Find Free Collier County Divorce Records (Dissolution Info)

Obtain free Collier County divorce records today to uncover details on any local dissolution of marriage.

Anyone can review, inspect, or make copies of divorce records thanks to the Florida Public Records Law. When searching for this information, you can utilize searchable online databases for convenience; record custodian offices often take requests by mail, phone, or in person as well.

It’s important to know who the records custodians are and how to submit requests for information on marriages that have been dissolved. This streamlined resource empowers you to search divorce records in Collier County for free.

How To Access Free Collier County Divorce Records

In Florida, divorces and annulments are called dissolutions of marriage. These are court proceedings that involve filings, hearings, and a final judgment. County circuit courts have jurisdiction over domestic relation cases like name changes and dissolutions of marriage.

Within the county circuit courts are the family law courts. Collier County’s circuit court is part of the Twentieth Judicial Circuit of Florida.¹

The Family Law Division, which is maintained by the Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller, can be found in the Collier County Government Complex which encompasses the courthouse.

The courthouse is open to the public Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Collier County Government Complex
3315 Tamiami Trail East
Naples, Florida 34112

Phone: 239.252.8800
Fax: 239.252.8272

The Collier County Clerk of the Circuit Court is the records custodian for all court case files generated in the courthouse.³ This includes dissolution of marriage records. The best way to access free divorce records is through the Collier Clerk ShowCase.⁴

This is an online database of cases filed with the clerk’s office.

To use the search function, click on ‘Case Search’ in the upper bar. Entering the case number will take you directly to the corresponding divorce case records.

If you do not know the case number, you can search by name. To narrow the name-based search exclusively to dissolution of marriage cases, select ‘Domestic Relations/Family’ in the ‘Court Type’ drop-down menu.

On the results page, you will know a case is divorce-related if it reads ‘Dissolution’ or ‘Simplified Dissolution’ under the ‘Case Type’ column.

Clicking on the case number will reveal information about the case, including:

• Names of the Parties
• Dates of Birth
• Filing Date
• Docket History
• Court Events
• Fees

Public divorce records are located in this database. However, if the divorce records you are looking for are not online for some reason, or if you need a certified copy, you may send an email request to [email protected].

This request should include enough information about the dissolution of marriage that the Collier County Clerk’s office can locate the correct file. The information should include the requester’s name and contact information, the names of the parties to the divorce, and the date it occurred. Specify if certified copies are required.

Certified copies are $2 per document, and all copies are $1 per page.

You may also reach out to the Custodian of Public Records by phone or email to inquire about requesting public records. This office is a division of the Clerk of the Circuit Court. Contact the office at 239.252.7531 or [email protected].

Lastly, you may use the Collier Clerk general contact form.⁵

If you have a question regarding dissolution of marriage records, you can complete this online form to inquire about a ‘Family Law’ matter.

Interested persons may also visit the Collier County Clerk during normal business hours to inspect or request copies of dissolution of marriage records. The office is open 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Collier County Clerk of the Circuit Court
Civil Department – Family Law
3315 Tamiami Tr. E., Suite 102
Naples, Florida 34112

Phone: 239.252.2646

Execute a Divorce & Dissolution of Marriage Search via Cities Within Collier County Florida

As described above, searching for dissolution of marriage records on the county-level is your best bet. This is because county agencies offer a broader scope than local municipal agencies. Also, many state governments do not authorize municipal governments to be record custodians of vital records.

The governments of cities and towns may be custodians of some public records. Requesting public records through these agencies has its benefits. You will often be met with more attentive staff, and more expedient turnaround times, and the location of the agency may be more convenient.

There are many cities in Collier County, Florida. From Naples to Ave Maria, these cities have independent governments. And although these cities have agencies that maintain some public records, dissolutions of marriage are not one of them.

If you want to obtain a dissolution of marriage, you can do so through the Collier County Clerk of the Circuit Court or a Florida state agency. The final judgment or decree of a dissolution of marriage can only be obtained from the clerk’s office, while certificates of a divorce can be obtained through the state’s department of health.

Learn how to obtain a certificate below.

How To Search Divorce Records in Florida as a Whole

If a search for divorce records on the county level proves to be difficult, and the city you are in does not maintain these types of public records, a state agency may be able to assist you. There may be times when a dissolution of marriage occurs in a county located in a different part of the state.

