How to Search Pasco County Court Records
The main public search tool for Pasco court cases is OCRS, the Online Court Records Search hosted by Civitek Florida for the Pasco Clerk and Comptroller. It opens with a choice page that points anonymous users to the Public access mode. Attorney access is a separate path that needs a user ID and password. Both tracks land on the same search form once a short disclaimer has been read.
Before starting, have a last name, a business name, or a full case number ready. Public OCRS will not run a search with no name and no case number. A date-of-birth field is optional and helps narrow common names. The system covers civil, family, criminal, probate, guardianship, and traffic cases at both the Circuit Court and the County Court level.
Visit the Pasco County OCRS entry page on the Civitek Florida platform; it opens with a Public access button and a notice citing Florida AOSC 15-18. The screenshot below shows that entry layout.
The portal then routes the visitor through a one-click disclaimer, after which the Person Search and Case Search tabs appear. Step-by-step:
- Open the Pasco OCRS entry page and click Public.
- Read the disclaimer screen and click I Agree to open the search form.
- Use Person Search when only a name is known; enter at least a last name or a business name.
- Use Case Search when the full case number is known; enter the four-digit year, the court-type code, and the six-digit sequence number.
- Add filters such as Date Case Filed From and To, date of birth, or Court Type to cut the result list.
- Open a result to view the case docket; for certified copies, place an order through the Clerk's Court Records or Official Records desks.
The Pasco County Judicial System
Florida has a two-tier trial-court system. The Circuit Court is the trial court of general jurisdiction. The County Court is the trial court of limited jurisdiction. Pasco County sits inside the Sixth Judicial Circuit, which also covers Pinellas County. Appeals from the trial courts go up to the District Court of Appeal, with the Florida Supreme Court at the top of the state system.
The Sixth Judicial Circuit "About the Circuit" page states that sixty-nine judges hear cases across the circuit, including fifteen circuit judges and seven county-court judges who preside in the two Pasco judicial facilities in Dade City and New Port Richey. That page is the official source for the current judge counts in the circuit.
Pasco filings flow upward through that chain. The Florida Supreme Court court-structure page is the formal source for the trial- and appellate-court tiers, and the table below summarizes who hears what at each level.
Case flow: Pasco County Court › Circuit Court (Sixth Judicial Circuit) › District Court of Appeal › Florida Supreme Court
| Court | Jurisdiction | Case Types |
|---|---|---|
| Circuit Court (Sixth Circuit) | General jurisdiction | Felony, family, probate, guardianship, juvenile, circuit civil, injunctions, appeals from county court |
| Pasco County Court | Limited jurisdiction | Misdemeanor, county civil, small claims, traffic, ordinance cases |
| District Court of Appeal | Intermediate appellate | Appeals from circuit court |
| Florida Supreme Court | Highest state court | Discretionary and mandatory state-law review |
Pasco County Courthouses
Pasco County runs court operations from two main judicial centers. The Robert D. Sumner Judicial Center in Dade City serves East Pasco. The West Pasco Judicial Center in New Port Richey serves West Pasco. Each site handles hearings, jury duty, trials, traffic tickets, fines, and restitution. Stored court files live at the East Pasco and Jack Albert records retention facilities. Recording, official records, marriage licenses, passports, and microfilm live at the East and West Pasco government centers.
The Pasco Clerk's office locations page separates court operations, records, and non-court operations across these six buildings. The screenshot below shows that split.
That split is the reason a visitor going to court for a hearing should not go to the government center, and a person recording a deed should not drive to the judicial center. The cards below list the three address types per side.
Robert D. Sumner Judicial Center
38053 Live Oak Avenue
Dade City, FL 33523
(352) 521-4542
Types of Court Records Available in Pasco County
Pasco court files fall into broad case types that map to the OCRS court-type code list. Civil cases include circuit civil (CA), county civil (CC), and small claims (SC). Criminal cases include felony (CF), misdemeanor (MM), and criminal traffic (CT). Family cases use the domestic relations code (DR). Probate and guardianship use CP and GA. Traffic infractions use TR, and non-criminal infractions use IN. Ordinance matters use CO or MO depending on whether the case is county or municipal.
