Search Official Records

By accessing these services, you agree to any terms and instructions defined below.


The Official Records Search allows you to search the entire Bay County Official Records database for final judgments, land records, and other public documents recorded after January 1st, 1987.

The search will return a list of Parties, the date the document was recorded, the type of document that was recorded, the Book type, the Book/Page and Clerk Instrument Number of the document.

The copies viewed on this website are not legal official documents. Official legal document copies are available only from the Clerk’s Official Records Department.

With information obtained online, you may easily retrieve and identify documents available at the Official Records Division of the Clerk’s Office. These documents can be obtained in the following manner:

  • By visiting the Bay County Official Records search page for free uncertified copies.
  • By contacting the Official Records Division of the Clerk’s Office (by phone or mail) and requesting that certified copies be mailed to you at a cost of $1.00 per page for copies and $2.00 for certifications.

INSTRUCTIONS on using our Search Page – Click HERE.

Effective January 1, 2024, in accordance with Florida Statute 695.26 and the requirements for recording instruments affecting real property, the Clerk will not record an instrument by which title to real property or interest is conveyed, assigned, encumbered, or disposed of unless:
• The name of each witness is legibly printed, typewritten, or stamped immediately beneath the signature of the witness.
• The post office address of each witness is legibly printed, typewritten, or stamped on each instrument.

Property Fraud Alert

Bay County Clerk of Court offers property owners a free service to alert themselves of potential property fraud.

According to the FBI property and mortgage fraud is one of the fastest growing white-collar crimes. Scammers file fraudulent deeds making it appear as if they own the property. This type of fraud can go undetected if the property owner does not periodically check the Official Records. Although checking does not prevent the actual fraudulent activity from occurring it does provide an early warning of what may have otherwise gone undetected.

Properly Fraud Alert emails notifications to subscribers when a deed, mortgage, or other land record with their registered name on it has been recorded into the Clerk’s Official Records.

Property Fraud Alert is a free service that alerts subscribers when a mortgage, deed or other land document is recorded in their name in Bay County’s official records. Notifications are emailed within 24 hours of the document being recorded. Sign up and start protecting your most valuable investments.

Sign Up

  1. Visit the Recording Activity Notification page to register.
  2. Enter your personal or business name and email address.
  3. To register a Trust, enter the Trust as a business name

Notice

On or after October 1, 2002, any person preparing or filing a document for recording in the Official Records Department may not include a social security number, a bank account, credit, debit or charge card number in such a document unless required by law.

Any person has the right to request the Clerk/County Recorder to redact /remove social security, bank account, credit, debit or charge card numbers from any image or copy of an Official Record that has been placed on the Clerk’s publicly available website.

The request must be legibly written, signed and delivered in person, by mail or by fax to the Clerk’s Official Records Department. The request must specify the identification book and page number that contains the information to be redacted. No fee is charged for this service.

You may access the link to our Forms Page to print a request form or write your own request and hand deliver to the Bay County Courthouse, Room 101. Or mail to:

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

or

Bay County Clerk’s Office
Attention Official Records
300 East 4th Street
Panama City, FL 32401

**Because of the risk of computer viruses attached to electronic signatures, this office will not accept electronic requests.

***Visit MyFloridaCounty.com to order on-line records outside of Bay County. My Florida County charges a fee for this service.

Public Records

The Florida Constitution provides for the Clerk to act as Ex-Officio Clerk to the Board of County Commissioners. In this capacity, a primary responsibility of the Clerk is to record and index minutes for the Board of County Commission meetings.

The Bay County Clerk of the Circuit Court, is the official recorder of all instruments that may be required or authorized by law to be recorded in Bay County. It is required that all instruments are recorded in one general series of books called, “Official Records.” A general alphabetical index of all instruments filed for record is maintained and made available to the public.

Deeds, leases, agreements, mortgages, satisfactions of mortgage, tax warrants, notices of claims of liens, any instrument relating to ownership, transfer, or encumbrance of real property are examples of instruments required to be recorded. Documents originating within the Clerk’s Office, such as bonds, judgements, administrative orders, appeals, motions and dismissals are also recorded.

The Clerk of the Circuit Court is the county recorder. Copies of marriage licenses, deeds, mortgages, and other instruments are on file in the recording office of the Bay County Courthouse.

Official records can be accessed through on-line access, imagery processing, as well as on CD. All official records are open to the public.

Deputy Clerks are available to assist the public in searching for information.

