Acquire Free Bay County Divorce Records (Archived & Recent)

Look up Bay County divorce records for free via online search tools or by ordering from local record custodians; each option is covered in this streamlined resource.

Individuals can use these divorce or dissolution of marriage records for various personal, legal, and genealogical purposes. They provide an official recording of an important life event.

Interested parties can find the documents they seek with a free search from accessible databases once they know the steps. This article provides helpful links and outlined the steps that will assist any record seeker in seamlessly obtaining divorce records in Bay County, Florida.

How To Find Bay County Divorce Records at No Cost

The Bay County Clerk of the Court is the records custodian for divorce documents. The record of the judgment of divorce and the certificate itself are both available to any citizen as open public records. The online search itself is free, and certificates are free to view.

Those who seek public divorce records via mail or phone or who want official copies will have to pay some fees.

The clerk provides a free online tool to Search Official Records.¹ Users select from one of two options depending on the date of the divorce: Search Official Records Now or Search Prior to 1987. You will click the icon based on what information you already have about the record to conduct the search.

The options include the spouse’s name, the case number, the book number, and the lawyer’s name. Unless you already have the details, the easiest way to search is to select the name option and enter the person’s name for the record you seek.

Once users locate the record they’re seeking from this divorce index, they can click on the case. The system displays a case summary with basic information such as party names, case number, and court where the judgment was issued. A scanned copy of the certificate document will also be displayed on your screen.

For many record seekers, they will get the information they need by viewing this document or printing a copy of the certificate for themselves. This certificate is not an official copy, however, so it cannot be used for legal proceedings.

Some researchers will need alternate means to contact the Bay County Clerk in order to access records or need certified copies.² For questions, records requests, or official certificates, interested parties can call (850)-763-9061, fax (850)-747-5188, or email [email protected]. Some fees apply when requesting paper copies of these records.³

Inquirers can also write to the clerk and request certificates at the following mailing address:

Bay County Clerk’s Office
Attention Official Records
P.O. Box 2269
Panama City, FL 32402

Searchers can go to the clerk’s office in person during business hours of 8AM-4:30PM on Mondays – Fridays. Visit the location listed below:

Bay County Clerk of the Court
Bay County Courthouse
300 East 4th Street Room 101
Panama City, FL 32401

If you order copies from the clerk, you will pay $1 per page for the documents. There is an additional $2 fee to obtain an officially certified copy. Note that for legal purposes, a certified copy is usually required.

The clerk has also created a separate Clerk E-Certify system for many public records, including divorces. E-Certify is a database of scanned documents and an ordering system for verified and certified electronic copies. The document you receive will have a unique code that recipients can enter or scan into the E-Verify system to validate its authenticity.

You do not receive a paper copy through E-Certify. Check with the court or administrative body you are dealing with if you need to provide proof of divorce – the acceptance of electronic documents varies by jurisdiction.

How To Search the Florida Department of Health for Divorce Records Throughout the State

Sometimes, researchers will need to extend their search outside of Bay County with a state search. Per the Florida Sunshine Law, the state Department of Health stores copies of all divorce certificates and other vital records and makes them available to the public.

Record seekers will fill out the Application for Dissolution of Marriage Certificate and deliver it to the department.⁴

To inquire about records or ask for assistance, interested people can call 850-872-4455, then select option 4, then select 1. Searchers can also email [email protected].

To mail in the application, use the following address:

Florida Department of Health
Attn: Vital Statistics
597 W 11th Street
Panama City, FL 32401

The Bureau of Vital Statistics is the segment of the department that holds divorce documents.⁵ For faster response, searchers can contact the Bureau directly with questions or ask for assistance by phone at (904)-359-6900, ext. 9000 or email [email protected]. Walk-in service is available at the Bureau’s Jacksonville location between 8:00 and 4:00.

Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics
1217 North Pearl Street
Jacksonville, Florida 32202

Fees for the Department of Health services all begin with a $5 nonrefundable search fee, which also covers the cost of the certified copy of the divorce. Other fees include $4 for additional copies, $2 per year searched if you do not know the year, a $10 rush fee, and $1 for shipping and handling.

Mail-in payments are made by check or money order, while walk-ins can also use a credit card.

Florida also endorses VitalChek to provide online searches and record purchases. VitalChek fees include $15 for the search and certificate, $7 to verify your identity and $4 for additional copies. Interested parties can call to place phone orders at +1-877-550-7330 (USA) or +1-615-372-6800 (international).

These databases have comprehensive records of Florida divorces, which can also assist genealogical and historical researchers. However, keep in mind that common law divorce and marriages were accepted in Florida before 1967. These non-judicial divorces will not appear in vital records.

Searchers may be able to find common law marriage or divorce records at churches, historical societies, or in census records.

Who Can Access Divorce Records in Bay County?

The legislature designated many documents open to the public in the Florida Sunshine Law.⁶ Any interested individual can obtain a copy of a certificate of divorce in Florida. Only the spouses or their lawyers can receive more in-depth divorce decrees and divorce papers.

Decrees are a more detailed version of the information on the certificate that includes any other dispositions, such as child custody arrangements, while the papers encompass all official court documents for the case.

For further information about a particular divorce, citizens may use third-party search providers. These third parties sometimes use other databases, social media, and private archives to compile lists of vital records. Though this information can be very helpful for research, be aware that they are not official records and cannot be used as legal proof of divorce or for any other official purposes.

Whether a party to a divorce, an interested record seeker, or a genealogical researcher, many people can find the important records they are searching for with a free search of Bay County divorce records. They’ll then have the information they need for family, legal, historical or other ethical purposes.