The Clerk also holds Official Records, which are a separate index of recorded documents. Recorded items include deeds, mortgages, liens, judgments, lis pendens, plats, satisfactions, and orders. A final judgment may sit in both worlds: the case docket inside OCRS, and the recorded judgment inside Official Records. The two indexes share content but use different search forms.
- Criminal records: Felony (CF) and misdemeanor (MM) cases, charging documents, dispositions, and sentencing entries.
- Civil records: Circuit civil (CA), county civil (CC), and small claims (SC) filings and judgments.
- Family and divorce records: Domestic relations (DR), including divorce, custody, support, and paternity.
- Probate and guardianship: Wills, estates, summary administration, and adult or minor guardianship.
- Traffic records: Civil traffic (TR), criminal traffic (CT), and non-criminal infraction (IN) cases.
What Pasco County Court Records Show
A case file pulled from OCRS shows party names, the role of each party, filing dates, the court-type code, the case number, docket entries, and disposition data. Most case files also list the assigned judge, the courtroom location, and any hearing schedule. Bond, fines, costs, and payment status are included on criminal and traffic files. Documents may or may not appear online based on Florida court access rules and case-specific seal orders.
The data fields below appear on most public Pasco court records. Use them as a guide when looking through search results.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Case Number | Year, court-type code, sequence number, party identifier, and branch location. |
| Filing Date | Date the case was opened with the Clerk. |
| Parties | Plaintiff, defendant, petitioner, respondent, with attorney names where public. |
| Charges / Cause | Statute reference and short description for criminal cases; cause of action for civil cases. |
| Docket Entries | Motions, orders, hearings, notices, judgments, and capias events in date order. |
| Disposition | Outcome such as dismissed, plea, adjudicated, withheld, settled, or judgment entered. |
| Sentence / Judgment | Final court order, sentence terms, probation, fines, costs, or money judgment. |
Public Access Laws for Pasco County Court Records
Florida has one of the broadest open-records traditions in the country. The right of access is set in Article I, section 24 of the Florida Constitution and is built out in Chapter 119 of the Florida Statutes. Court records sit under a second layer of rules, mainly Florida Rule of General Practice and Judicial Administration 2.420. The Pasco Clerk's public records request page cites Chapter 119 and says most records in Clerk custody are open for public inspection.
The screenshot below shows the Clerk request page, including the categories that can be searched online and the routing for items that are not online.
The full text of Chapter 119 is on the Florida Senate site at the Chapter 119, Florida Statutes page.
Key Statutes:
Florida Statutes Chapter 119 sets the public records framework, the duty to inspect and copy, the fee rules, and the exemption process.
Florida Statutes 119.0714 lists the redaction and confidentiality rules for court files and official records.
Florida Statutes 28.2221 limits the kinds of recorded images a clerk may show on a public website, including probate, family, military discharge, and death records.
Records That Are Restricted or Confidential
Some Pasco court files are not open to the general public. Juvenile delinquency and dependency files are limited under Florida Statutes 985.04 and 39.0132. Adoption files are sealed under 63.162. Mental health clinical files are guarded by 394.4615. Social security numbers and bank account numbers are stripped from public copies under 119.071.
A sealed file may be reopened by court order. A person who needs access to a sealed Pasco file should file a motion in the case and serve the State Attorney or other affected party. The Clerk does not have the power to unseal a record on its own; the order has to come from the judge who sealed it or from a judge with jurisdiction over the file.
Specialty Courts in Pasco County
The Sixth Judicial Circuit runs problem-solving court tracks for eligible defendants who would otherwise stay in the regular criminal docket. The Sixth Circuit contact page lists Adult Drug Court contacts at both the Robert D. Sumner Judicial Center in Dade City and the West Pasco Judicial Center in New Port Richey. The shared Pasco intake phone is 727-847-2411 ext. 8489. Drug court routes substance-use cases through treatment, drug testing, and judge-led review hearings rather than a standard trial track.
Family mediation and other Alternative Dispute Resolution programs also run out of the same circuit office. The Florida Courts problem-solving courts page gives the broader state framework for drug, veterans, mental health, and DUI treatment tracks.
Pasco County Sheriff and Jail
The Pasco County Jail is run by Pasco Corrections under Pasco County Government and sits at 20101 Central Blvd, Land O'Lakes, FL 34637. The Pasco Corrections home page links to In Custody, Past Arrests, E-Notify, Inmate Services, PREA, and Seal and Expunge. The public inmate web app lives at jailinfo.pascocorrections.net/jmc.
