Public Records in Alachua County, Florida

Every day, in Alachua county, people search for data on birth, death, or marriages within the area. Often people perform a background investigation on potential employees or a new acquaintance. Some individuals find out about a property they are interested in purchasing or renting. Others run a check on a car plate number to know the owner. How about an adoptee who wants information on birth parents? or maybe someone wants to know what information is open to the public about them. These are just a few common reasons that a person living in the county may need to access Alachua County public records.

Specific government bodies are responsible for keeping these records and making them available to you. Moving from one location to another searching for documents, especially if you are searching for many papers, can be quite burdensome and time-consuming. It is essential to know where to look when you need these documents and know that there will be charges and processing fees to obtain these records. However, to save yourself time and cut costs, you can perform online public records search at your convenience.

Alachua County Court Records

The Alachua Clerk of Court maintains a wide range of court documents. These records are accessible online through the clerk’s website. However, you cannot view certain case documents, like adoption. You can locate the Alachua County Clerk of Court or send a request by mail to:

Alachua County Clerk of Court 

Public Records Custodian 

201 E University Ave, 

Gainesville, FL 32601.

Phone: (352) 374-3636.

Email: osr@alachuaclerk.org

The cost of obtaining court records is $1.00 per page and $.15 per page for administrative documents. Some requests will require additional fees. 

Vital Records

Birth, death, marriage, and divorce records make up vital records in Alachua County. Birth records in Alachua County are protected or sealed to avoid identity theft. With proper identification, family members or beneficiaries can access the documents. Individuals above 18 years and older may obtain their certificates.

Alachua County division of the Florida Department of Health, Office of Vital Statistics manages vital records in the county. The county office can access birth records within Florida from 1930 to the present day. You can perform a walk-in search for birth and death certificates at:

The Florida Department of Health,

Alachua County Office,

224 SE 24th Street

Gainesville, FL 32641

Phone number: (352) 334-7970

Email: WebInfoAlachua@flhealth.gov

Please note that the county office of the state’s health department is open for visits Mondays to Fridays, between 8:00 am and 4:00 pm daily.

For Florida Birth Certificate only, visit the office at:

15530 NW US HWY 441

Suite 10010

Alachua, FL 32615

Phone number: (386) 462-2542

Office Hours for obtaining birth certificates are from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, Mondays to Fridays.

Also, note that obtaining a birth certificate costs $15.00 for one certified copy and $7.00 for each additional copy requested at the same time. The agency does not accept cash or personal checks through mail except credit cards. Interested persons can mail requests to the same address above.

Inmates Records

The Alachua County Sheriff’s Office, Department of Jail manages inmates’ records in the county. You can find descriptions and search incarcerated persons in Alachua online. The Alachua County Sheriff’s office provides adequate information on mailing options and other vital information on inmates. 

You can make a request by visiting the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office located at 2621 SE Hawthorne Road, Gainesville, FL 32641, or call (352) 491-4444.

Sexual Offenders/Predators in Alachua County

The Alachua County Sheriff’s Office manages and updates the sex offender Registry in the county. The registry contains the name, address, date of birth, mugshots, photographs, arrest details, and address map of offenders. The registry is public. Anyone living in Alachua can search the registry to know where sex offenders live, work, attend school, and take the necessary safety precautions. The Sheriff’s office notifies the public of relevant sex offender activities such as change of address in the county through a tag system.

Criminal Records in Alachua County

Criminal records contain a person’s criminal history, arrest, and convictions. People run criminal background checks all the time and for different reasons. Employers often want to know the criminal history of someone they plan on hiring, and landlords want to know their tenants, etc. The Gainesville Police Department (GPD) keeps these records for Alachua County. You can request copies of these records in person, online, or by telephone.

Individuals interested in obtaining criminal records can contact the police department at:

Gainesville Police Department

Police Administration Building 

413 NW 8th Avenue

Gainesville, Florida 32601. 

Phone: (352) 393-7565

Mailing Address:

Gainesville Police Department 

Records Section, P.O. Box 1250

Gainesville, FL 32602

Note that a criminal history background check costs $5.00 per person.

In a nutshell

In Alachua County, the court clerk is the County Recorder. You can access almost any public record in the county at the County Clerk’s Recording office at the Alachua County Family/Civil Justice Center (First floor). Mortgages, property records, copies of deeds, bankruptcy registers, and other documents are available in the official records. All forms are open, and there is no charge to look at government files. However, obtaining copies of most records cost $1.00. The Alachua County Clerk’s office offers online services and links to efficiently make documents available to the public, and you can find most records online now. It is important to note that images, documents, papers, data obtained over the internet are not certified as true copies. Individuals are to purchase certified copies in person at the Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court or with credit card payment for requests made via telephone.