We do not take personal checks effective 02/21/2007.

Search BOCC Records

Forms on this page have not been optimized for assistive technologies like screen readers. If you need assistance, please call Tanya Deal at 850-747-5123.

BOCC Records

The Florida Constitution provides for the Clerk to act as Ex-Officio Clerk to the Board of County Commissioners. In this capacity, a primary responsibility of the Clerk is to record and index minutes to the Board of County Commission meetings.  BOCC Records are searchable online below by either keyword or full text searching.

All Documents Keyword Search

For keyword searching select the document search type from the drop down.  To filter results type in a desired keyword(s). Date keywords should be formatted “MM/DD/YYYY”.  Results will be presented in the right column.  Open the documents by finding and clicking the line item.  The results columns can be sorted by clicking the top line of each column.  Most documents will open in a new window.  For larger documents a download will initiate. Adding *’s before, after, or both may aid in singling out search keywords that may be part of larger keyword strings.

Advanced Full Text Search

If advanced searching capabilities are needed try the section below for full text searching by selecting the “Document Type” and using the “Search Term” field.  Adding *’s before, after, or both may aid a search in limiting only the documents with characters following the keyword entered.  You may also reduce results by adding keywords in the fields below the search term field.

Official Records Fees

The Recording Department now accepts personal checks, with a processing fee of $3.00.

Calculate your fees

ServiceFees
Official Records CD (per book)$25.00
Plat copy per page$5.00
Record Search per year$1.00
Extra names (per name over 4)$1.00
Examining, certifying and recording plats larger than 8 1/2 x 14
Each additional page
$30.00
$15.00
Recording instruments – 8 1/2 x 14
Each additional page
$10.00
$8.50

Documentary Stamps

(anything that conveys real estate)

ServiceFees
Doc Stamps on Deeds (computed on the total purchase price)$0.70 per $100
Doc Stamps on Mortgages (computed on the amount of mortgage rounded to the nearest $100.00)$0.35 per $100
Intangible tax (computed on the exact amount of mortgage)$0.20 per $100

Please be informed that fee increases are added during Legislative Session.

Recording Fees History

DateFees
From 1931 to June 30th, 1957$00.10
From July 1st, 1957 to June 30th, 1963$00.20
From July 1st, 1963 to September 30th, 1979$00.30
From October 1st, 1979 to June 30th, 1981$00.40
July 1st, 1981 to June 30th, 1985$00.45
July 1st, 1985 to June 30th, 1987$00.50
July 1st, 1987 to May 31st, 1991$00.55
June 1st, 1991 to July 31st, 1992$00.60
August 1st, 1992 to present$00.70

To calculate your fees, click here.

Please be informed that fee increases are due to the Senate Bill 2962 that was passed during this Legislative Session.

Official Records Forms

Forms below can be downloaded using the icon on the selected form’s page linked below. Download the selected form, complete any digital fields, and then print for signatures and filing. Adobe Reader is suggested for completing PDF documents with digital form fields.

Effective January 1, 2024, in accordance with Florida Statute 695.26 and the requirements for recording instruments affecting real property, the Clerk will not record an instrument by which title to real property or interest is conveyed, assigned, encumbered, or disposed of unless:
• The name of each witness is legibly printed, typewritten, or stamped immediately beneath the signature of the witness.
• The post office address of each witness is legibly printed, typewritten, or stamped on each instrument.

Privacy Policy

General

The Bay County Clerk & Comptroller’s Web site is for informational purposes only and is offered as a convenience for our customers. We make no warranty or guarantee regarding the accuracy or reliability of the content on this site. The Clerk & Comptroller’s office shall not be liable for errors or for any damages in connection with the use of the information appearing on this or other referenced websites.

This website does not provide legal advice. Please contact a qualified attorney for guidance about a particular legal issue.

By using the information, services and products available through this website, you agree to be bound by all of the terms and conditions of use as set forth herein.

The terms and conditions set forth in the PPTOU may be updated from time to time without notice to you. It is your responsibility to review it from time to time to be aware of any such change. Your continued use of this service will indicate your agreement to any such change.

Public Records

Florida has a very broad public records law. As a result, any written communication created or received by Bay County Clerk & Comptroller officials and employees will be made available to the public and media, upon request, unless otherwise exempt. Furthermore, under Florida law, email addresses are public records. If you do not want your email address released in response to a public records request, do not send electronic mail to this entity. Instead, contact our office by phone or in writing.

