The Miami-Dade Clerk of the Court and Comptroller runs the court records, traffic tickets, marriage licenses, jury pool, official land records and county finances for the Eleventh Judicial Circuit, which covers all of Miami-Dade County. Most routine business, including case lookups, citation payments and deed searches, can be done online at the clerk’s official site without a trip downtown. This guide tells you which courthouse handles what, what the common fees look like, and where to confirm anything that changes.
What the clerk actually does
The office has two halves. The Clerk of the Court keeps every case file for circuit and county courts, collects filing fees and fines, issues marriage licenses, records deeds and mortgages, summons jurors and processes traffic and parking citations. The Comptroller side acts as the county’s accountant and auditor, which is why you will see a Financial Transparency Dashboard and county payment records on the same website as your traffic ticket.
Juan Fernandez-Barquin, Esq. holds the position. He was appointed in 2023 after the death of longtime clerk Harvey Ruvin and later won the seat at the ballot box. For day-to-day purposes the name on the door matters less than the division you need, so start with the division, not the building.
One thing the clerk does not do: give legal advice, pick your forms for you, or tell you how a judge will rule. Staff can tell you what a filing fee is and whether your paperwork is complete. That is the limit.
Quick steps: look up a Miami-Dade case online
- Open the clerk’s official website and choose Online Services.
- Pick Civil, Family and Probate Case Search or the Criminal Justice Online System.
- Search by party name, case number or citation number.
- Open the docket to see filings, hearing dates and the assigned judge.
- Order certified copies through the site or at the division counter.
- Create a free account if you want to track the case or e-file.
Courthouses and district offices
Miami-Dade spreads its courts across a downtown cluster and five suburban district courts. Felony criminal matters sit at the Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building in the Civic Center area. Civil, probate and guardianship files live at the Dade County Courthouse on Flagler Street, though the county has been moving civil operations into a new courthouse nearby, so confirm the building before you go. Family and domestic violence cases are at the Lawson E. Thomas Courthouse Center, and juvenile cases are at the Children’s Courthouse.
| Location | Address | Typical business |
|---|---|---|
| Dade County Courthouse | 73 W Flagler St, Miami | Civil, probate, guardianship, mental health, jury |
| Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building | 1351 NW 12th St, Miami | Felony criminal, jury, records |
| Lawson E. Thomas Courthouse Center | 175 NW 1st Ave, Miami | Family, domestic violence, self-help |
| Children’s Courthouse | 155 NW 3rd St, Miami | Juvenile delinquency and dependency |
| North Dade Justice Center | 15555 Biscayne Blvd, North Miami Beach | Traffic, misdemeanors, small claims |
| South Dade Justice Center | 10710 SW 211th St, Cutler Bay | Traffic, misdemeanors, small claims |
| Hialeah District Court | 11 E 6th St, Hialeah | Traffic, misdemeanors, small claims |
| Coral Gables District Court | 3100 Ponce de Leon Blvd, Coral Gables | Traffic, misdemeanors, small claims |
| Miami Beach District Court | 1130 Washington Ave, Miami Beach | Traffic, misdemeanors, small claims |
Addresses change less often than hours, but the clerk has consolidated and relocated divisions several times in recent years. The Locations page on the official site lists current counters, hours and which services each office handles. Most offices keep weekday hours and close around 4 p.m., so a 3:45 arrival with a stack of paperwork is a gamble.
The district courts are the underrated part of this system. If you got a speeding ticket on Biscayne Boulevard or need to file a $3,000 small claims case against a contractor in Kendall, you do not need the downtown courthouse. The North Dade Justice Center, a few minutes south of Aventura Mall, and the South Dade center in Cutler Bay handle the same civil traffic and small claims work with far shorter lines.
Local tip
Take Metrorail to Government Center for the Flagler Street courthouses and to Civic Center for Gerstein. Downtown garages run well over what the trip costs, and the county garages near the courthouse fill by mid-morning on motion days.
