Obtain Free Hernando County Divorce Records & Certificates

Look up Hernando County divorce records for free with the links and steps outlined in this brief resource.

A divorce is a dissolution of a marriage filed in a family court, so family courts are one of the custodians that researchers can contact when looking for divorce records.

Some custodians provide this information for free by posting it in online databases, while details can also be acquired via various request methods to local offices. Efficiently track down divorce records in Hernando County, Florida, using this article’s tips.

How To Access Hernando County Divorce Records at No Cost

You can access divorce records at the Hernando County Courthouse.¹ Hernando County is part of the Florida 5th Circuit, and its courthouse includes the family court where divorce proceedings take place.

All case records, including divorces, are maintained by the Hernando County Clerk of Circuit Court & Comptroller. The clerk’s office offers the public an Online Court Records Search tool that allows anyone to look up case records.² If you are a member of the public, select ‘Public’, and you can search court records anonymously.

If you are searching for a particular divorce and do not know the case number, you can perform a name-based search. You must at least include a last name for the search to yield any results. Select ‘Domestic Relations/Family’ to narrow results to relevant family matters.

When results are generated, you will see a list of people that share the same name as the one entered into the search. To ensure you locate the proper individual, look to the gender, race, and address columns for identifying distinctions.

Once you believe you have located the proper individual, select the arrow beside the name. Then click on the case number displayed as ‘UCN’ to review additional information about the divorce.

If the case is a divorce, it will read ‘Dissolution’ under the ‘Description’ heading. You can review the filing date, the case status, whether it was contested, the date of judgment, and names of both parties, and a list of court events surrounding the case.

All dissolution records are public divorce records in Florida. Anyone may use the Hernando County Request a Public Record portal to order a divorce record.⁵ The requester must provide sufficient information such that the Clerk of Court can locate the proper record.

There is no fee to copy the first 10 pages of uncertified records. Any additional page costs $0.15 for single-sided copies and $0.20 for double-sided copies. Certified records cost an additional $1.

The Hernando County Clerk of Court & Comptroller main office is open to the general public from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Brooksville location and from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Spring Hill location. Contact the clerk’s office for more information concerning divorce records.

Hernando County Clerk of Circuit Court & Comptroller
20 North Main St.
Brooksville, Florida 34601

Phone: 352.754.4201

How To Find Divorce Records in All of Florida Through the Department of Health

After a divorce is finalized, a report of the dissolution of marriage is sent to the Florida Department of Health Bureau of Vital Statistics.⁶ The transfer is not immediate, as it takes approximately 60 days. Nonetheless, the Bureau of Vital Statistics maintains divorce certificates from June 6, 1927, to the present.

The Bureau of Vital Statistics does not maintain decrees from a divorce proceeding. They produce a certification of dissolution of marriage, which contains the names of the parties to the divorce, the judgment date, and the court where it occurred. Certifications of dissolution of marriage are public records, and anyone can request and obtain one.

A request for a certification record can be submitted by walk-in, mail-in, or through a third-party provider endorsed by the Florida Department of Health.

For walk-in or mail-in submissions, complete an Application For Florida Dissolution of Marriage Certificate.⁷ The requester must provide their contact information, including their name, address, phone number, and email.

The requester must also provide the names of both spouses shown on the record, the date of dissolution, and the county where the divorce was granted.

There is a standard $5 search fee. If a requester does not know the exact date of the dissolution of marriage, they may provide a span of years to be searched at $2 per year. There is a maximum fee of $50.

The fee for the first certificate is $5, while each additional certificate is $4. There is an option for a rush order at $10, or an applicant can elect standard shipping for $1. Fees can be paid by check or money order made payable to ‘Vital Statistics’.

The processing times differ depending on when the divorce occurred. If the dissolution of marriage occurred between 1970 to the present, there is a 3-5 business days processing time. If the divorce occurred before 1970, the Bureau of Vital Statistics will require additional processing time.

If you happen to not have access to the application, you may still submit a written request to the Bureau of Vital Statistics that includes information about the persons named on the record and your contact information.

Walk-in service can be completed at 1217 North Pearl Street, Jacksonville, Florida 32202. The office is open to the public between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Main-in applications must be sent to ‘Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics, PO Box 210, Jacksonville, Florida 32231.

Alternatively, interested persons can order certification of divorce through VitalChek, a third-party platform endorsed by the Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics.

Florida Department of Health
Bureau of Vital Statistics
1217 North Pearl Street
Jacksonville, Florida 32202

Phone: 904.359.6900
Email: [email protected]

There is no Hernando County divorce index or archive. To find older divorce records, a third party may be able to assist.

The Availability of Divorce Records in Hernando County Florida

Divorce records are publicly available in Hernando County. Florida Statute 382.025(2) provides that the Department of Health must issue a certified copy of a dissolution of marriage to any person who makes a request and pays the requisite fee.⁸

Furthermore, court records are public under Florida Statute 119.0714(1) unless an exception applies.⁹

There are no current exceptions to the dissolution of marriage records. However, if there is private information, such as social security numbers, located on a record, then the court may redact those portions before disclosing them to another person.

A court will issue a divorce decree to close a dissolution of marriage proceeding. This is contrasted with ‘divorce papers’, which are generally referred to as the initial filings. Both decrees and papers may be eligible.

There is no such thing as a common law divorce in Florida. To obtain a dissolution of marriage, you must follow the rules outlined in Florida Statute 61.052.¹⁰

When searching for archived divorce records in Hernando County, a third-party platform may be able to assist. However, any records you obtain from them cannot be used in any official capacity.

Perform a Hernando County divorce records search today by following the information provided by this resource; many efficient methods allow you to obtain divorce information as soon as you take action.