Collection of Personal Information

When you engage in activities on this site, you may be asked to provide certain information about yourself by filling out and submitting an online form. It is completely optional for you to engage in these activities.

Depending upon the activity, some of the information that we ask you to provide is identified as mandatory and some as voluntary. If you do not provide the mandatory data with respect to a particular activity, you will not be able to engage in that activity online. Instead, you will need to use a non-Web option for transacting that business with the Bay County Clerk & Comptroller.

Protection of Your Personal Information

The Bay County Clerk & Comptroller recognizes and appreciates the importance of responsible use of information collected on this site. Information may be saved for a designated period of time in order to comply with the State of Florida’s archiving policies. However, information will not be disclosed to third parties or other government agencies, unless required by state or federal law.

Use of Cookies

When you visit the Bay County Clerk & Comptroller’s Web site, you can surf the site anonymously and access information without revealing your identity. In order to improve our site, we may use “cookies” to assist your visit. A cookie is small amount of data that is transferred to your browser by a Web server and can only be read by the server that gave it to you. It can function as your identification card, recording your passwords, purchases, and preferences. However, it cannot be executed as code or deliver viruses.

Most browsers are initially set to accept cookies. You can set your browser to notify you when you receive a cookie, giving you the chance to decide whether or not to accept it.

For some Web pages that require an authorization, cookies are not optional. Users choosing not to accept cookies will probably not be able to access those pages. While certain Web pages use cookies to assist your visit to the Bay County Clerk & Comptroller Web site, and while our Web servers automatically log the IP address of your computer, this information does not identify you personally, and you remain anonymous unless you have otherwise provided personal information to a specific Web page.

User Accounts

When registering to use a feature, it is solely your responsibility to keep your private account information, such as username and password, secure. You must not disclose your private account information to anyone except other authorized persons.

You are entirely liable for all activities conducted through your account. You agree to immediately notify the Bay County Clerk & Comptroller of any unauthorized use of your account or any breach of security.

The Bay County Clerk & Comptroller will never ask you for your password in an unsolicited phone call or in an unsolicited e-mail. Also remember to sign out of your account and close your browser window whenever you have finished your work.

Security

Data transmission over the Internet is not guaranteed to be 100% secure. While we strive to protect your personal information, the Bay County Clerk & Comptroller cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information transmitted to us or received from our online products or services. Once we receive a transmission, we make our best effort to ensure it is secure on our systems.

Your Responsibilities

You are responsible for all charges associated with connecting to the Internet. You agree that any telephone or other communications fees and charges incurred are your sole responsibility.

Prohibited Uses

As a user of the Bay County Clerk & Comptroller’s website, you agree to use this service only for its lawful, intended purposes. Use of this service for transmission, distribution, retrieval, or storage of any information, data, or other material in violation of any applicable law or regulation is prohibited. You also agree not to use the service to:

  • Provide false information or to impersonate someone else;
  • Distribute computer viruses, worms, or any software intended to damage or alter a computer system;
  • Violate any applicable local, state, national or international law.

System and Network Security

Violations of system or network security of the service are prohibited, and may subject you to criminal and/or civil liability. The Bay County Clerk & Comptroller will investigate potential security violations, and may notify applicable law enforcement agencies if violations are suspected.

You may not attempt to circumvent the authentication procedures or security of any host, network, network component, or account to access data, accounts, or systems that you are not expressly permitted to access.

You may not interfere or attempt to interfere with service to any other user.

Violation of Terms of Use

In the event of any violation of the terms contained herein, the Bay County Clerk & Comptroller reserves the right to suspend or terminate, either temporarily or permanently, any or all services provided. Users who violate terms contained herein may additionally incur criminal and/or civil liability. The Bay County Clerk & Comptroller may refer violators to civil or criminal authorities for prosecution.

Indemnity

You agree to indemnify and hold the Bay County Clerk & Comptroller and its subsidiaries, affiliates, telecommunications providers, service providers, officers, employees and agents harmless from any claim, liability, loss, expense or demand, including attorneys’ fees, related to a user’s violation of the terms and conditions or the use of the services and information provided at this Web site.