Online services worth knowing
The clerk’s site has grown into a full service portal, and for most residents it is the only version of the office they ever see. Here is what it handles and what it costs.
| Online service | What it does | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Civil, Family and Probate Case Search | Dockets, hearings, party names, filings | Free to view |
| Criminal Justice Online System | Felony and misdemeanor case status, bond, next court date | Free to view |
| Traffic and Parking Citations | Pay, elect traffic school, request a hearing | Fine plus card fee |
| Official Records Search | Deeds, mortgages, liens, judgments by name or document | Free index, copies by page |
| Marriage License Application | Pre-fill the application before an in-person visit | Fee paid at pickup |
| Jury Service | Confirm reporting, request postponement, check status | Free |
| eRecording Web Service | Submit deeds and mortgages through approved vendors | Standard recording fees |
| Financial Transparency Dashboard | County revenue, spending, vendor payments | Free |
| Civil Infractions Application | File or review county civil infraction matters | Varies |
Two newer tools get mentioned on the clerk’s site and are worth a look. The Parking Service Assistant is a guided helper for parking citation questions, and the civil infractions application moves code and ordinance violation matters online instead of requiring a counter visit. Neither replaces a hearing if you want to contest something, but both save a trip.
Court e-filing for attorneys and self-represented litigants goes through the statewide Florida Courts E-Filing Portal rather than the clerk’s own site. The clerk receives what you file there and dockets it. If you are self-represented, you can still file paper at the counter.
Traffic and parking citations
A civil traffic ticket in Miami-Dade gives you 30 days from the citation date to act. You have three choices: pay the fine, elect a basic driver improvement course to avoid points (allowed once every 12 months and five times in a lifetime), or request a hearing before a hearing officer or judge. Miss the 30 days and the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles can suspend your license, which adds a reinstatement fee on top of the fine and late penalties.
The clerk also processes parking citations for the county and many municipalities, so a ticket from a Miami Beach meter and one from a county lot both route through the same system. Enter the citation number on the Traffic and Parking section of the site to see the balance.
Good to know
Payment plans exist for traffic fines you cannot pay in full, but you have to ask before the deadline, not after a suspension. The clerk runs Operation Green Light each year, usually with the State Attorney and Public Defender, where people with licenses suspended for unpaid court fines can pay with reduced collection fees. Watch the clerk’s news section for the dates.
Criminal traffic charges such as DUI, driving with a suspended license or reckless driving are not civil tickets. Those get a court date at a district court or at Gerstein and show up in the Criminal Justice Online System rather than the citation search.
Civil, family and probate cases
The civil division handles everything from small claims under $8,000 to circuit civil cases over $50,000, plus landlord-tenant evictions, foreclosures and injunctions. Family handles divorce, paternity, child support and domestic violence petitions. Probate handles estates, guardianships and mental health matters.
Florida sets most filing fees by statute, so the numbers below apply across the state and are a good planning baseline. Confirm the exact amount on the clerk’s fee schedule before you bring a check, because service charges and county add-ons shift.
| Filing | Statewide fee baseline |
|---|---|
| Small claims up to $100 | $55 |
| Small claims $100.01 to $500 | $80 |
| Small claims $500.01 to $2,500 | $175 |
| Small claims $2,500.01 to $8,000 | $300 |
| County civil $8,000.01 to $50,000 | $400 |
| Circuit civil (over $50,000) | $400 |
| Dissolution of marriage | $408 |
| Formal probate administration | $400 |
| Summary administration over $1,000 | $345 |
| Domestic violence injunction | No fee |
| Certified copy | $1 per page plus $2 certification |
Domestic violence, repeat violence, dating violence and stalking injunctions are free to file and can be started at the Lawson E. Thomas Courthouse Center at any time the domestic violence intake is open. The clerk’s Family Court Self-Help Program in the same building sells form packets and reviews paperwork for completeness, which is the closest thing to guidance you will get without a lawyer.
