Obtain Free Escambia County Divorce Records (Find Decrees)

Track down free Escambia County divorce records on anybody.

To successfully find divorce information, you should know the names of both parties to the divorce and the county where the marriage was legally dissolved.

Some states call divorces ‘dissolutions of marriage’, and information from these records can often be found for free by checking online databases. By following the steps outlined in this brief resource, you can effectively access divorce records in Escambia County, Florida.

How To Search Escambia County Divorce Records for Free

In Florida, a divorce is called a dissolution of marriage. Florida Code 61.052 lays out the necessary grounds for a dissolution of marriage and the court procedure that follows.¹ After the last court hearing, a judgment of dissolution of marriage will be entered into the public record.

The Escambia County Family Law Court informs residents that divorce proceedings are public, and that case files are available for review.² There are rare occurrences when a dissolution of marriage case file is sealed, and members of the public are not permitted to inspect.

Nonetheless, interested parties can visit the Escambia County Family Law Court between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on Friday.

Escambia County Family Law Court
190 West Government St.
Second Floor, Rm 23012
Pensacola, Florida 32502

Phone: 850.595.4331

Public divorce records in the Family Law Court are maintained by the Escambia County Clerk & Comptroller. The clerk’s office is the records custodian for all court case files generated by the First Judicial Circuit of Florida. This circuit court has jurisdiction over the Escambia County Family Court.

The Public Records Center Division is a subbranch of the Escambia County Clerk.³ All court records are available through the office.

Interested parties can make online requests for copies or viewing of court records.⁴ Requesters must enter their full name, email address, and phone number.

Court judgments from a dissolution of marriage is called a ‘Divorce Decree’ in Florida. Select this option under the ‘Document Type Requested’ section. You do not have to be an attorney or a party to the case in order to gain access to divorce records.

Continuing to the next page will take you to the official request document that will be sent to the Escambia County Clerk’s office. You must enter the names of both the Plaintiff, the person who filed for divorce, and the Defendant, the person who was served with the divorce papers. The fees cost $1 per page and $2 per certified page.

If you do not know the full names of either the Plaintiff or Defendant, you can use the online Clerk of Court Case Search for free to find out.⁶ This is a name-based search that only requires the first and last name of one of the parties to the divorce.

The search allows members of the public to look up court case information for all cases filed in the circuit court. To narrow the search to divorces, select ‘Domestic Relations’ under ‘Court Types’, and ‘Dissolution of Marriage’ under ‘Causes of Action / Case Types’.

Results will display individuals with the same name as the one you entered and who have been involved in divorce proceedings in Escambia County. To learn the case file information, click on the case number. This will reveal the names of the Plaintiff (or Petitioner), and Defendant (or Respondent).

Interested persons may also order electronically certified copies of dissolution of marriage records through the Escambia County Clerk Court Case Search & E-Certify.

For more information, contact the Public Records Center or Escambia County Clerk’s Office. The Public Records Center is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The Clerk’s office is open Monday through Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., and 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m, and on Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Clerk’s Public Records Center
120 East Blount St.
Pensacola, Florida 32501

Phone: 850.595.4146

Escambia County Clerk & Comptroller
190 West Government St., Suite 140
Pensacola, Florida 32502

Phone: 850.595.4310

Search Cities for Divorce & Dissolution of Marriage Records in Escambia County Florida

Proceedings for dissolution of marriages in Florida are always held in the family court of a circuit county court. That’s why searching on the county-level is always the best method to begin your search for divorce records. County clerks of court maintain all of these records and they are available for inspection and copying.

Municipal governments that provide public services to cities also maintain some public records. Requesting records from a municipal court or agency could mean you receive a more attentive staff and quicker turnaround times. However, no municipal government in Escambia County allows members of the public to request or inspect divorce records.

Dissolution of marriage court records can only be copied or inspected through the Escambia County Clerk’s Office. Requests can be made in person or online, and information from dissolution of marriage decrees can be viewed for free online as well.

Other divorce related records can be requested through Florida state agencies detailed below.

