Seminole County Circuit Court Case Search

Seminole County operates a Circuit Court instead of a Superior Court. The Circuit Court of Seminole County is the trial court where major civil and criminal cases are heard and tried. In addition to maintaining court case records, the Clerk of the Circuit Court maintains all court documents, including hearings, judgments, charges, filings, and pleadings.

The public can access these records for legal research, to track the progress of a case, or for background checks. These records can be searched by submitting a records request via the mail or in person at the clerk’s office. You can also use the Records Search website to make records requests. You may not need to pay to search for case records because the clerk’s office has a fee schedule for obtaining copies of case records.

What Kinds of cases have been heard in Seminole Circuit Court?

Seminole County Circuit Court has jurisdiction over a wide range of court cases. It is a court of general jurisdiction with authority to handle these cases:

• Criminal cases
• Civil cases
• Probate cases
• Family law cases

The Circuit Court of Seminole County has specialized courts, such as Juvenile Courts, for handling cases of minors’ dependency or delinquency. There are also Specialty courts such as Drug Courts, Mental Health Courts, and Veterans Treatment Courts for handling special cases with underlying issues of special needs, drug abuse, and mental health disorders.

Seminole County Circuit Court

Seminole County Circuit Court is a trial-level court with extensive jurisdiction over major civil and criminal cases. This court conducts trials which are presided over by a judge. Parties present witness testimonies and evidence during the trial for cases involving felonies, civil matters with amounts over $50,000, probate matters, juvenile cases, and family law matters.

The Circuit Court has various court divisions for each category of court case, such as Criminal Division, Civil Division, and Juvenile Division. This court’s records are maintained by the Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller. This court’s locations include the following:

Seminole County Circuit Court
Altamonte Springs Branch
995 North State Road 434
Suite 403, Altamonte Springs, Florida 32714
(407) 862-5373

Casselberry Branch
376 Wilshire Boulevard
Suite 376, Casselberry, Florida 32707
(407) 830-7337

Seminole County Civil Courthouse
301 North Park Avenue
Sanford, Florida 32771
(407) 665-4330 - Phone
(407) 330-7193 - Fax

Criminal Justice Center
101 Eslinger Way
Sanford, Florida 32773
(407) 665-4450 - Phone
(407) 665-4545 - Fax

Seminole County Case Lookup

County-wide case searches refer to looking up all legal processes and case documents from cases handled within the county. Members of the public may be able to look at records using a mix of options.

For walk-in searches

The public can access Seminole County case records physically through the county clerk’s office. The clerk’s office is open to receive and process records requests between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on weekdays. The courthouse also has public access terminals, which offer self-help resources and online access to court records. An ID may not be required to access case documents until sensitive or restricted records are requested.

If your request requires copies of records made, you may pay up to $8 for the first pages of eCertified copies and $1 for additional pages. This payment can be made via PayPal, Google Pay, or your credit card.

For mail-in searches

You can send a request to the court clerk’s office via the mail, which will contain your details, a description of the case of interest, and a self-addressed stamped envelope. This envelope will ensure that the clerk’s office can respond to your request and send you any copies of it. Mail searches in Seminole County are usually processed between 10 to 14 days. You can send your requests via mail to:

P.O. Box 8099 Stanford,
Florida 32772-8099.

For online searches

Seminole County case records are accessible online by using the county court’s Records Search platform. You can use this website without registering an account or paying any fees. Simply load the website, input the relevant name from the case of interest, and click Search. This website may not offer access to case documents that are restricted, sealed, or yet to be uploaded to the online archives.

Seminole Circuit Court Case Search by Name

A name search involves submitting a records request with some relevant names to the case of interest for a search. Requesters can conduct name searches by providing these names in their correct spelling while also taking note of specific variations. Name searches are effective due to their versatility. It can be used to search for names of parties or attorneys on records while also being relevant for any request method adopted. Name searches can have extensive search results where the names are common. This can be prevented by including more case details such as case number or citation number.

Seminole Circuit Court Docket Search

Court dockets refer to case events that are arranged from the filing date to the end of the case. These documents contain details of important case updates such as minions, orders, rulings, and upcoming case hearings. Court dockets are important as they help the public and parties to the case keep up with the case while also providing details that will help with preparing for court hearings. To search a court docket, provide a records request in person or via mail to the court clerk’s office with details of the case. The clerk’s office will retrieve the court docket from which you can view the entire case history. Online platforms such as the Record Search website also provide access to court dockets through case records searches.

Lookup Seminole County Circuit Court Online

Seminole County Circuit Court records are public documents that are accessible online through the Records Search website. These records can also be viewed online through third-party platforms such as Floridacourtrecords.us. These websites require a working internet connection and a computer or mobile device for access. Third-party websites may not be as accurate as primary sources such as the court or county clerk’s office. Requesters should always verify information from third-party websites using official sources.

Supreme Court vs. Circuit Court

The Supreme Court of Florida is an appellate court with the highest authority in the state. It is a court for interpreting the state laws and the Florida Constitution through cases from lower courts such as the Circuit Court. The Florida Supreme Court is not a trial court as it has original jurisdiction over limited cases such as death penalty cases. This court is crucial as it sets precedents for all courts in the state, which ensures consistency and uniformity in the state’s judicial process.

The Circuit Court of Seminole County is the main trial court where civil and criminal cases are handled. This court has general civil and criminal jurisdiction, which gives it a wide scope of subject matter it can handle. This court conducts trials to find the facts of a case and makes the initial decision in most cases. Unlike the Supreme Court with statewide jurisdiction, the Circuit Court’s decisions are only applicable within the county. The US Supreme Court functions as the final appellate jurisdiction in the country. Thus, decisions from the Florida Supreme Court can be appealed to the national Supreme Court, which has nationwide jurisdiction.