What you need
- Government photo ID for any counter visit
- Case number or exact party names for record requests
- Citation number and driver license number for tickets
- Debit or credit card, money order or cashier’s check (many counters limit cash)
- Both parties, ID and Social Security numbers for a marriage license
- Original signed documents with notarizations for recording
Home and property: deeds, liens and the Value Adjustment Board
The Official Records division is where deeds, mortgages, satisfactions, liens and judgments get recorded and where you search them. The index is free online, and you can usually view document images back decades. Recording costs $10 for the first page and $8.50 for each additional page under Florida statute.
Miami-Dade is the one county with its own documentary stamp structure. Deeds carry $0.60 per $100 of consideration plus a $0.45 per $100 surtax on property that is not a single-family residence, instead of the $0.70 rate used elsewhere in Florida. Title companies and attorneys submit most deeds through the eRecording web service, which uses approved vendors and avoids the counter entirely.
The clerk also staffs the Value Adjustment Board. If you disagree with the assessed value or an exemption denial on your TRIM notice from the Property Appraiser, you file the VAB petition with the clerk, not the appraiser. The deadline is 25 days after the TRIM notices go out in late August, which puts the petition deadline in September most years, and the petition filing fee is $15. Foreclosure and tax deed sales run on the clerk’s online auction platform rather than on the courthouse steps.
Marriage licenses and jury duty
Marriage licenses are issued at the Flagler Street location and several district courts. Both parties appear in person with ID, and the Florida fee is $86, reduced to $61 if you bring a certificate from a registered premarital course. Florida residents without the course wait three days before the license is effective; the course waives the wait. The clerk performs ceremonies for an additional fee, and couples planning a courthouse wedding followed by photos at one of the Miami beaches should confirm ceremony availability before they book.
Jury summonses direct you to either the Dade County Courthouse or the Gerstein building. Use the Jury Service section of the site to confirm your reporting date the night before, since many groups get released. Florida pays jurors $15 a day for the first three days if your employer does not pay you, and $30 a day after that.
Common problems and fixes
| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
| Case not showing in online search | Check spelling and try the other system (civil vs criminal); new filings can lag a day |
| Paid ticket still shows suspended | Allow processing time, then confirm with the clerk and DHSMV before buying a reinstatement |
| Clerk rejected a filing | Read the deficiency notice; the self-help program can review family forms |
| Need a record from Broward | That is the broward county clerk of courts, a separate office with its own search |
| Wrong courthouse for your hearing | The notice of hearing lists the building and room; district court cases stay in their district |
| Cannot pay the full fine | Ask about a payment plan before the deadline, or wait for Operation Green Light |
When to get help
Call the clerk’s main information line listed on the official site, or email through its Email Us page, for fee amounts, hours and whether a document was received. For strategy on a lawsuit, an estate or a criminal case, you need an attorney, and Legal Services of Greater Miami or Dade Legal Aid handle qualifying low-income civil matters. Ask a courthouse law librarian if you want to read the rules yourself.
FAQ
Is the Miami-Dade clerk of courts the same as the Miami clerk?
Yes for court purposes. The City of Miami has its own city clerk for city business, but every court case in Miami, Hialeah, Miami Beach, Homestead and the rest of the county goes through the Miami-Dade Clerk of the Court and Comptroller.
Can I look up someone’s criminal record for free?
The Criminal Justice Online System shows case status, charges and court dates at no cost. Certified copies and full case files cost per page. Sealed or expunged cases will not appear.
How do I find out my court date?
Search your case or citation number online. Criminal defendants can also call the clerk’s criminal division with the case number. Never rely on a third-party site for a court date.
Which office handles my traffic ticket?
Civil traffic tickets are assigned by where the ticket was written, so a Hialeah stop goes to the Hialeah District Court. You can pay any ticket online or at any district court counter regardless of where it was issued.
Where do I confirm hours and fees?
The clerk’s official website lists current hours for each location and a full fee schedule. Hours, holiday closures and card processing fees change, so check the site the day before you go.