The screenshot below shows the API base that powers the public roster and past-arrest views.
For the full roster, charges, bond amounts, and booking data, see the Pasco County inmate records page. For active warrant searches and capias notes, see warrant records.
Marriage, Divorce, and Probate Records
Marriage licenses are issued by the Pasco Clerk and Comptroller at non-court office counters. Divorce files sit in the Circuit Court family division and use the Domestic Relations (DR) code. Probate cases also live in the Circuit Court under the probate division and use the CP code for probate matters and GA for guardianship. The same OCRS search reaches all of them; the marriage and divorce records and probate records pages cover the details, fees, and timing.
A short glossary helps when reading probate dockets and guardianship orders.
- Testator
- The person who made the will.
- Executor
- The person named in a will to handle the estate; in Florida law also called the personal representative.
- Intestate
- Dying without a valid will.
- Guardian
- A person the court appoints to care for a minor or an adult ward.
Pasco County Court Records Fees
The Pasco Clerk publishes a clear fee chart on its Official Records Fees and Costs page. Copy fees are flat per page. Certification is per document, not per page. A 3.5 percent card fee is added when debit or credit cards are used; that fee is charged by MyFloridaCounty, not the Clerk.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Copy of recorded document, per page | $1.00 |
| Certification fee, per document | $2.00 |
| Computer record search, if available | $2.00 per search |
| Debit or credit card transaction fee | 3.5% |
| Marriage license, standard | $86.00 |
| Marriage license, with premarital course | $61.00 |
How to Read a Pasco County Court Record
Most confusion comes from three terms that look alike but mean different things. A charge is what the State Attorney accuses the person of doing. A conviction is a finding of guilt by plea or trial. An adjudication withheld is a special Florida disposition where the judge finds the facts but holds back the formal conviction, usually with probation. Reading a Pasco criminal docket without that distinction can lead to wrong conclusions.
Docket abbreviations also throw off first-time readers. ARR is arraignment. MOT is a motion. ORD is an order. CONT is a continuance. CAP is capias. NOLPRO is nolle prosequi, meaning the State declined to push the case forward. A longer glossary appears on the Pasco County court records page.
Accuracy and Record Limitations
OCRS is not a certified record. The disclaimer at the top of the public search makes that clear. A printout from the web search is for personal use, not for proof to a bank, employer, agency, or court. For an authoritative copy, place a certified copy order with Court Records at the relevant courthouse or with Official Records at the relevant government center.
Online data also lags behind paper filings by a short window. New filings, dispositions, and orders are entered on a daily cycle, but a same-day event may not appear until the next business day. A user who needs current status should call the right Clerk desk.
Note: Always confirm a fact pulled from the public OCRS search with a certified Clerk copy before relying on it for a legal, lending, or hiring decision.
History of Pasco County Courts
Pasco County was carved out of the southern part of Hernando County in 1887. Dade City was picked as the county seat. The county first ran out of rented space, then put up a frame courthouse in 1889. The old Pasco County Courthouse and bandstand built in 1909 still stand in downtown Dade City as a local historic landmark, separate from the modern court buildings used today. The modern East Pasco court address is the Robert D. Sumner Judicial Center, not the old courthouse.
The growth of West Pasco along the Gulf corridor led to the second judicial center in New Port Richey. The two-center model is the most striking local feature of the Pasco court system, and it shapes how filings, hearings, and records storage are split today.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I search Pasco County court records online?
Open the OCRS entry page at civitekflorida.com/ocrs/county/51, click Public, read the disclaimer, then click I Agree. Use Person Search with a last name or a business name. Use Case Search when the full case number is known. Add filing date filters or court-type codes to narrow large result lists.
Is the online Pasco court record a certified copy?
No. The OCRS disclaimer states the data is for informational use only. A certified copy must be ordered through the Pasco Clerk's Court Records or Official Records desks. Certification is $2 per document, with copies at $1 per page.
Which court hears felonies in Pasco County?
Felonies are heard by the Circuit Court of the Sixth Judicial Circuit, which sits in Dade City and New Port Richey. OCRS lists felony cases under the CF court-type code. Misdemeanors, by contrast, are heard at the Pasco County Court.
More on the Pasco County Court Records FAQ page.