Vital Statistics.

Order Copies of Birth & Death Certificates From the Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics

Birth and death certificates can be requested from the Florida Department of Health (DOH) – Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics through either mail or walk in requests and online through VitalChek.

A screenshot of the application form for Florida Birth Certificate shows the need information which includes the applicant information such as full name, mailing address, address information and contact information, including the information for birth search; the Department's logo at the top left corner.
Source: Florida Department of Health26

Mail & Walk-in Requests for Birth or Death Certificates: Download and print the application for a Florida birth record (Spanish) or the application for a Florida death record (Spanish).

Death certificates cost $5.00 for the 1st copy, and any more copies will cost $4.00 each. Birth certificates that are computer-generated copies cost $9.00, and photocopy copies incur a charge of $14.00. For both sets of certificates, the DOH charges $2.00 for additional years needed to search for the record, with a maximum charge of $50.00. Rush orders cost $10.00, and envelopes should be marked “Rush.”

A nonrefundable fee of $5.00 and $9.00 applies for birth and death records searches—fees are paid by check or money order and made payable to “Vital Statistics.” All documents will need to be mailed to this address.

Florida Department of Health
Bureau of Vital Statistics
ATTENTION: Vital Records Section
P.O. Box 210
Jacksonville, FL 32231

Requests for birth and death records are completed in 3-5 business days. Death certificates issued before 2009 are produced as photocopy certificates and have a longer processing time.

Walk-in requests can be dropped off during business hours at the Bureau of Vital Statistics’s address below.

Florida Department of Health
Bureau of Vital Statistics
1217 N. Pearl St
Jacksonville, FL 32202

Any questions or concerns can be directed to (904)-359-6900 or email [email protected].

Online Requests for Birth & Death Records or Certificates Using VitalChek: Online requests for birth and death records and certificates can be completed through VitalChek, which is the only authorized contracted vendor of the Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics.3

Birth certificates from either the Escambia County Health Department or Florida Vital Statistics costs $11.00 and $19.00 for the 1st copies, respectively. Death certificates (with or without cause) costs $15.00 for the 1st copy. If additional copies are needed for each vital record, the charge would be $4.00.

To locate records of births that occurred outside of Florida or those that took place outside the U.S., visit the National Center of Health Statistics.

How To Locate Property Records by Way of the Escambia County Property Appraiser

Property records can be sought from the Official Website of Escambia County which has an Escambia Property Lookup Tool. This search feature can locate property records using either by street address or parcel reference number.

A screenshot of Escambia County's property search tool displays a search guide and contact information for additional assistance.
Source: Escambia County Property Lookup27

It is also possible to find the name of a property owner if the location or legal description is known by contacting the Escambia County Florida Property Appraiser’s Office. The office has an Escambia County Real Estate Record Search tool which can be used to locate property deeds using several criteria including location address, owner name and parcel ID (16 digit).

A real estate record search result on the Escambia County Property Appraiser website displays a list of properties with their account number, parcel ID, owner's name, site address, and a link to a map to locate the property; the County's property appraiser logo is located at the top of the page.
Source: Chris Jones Escambia County Property Appraiser28

A Synopsis of Escambia County Public Record Custodians & Agencies

In summary, criminal and police records can be retrieved from multiple agencies, including:

Court records of all types can be found using either the Escambia County Court Records Case Search Tool or the Clerk E-Certify Court Case Search Tool.

Limited probation information can be sought from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement – Probation Services and the Escambia County Misdemeanor Probation Program.

Warrant information can be obtained from either Escambia County Sheriff’s Office or the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE)

Vital records can be sought from either the Escambia County Clerk of the Circuit Court or the Florida Department of Health (DOH) – Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics.

A search for property records in Escambia County can be done through the Escambia County Florida Property Appraiser’s Office.

More methods are thoroughly discussed throughout the guide.

Escambia County public records may be needed for a myriad of reasons, whether they are arrest and criminal records or establishing if someone has a warrant.

These public records will typically reside in multiple government jurisdictions, making them challenging to find; however, knowing which agency is the custodian of said records makes the process less time consuming and easier—interested parties may also seek them from 3rd party vendors to save time.