How To Track Down Divorce Records Throughout All of Florida via the Department of Health Bureau of Vital Statistics

There are occurrences where a person may not be able to locate a dissolution of marriage case file. Whether it is because they are not sure what county the proceeding occurred in, or the county is located in an inconvenient place in the state. If you find yourself in this situation, you can use a state agency to locate the divorce record.

Although a dissolution of marriage decree can only be obtained through a county clerk’s office, researchers can obtain other divorce records through a Florida state agency. The Florida Department of Health Bureau of Vital Statistics is the state agency responsible for maintaining and storing the state’s vital records.

Florida Code 382.002 describes vital records as certificates or reports concerning births, deaths, marriages, name changes, and dissolution of marriages.⁸ Anybody can request a dissolution of marriage certificate through the Bureau of Vital Statistics. This records custodian for divorce certificates allows members of the public to make requests in person or through the mail.

Interested persons can begin the process of requesting a divorce record by filling out an Application for Florida Dissolution of Marriage Certificate.⁹

Requests cannot be anonymous. Those making a request must provide their name, address, phone number, and email address. Because these dissolution of marriage certificates are public, requesters do not have to be related to anyone on the record. In addition to providing the requester’s contact information, they must also include the names of both spouses on the divorce record, the date of the divorce, and the county where it occurred.

If the requester does not know the date of the dissolution of marriage, they will be charged $2 per year searched by the Bureau of Vital Statistics. It is imperative that a person making this request perform adequate research to limit the cost of searching the the certificate. The first certificate costs $5 and each additional one costs $4.

If the request is made in person the fee can be paid by cash, card, check, or money order. Mail-in requests can only be made by check or money order made payable to ‘Vital Statistics’.

If you do not have access to printing out the application form, you can still submit a written request as long as it includes your contact information, the names of both spouses on the record, the date of divorce, the county where it occurred, and your signature.

Mail-in requests must be sent to:

Florida Department of Health
Bureau of Vital Statistics
Attention: Vital Records Section
PO BOX 210
Jacksonville, Florida 32231-0042

Walk-in requests must be made between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. at:

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

Phone: 904.359.6900
Email: [email protected]

The Florida Department of Health has outsourced online requests to the third-party platform VitalChek. The first certificate cost $15. In addition, the VitalChek process fee costs $7. Interested persons may also order a dissolution of marriage certificate on the phone through VitalChek by calling +1.877.550.7330.

There is no historical divorce index in Florida. If you are looking for archived divorce records, a third-party platform may be able to help you. It should be noted, however, that any records derived from an unofficial provider cannot be used in any official capacity.

Who Can Look Up a Person’s Divorce Records in Escambia County?

Dissolution of marriage records are public in Florida. Under Florida Code 119.07, any person or government agency that has control of a public record must permit the record to be copied and inspected by anybody who makes a request.¹⁰

The person or government agency that maintains the record has the right to request fees for copying records, and the right to withhold disclosure for a specifically stated basis of exemption.

There are several exemptions to public record disclosure listed in Florida Code 119.071.¹¹ However, none of them are actually relevant to dissolution of marriage records.

Florida Code 382.025 pertains to certified copies of vital records.¹² It asserts that departments, like the Florida Department of Health Bureau of Vital Statistics, must authorize certified copies of dissolutions of marriage to be issued upon request and fee payment. Certified and non-certified copies are available. The only vital record that is accompanied by conditions and eligibility requirements are death certificates.

If you are denied access to a dissolution of marriage certificate or decree, you have 30 days after receiving the denial to file a civil action. This civil action should be filed in the circuit court where the divorce proceeding took place and the request was made. The Florida Attorney General’s Office will be able to assist you in this matter.

Divorce papers are different from divorce decrees. Divorce papers usually refer to the initiation of official proceedings.

Common law marriages do not exist in Florida. To be legally married in Florida you must obtain a marriage license from a county court judge or clerk of court. As there are no common law marriages in Florida, there are also no common law divorces.

As detailed above, Escambia County divorce records are available to all; by following the information contained in this resource, you can find dissolution of marriage case file information right now.