Limitation of Liability

In no event will the Bay County Clerk & Comptroller, its suppliers, its service providers, or other third party affiliates be liable for any damages whatsoever including but not limited to:

  • Direct, indirect, incidental punitive and consequential damages arising out of the use, inability to use, or the results of use of this service;
  • Any Web sites linked to the service, the materials or information contained at any or all such sites;
  • Content anywhere on the internet, whether based on warranty, contract, tort or any other legal theory;
  • Including without limitation those damages resulting from lost profits, lost data or business interruption;
  • Aggregate liability of the Bay County Clerk & Comptroller or any of its suppliers, service providers, or third party affiliates.

In no event shall the Bay County Clerk & Comptroller be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, special and exemplary damages, or any damages whatsoever, arising from the use or performance of this Web site or from any information, services or products provided through this Web site, even if the Bay County Clerk & Comptroller has been advised of the possibility of such damages.

If you are dissatisfied with this Web site, or any portion thereof, your exclusive remedy shall be to stop using the website.

Termination

If a user’s conduct fails to conform to the letter or spirit of these terms and conditions or if the Bay County Clerk & Comptroller believes the user’s conduct may create liability for its affiliates, then that user’s service will be terminated.

The Bay County Clerk & Comptroller reserves the right to restrict access of any user of this service and may at any time in its sole discretion with or without notice and with or without cause immediately deny access to the service and may remove all account information.

Disclaimer of Warranties

This service is provided by the Bay County Clerk & Comptroller on an “as is” basis. Neither the Bay County Clerk & Comptroller nor its partners, providers, or affiliates make any representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, as to the operation of the service, its contents, or any information made available by or through the service.

The Bay County Clerk & Comptroller disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, including but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or any infringement. Furthermore, the Bay County Clerk & Comptroller does not warrant that use of the service will not be interrupted, available at any time or from any location, secured and error-free. Corrected defects are not warrantable and the service is not guaranteed free of viruses or other harmful components.

Jurisdictional Issues

The PPTOU shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Florida as it is applied to contracts entered into by residents of the State of Florida including the public records law (Chapter 119, Florida Statutes). You also consent to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts in Bay County, Florida, and you further consent to the exercise of personal jurisdiction of the courts therein.

If any provision(s) of the PPTOU is found to be contrary to law, then such provision(s) shall be construed, as nearly as possible, to reflect the intentions of the parties with the other provisions remaining in full force and effect.

The Bay County Clerk & Comptroller’s failure to exercise or enforce any right or provision of the PPTOU shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision unless acknowledged and agreed to by the Bay County Clerk & Comptroller in writing. You and the Bay County Clerk & Comptroller agree that any cause of action arising out of or related to this PPTOU or the service must commence within one (1) year after the cause of action arose; otherwise, such cause of action is permanently barred.

The section titles in this PPTOU are solely used for the convenience of the parties and have no legal or contractual significance. These terms and conditions constitute the entire agreement between you and the Bay County Clerk & Comptroller with respect to the subject matter herein and supersede any and all prior or contemporaneous oral or written agreements. You may not assign this agreement to any other party.

Search Court Cases & Court Docket

By accessing this service, you agree to any terms and instructions defined below.


Bill Kinsaul is pleased to offer Internet access to information deemed as public record by Florida Statute 119.01 (1), (2), (3). Please accept the disclaimer below in order to access these electronic records.

This website is intended for the general public’s personal use to retrieve general information. The information available on this website is not official and should not be relied on for any type of legal action.

While the Clerk’s Office attempts to preserve the accuracy of the online version of these records, they are not official and the Bay County Clerk of Circuit Court will not be responsible for any inaccuracies that may be encountered. By using this service, in any form, the User agrees to exonerate and pardon the Bay County Clerk of Circuit Court and his staff involved in storing, retrieving, or displaying this information for damage of any type that may be caused by accessing this information over the Internet. Parties, or their attorneys, are required under Rule 2.420 to file a Notice of Confidential Information Form along with any document that contains confidential information.


Accept Terms of Agreement And Search All Cases

Request Secure Login

The General Public, Parties to a Case, and Florida Attorneys may request secure access subscription and access information by completing a Bay County Access Agreement and emailing eSupport@BayCoClerk.com

Court Docket

830 W 11th Street, Panama City, FL  32401

If you visit our Case Search site and search for any specific case (no login needed) the EVENTS section will show court docket events for that case.

If you need broader access to review a full calendar of Court Docket events then you can request secure login using the links and fill out an application for a free login name and password that will enable you to access advanced search features such as full Court Docket information.

Search Tips

View case format examples for both civil and criminal cases. Criminal example: 02000034CFMA, Civil traffic example: 02000034TR, Probate example: 02000034CP

NAME SEARCH: LAST, FIRST MIDDLE – the more explicit the name information the more the search will be narrowed down, but you can search by last name only.