References

1Legislature, F. (2023). Public meetings and records; public inspection; criminal and civil penalties. Retrieved 2023, from <http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0200-0299/0286/Sections/0286.011.html>

2Comptroller, E. C. (2023). Public Records Center. Retrieved 2023, from <https://www.escambiaclerk.com/260/Public-Records-Center>

3Statistics, F. D.-F. (2021, February 9). Certificates and Registries. Retrieved 2023, from <https://www.floridahealth.gov/certificates/index.html>

4Statistics, F. D.-B. (2022, February 3). Marriage. Retrieved 2023, from <https://www.floridahealth.gov/certificates/certificates/marriage/index.html>

5Enforcement, F. D. (2023). Obtaining Criminal History Information. Retrieved 2023, from <http://www.fdle.state.fl.us/Criminal-History-Records>

6Enforcement, F. D. (2023). Personal Review. Retrieved 2023, from <https://www.fdle.state.fl.us/Criminal-History-Records/Personal-Review.aspx>

7Legislature, F. (2023). Access to criminal history information provided by the department to qualified entities. Retrieved 2023, from <http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=0900-0999/0943/Sections/0943.0542.html>

8Legislature, F. (2022). Definitions. Retrieved 2023, from <http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=0900-0999/0948/Sections/0948.001.html>

9Florida, U. S.-M. (2023). FAQs – Probation. Retrieved 2023, from <https://www.flmp.uscourts.gov/faq/probation>

10Legislature, F. (2023). PROBATE CODE: ADMINISTRATION OF ESTATES. Retrieved 2023, from <http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0700-0799/0733/0733.html>

11Program, E. C. (2023). Misdemeanor Probation. Retrieved 2023, from <https://myescambia.com/our-services/corrections/community-corrections/misdemeanor-probation>

12Corrections, F. D. (2023). Probation Services. Retrieved 2023, from <http://www.dc.state.fl.us/cc/index.html>

13Corrections, F. D. (2023). Pensacola Circuit Office. Retrieved 2023, from <http://www.dc.state.fl.us/cc/01.html>

14Comptroller, E. C. (2023). Court Services. Retrieved 2023, from <https://www.escambiaclerk.com/101/Court-Services>

15Statistics, F. D.-B. (2022, December 9). How to order a Florida Birth Certificate. Retrieved 2023, from <https://www.floridahealth.gov/certificates/certificates/birth/index.html>

16Statistics, F. D.-B. (2022, August 16). How to order a Florida Death Certificate . Retrieved 2023, from <https://www.floridahealth.gov/certificates/certificates/death/index.html>

17Escambia Government. (n.d.). Inmate Lookup. Jail View. Retrieved July 14, 2023, from <https://inmatelookup.myescambia.com/smartwebclient/jail.aspx>

18Florida Department of Health. (2022, January). Form. Application for Florida Marriage Certificate. Retrieved July 14, 2023, from <https://www.floridahealth.gov/certificates/certificates/_documents/DH261-marr-cert-app-2-3-22.pdf>

19Pam Childers, Clerk of the Circuit Court of Escambia County Florida. (n.d.). Case Search. Retrieved July 14, 2023, from <https://public.escambiaclerk.com/BMWebLatest/Home.aspx/Search>

20Florida Department of Corrections. (n.d.). Offender Information Search. Corrections Offender Network. Retrieved July 14, 2023, from <https://fdc.myflorida.com/OffenderSearch/Search.aspx>

21Florida Department of Law Enforcement. (n.d.). Sexual Offenders and Predators Search. Retrieved July 14, 2023, from <https://offender.fdle.state.fl.us/offender/sops/offenderSearch.jsf>

22Federal Bureau of Prisons. (2023). Find by Name Result. Find an Inmate. Retrieved July 14, 2023, from <https://www.bop.gov/inmateloc/>

23Federal Bureau of Investigation. (n.d.). Steps. Rap sheets. Retrieved July 14, 2023, from <https://www.edo.cjis.gov/#/>

24Florida Department of Law Enforcement. (n.d.). Wanted Person Search. Public Access System. Retrieved July 14, 2023, from <http://pas.fdle.state.fl.us/pas/restricted/PAS/person/WantedPersons.jsf>

25Florida Department of Corrections. (n.d.). Supervised Population Information List. Retrieved July 14, 2023, from <https://fdc.myflorida.com/OffenderSearch/list.aspx?TypeSearch=AO&Page=List&DataAction=Filter&dcnumber=&LastName=smith&FirstName=john&SearchAliases=1&OffenseCategory=&ZipCode=&SuperType=&SuperStatus=&CurrentLocation=&CountyOfSupervision=&photosonly=0&nophot>

26Florida Department of Health. (2022, January). Form. Application for Birth Certificate. Retrieved July 14, 2023, from <https://www.floridahealth.gov/certificates/certificates/birth/_documents/DH726-birth-app-12-9-2022.pdf>

27Escambia Government. (n.d.). Property Lookup Tool. Retrieved July 14, 2023, from <https://myescambia.com/our-services/property-lookup>

28Escambia County Property Appraiser. (2023). Real Estate Record Search. Retrieved July 14, 2023, from <https://www.escpa.org/CAMA/SearchResultList.aspx?s=prq>