pinellas county public records online: essential tips for faster, smarter searches

What you can find

Pinellas County, Florida provides broad access to court dockets, official records (deeds, liens, mortgages), marriage licenses, and some property information. Many items are indexed back decades, with images available for recent years.

How to search effectively

Start with the Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller’s portals and, for parcels, the Property Appraiser’s tools. Use exact names, wildcards, and date ranges. Book/Page and case number filters cut noise. Expect fees for certified copies; standard PDFs are often free to view.

• Refine by document type to isolate deeds vs. liens.
• Try maiden names and common abbreviations.
• Compare parcel IDs across sites to confirm matches.
• Check the recording date, not just the instrument date.

Legal and privacy considerations

Florida’s Sunshine Law favors openness, but certain details are redacted, and sealed, juvenile, or expunged matters won’t appear. You may request redaction of protected identifiers. Do not rely on online snapshots for legal decisions; verify with the agency or order certified copies.

If a search returns nothing, submit a public records request describing the record, time frame, and custodial office. Clear, specific requests speed responses and reduce costs.