A state agency encompasses every county in the state and will offer the broadest divorce records search. If you want to access and search divorce records in Florida as a whole, the Department of Health Bureau of Vital Statistics is the agency you are looking for. This agency produces certificates of vital records including birth, death, marriage, and divorce.

After a decree is issued in a dissolution of marriage case and filed with the circuit court clerk, the clerk sends a report to the Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics. These reports are received approximately 60 days after the dissolution of marriage, and are permanently stored.

From these reports, the Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics extracts information to create divorce certificates. These certificates are available for any member of the public to obtain after making a request and paying a fee. If the dissolution of marriage occurred within the previous 60 days it may not be located at the Bureau of Vital Statistics, and you may need to contact the clerk of the circuit court where the divorce was granted.

Also, if the dissolution of marriage occurred before June 6, 1927, you would need to contact the circuit court clerk. Otherwise, you can order a certificate of divorce from the Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics by walk-in, mail-in, or online through a third-party provider endorsed by the state.

Both walk-in and mail-in applicants may fill out an Application for Florida Dissolution of Marriage Certificate (Divorce or Annulment).⁶

Applicants must provide their name, mailing address, phone number, email, signature, and relationship to the person on the record. To clarify, an applicant does not need to be related to one of the parties to the divorce in order to gain access to the certificate.

Applicants must, however, provide the names of the spouses, the date or range of years when the dissolution of marriage occurred, and the county where it was granted. If you know the case number, the better. You could also use a county’s online case database to locate the case number and use that number to order the certificate through the Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics.

If a person does not have access to the application form, a written request will suffice. It must include the names of both spouses, the date of divorce, the county where it was granted, and the applicant’s name and contact information.

There is a $5 search fee for one calendar year and certified copy, additional certified copies are $4. If you do not know the correct calendar year the dissolution of marriage occurred, you will be charged $2 for each additional year the Bureau has to search. Shipping and handling cost $1.

Walk-in applicants may pay by cash, check, card, or money order. Mail-in applicants may only pay by money order or a check made payable to ‘Vital Statistics’.

Walk-in applicants may visit the Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics office between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics
1217 North Pearl St.
Jacksonville, Florida 32202

Mail in applicants must mail completed applications along with payment to:

Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics
PO Box 210
Jacksonville, Florida 32231

If you have questions or concerns regarding dissolution of marriage certificate requests contact the Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics at 904.359.6900 or [email protected].

There is also an online method for ordering certificates. Florida has endorsed VitalChek, a third-party online vendor, to handle online and over-the-phone certificate of divorce requests.

The fee for the first certificate is $15. There is also a $7 fee to verify an applicant’s identity, in addition to other fees. For online orders call +1.877.550.7330.

Florida does not have an archived divorce index where interested persons can look up older records to track family history.

Are Divorce Records in Collier County Available for Anyone’s Viewing?

Divorce records in Collier County are available for anyone’s viewing. Included in the ‘Eligibility’ section of the instructions portion on the Florida Dissolution of Marriage Certificate Application, states that these records are public. You do not even need to provide identification.

Moreover, in Florida, under Code Section 119.07(1)(a) any person may inspect and copy public records. The custodian of public records must promptly acknowledge and respond to all requests for access to public records. If a record is exempt or confidential, the custodian must inform the requester.

If a requester believes they have been wrongfully denied access to a public record, including a dissolution of marriage record, they can file a complaint with the Florida Attorney General’s office.⁷

Dissolution of marriage records are specifically vital records according to Florida Code 382.002(18).⁹ Under Florida Code 382.025(2)(a) the Department of Health must authorize the issuance of a certified copy of a dissolution of marriage. A certified copy of a divorce decree can only be obtained from the clerk of the circuit court in the county where it was granted.

Divorce papers usually do not pertain to decrees. Instead, they are documents of the initial and subsequent filings regarding the court proceedings in a divorce. The decree is the final judgment.

If you are curious about archived divorce records that government databases and agencies do not provide, you may reach out to a third-party provider. Dissolution of marriage records that third-party providers produce cannot be used in any official capacity, but they can provide you with the information you are looking for. Finding common law divorce records may be the most difficult, as most states do not recognize the practice.

Find Collier County divorce records today; follow the steps in this article to view the dissolution of marriage or divorce records you’re seeking.