Example – DOE, JOHN D

Case types are as follows:

  • Civil Traffic Infraction cases end in TR
  • Circuit Criminal cases end in CFMA
  • County Criminal cases end in MMMA
  • County Criminal worthless check cases end in MMMW
  • Municipal Ordinances cases end in MOMS
  • State Statute and Ordinance cases end in MMMO
  • Criminal Traffic cases end in CTMA
  • Wildlife and Tobacco Violation cases end in TOMA
  • Animal Control Violations end in ACMA
  • Code Enforcement Violations end in CEMA
  • Parking Violations end in PKMA
  • Circuit Civil cases end in CA
  • Domestic Relations and Family Law cases end in DR
  • County Civil and Landlord Tenant cases end in CC
  • Small Claims cases end in SC
  • Motor Vehicle cases end in MO
  • Solicitors Permit cases end in SL
  • Probate cases ending in CP or GA

Federal Court Records

For inquiries of Federal Court Records please contact:
Tallahassee: 850-521-3501
or
Pensacola: 850-435-8440

Other Family Issues

Other family law cases include adoptions, paternity, name change, child custody, and annulment.

  • Adoptions are confidential. All papers and records pertaining to the adoption, including the original birth certificate, are confidential and subject to inspection only upon order of the court.
  • Paternity cases can be filed by any woman who is pregnant or has a child, any man who has reason to believe that he is/is not the father of a child, or any child may bring proceedings in the circuit court to determine the paternity of the child when paternity has not been established by law or otherwise.
  • Name changes for adults or minor children
  • Annulment of a marriage
  • Termination of parental rights proceedings pursuant to Section 63.087, Florida Statutes
  • Emancipation removal of non-age
  • Add termination of parental rights and emancipation

Delayed Birth Certificates

For persons who have never had a birth certificate issued: They must provide proof that a birth certificate has never been issued (the Clerk’s Office will provide a card to mail to vital statistics upon request), and the person must show proof of age. The following may be used as proof of age (including but not limited to):

  • Family Bible
  • School Records
  • Baptismal Certificate
  • Affidavit of Attending Physician, Midwife or Person Who Attended Birth
  • Voters Registration
  • Social Security Application
  • Birth Certificate of Petitioners Child
  • Application for Marriage License
  • Insurance Policy
  • Census Records
  • Military Service Records

The judge will decide if proof of age has been established.

Self-Help Family Law Forms

Self-help forms are available for those who wish to represent themselves in the following civil proceedings. These forms are available for purchase in the Juvenile Courthouse first floor Family Law office or from the Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure website.

Packet Name

Forms

The information contained in the forms on this website is simply informational and is not intended as legal advice. Do not depend on using the forms offered on this site for making legal, business or other important decisions. Employees of the Clerk’s Office cannot give legal advice. For further explanation of the forms on this site please contact an attorney.

We are currently in the process of making our entire document library ADA Compliant. If you have any problems accessing or using a PDF document on this website, please call Tanya Deal at 850-747-5123 for assistance.

To request public records from the Clerk’s Office, please print and complete the Request For Public Records Form below and return to the appropriate department.

Attorneys, please visit the Florida Bar for the latest rulings on Civil and Family Filings and Dispositions.

Popular Downloads

All Downloads

Juvenile

The Clerk’s Juvenile Division processes records dealing with Delinquency and Dependency cases, involving people under 18 years of age.

All Delinquency and Dependency records are confidential.

The only parties who may inspect a juvenile file without a court order are:

  • Child
  • Parents
  • Attorneys
  • Guardian ad litem
  • Law enforcement agencies
  • Department of Children and Families and its designees
  • Department of Juvenile Justice and its designees
  • Parole Commission
  • Department of Corrections.

As mandated by Florida Law, we cannot give out any information over the phone or on the Internet about any juvenile case. To view the court file, the authorized person must appear in person with a proper picture I.D.

Juvenile Delinquency

Cases involve juveniles who have been accused of committing a crime.

Juvenile Dependency

Cases are established when children have been abused, abandoned, or neglected.

Judicial Bypass Process

Confidential cases filed by a minor to Terminate Pregnancy without parental consent.

Emancipation (Removal of Non-Age)

Emancipation is handled through the Family Law Division of the Bay County Clerks Office

Forms & Documents