Retrieve Free Lee County Divorce Records (Dissolution Lookup)

Access free Lee County divorce records to research a potential partner or conduct genealogy research. Under the Florida Open Records Law, divorce records are available for viewing and copying.

Divorce records can be found for free via state or local agencies, but knowing how to submit requests to record custodians or look up dissolution details yourself is key. This brief resource covers all you need to know and enables you to reveal anyone’s marital past by looking up divorce records in Lee County, Florida, today.

How To View Lee County Divorce Records (Free)

When searching for divorce decrees in Florida, interested parties must make contact with the circuit court clerk in the county where the proceeding took place. Circuit courts in Florida house the family courts where divorce proceedings occur.

A decree is essentially a court order issued by a circuit court judge that finalizes the dissolution of marriage. Court records are public in Florida unless sealed, so anyone can learn if someone has been divorced or not.

The Lee County Clerk of Court & Comptroller is the records custodian for divorces in the area.¹ The Lee County Clerk makes all case documents, including divorce cases, available to any member of the public.

The most expedient way to get access to divorce case information is through the online Court Records Inquiry.² This free database is maintained and updated by the Lee County Clerk as cases are filed and managed by the 20th Judicial Circuit Court.³

The database functions as a name-based or case number-based search. Users of this database should provide as much information as possible about a subject, as results are limited to the first 500 cases. To exclusively search for divorce records, researchers should select ‘Domestic Relations’ under the ‘Case Types’ section.

When searching by name, you must type in at least the full last name. If you do not know the first name, you may place an asterisk in the first name spot. However, it is wise to type in both the last and first names for the search to produce accurate results.

When results are produced, divorce cases can be recognized as ‘Dissolution w/ Children’ or ‘Dissolution w/o Children’ under the ‘Type’ column. Researchers will also be able to view the case number, judge’s name, and whether the case is pending or already disposed of.

Case numbers generally come with a link attached that can be selected and more information about the case is revealed. You will be able to see the date a case was filed, and the name and date of every event that occurred during the dissolution of marriage proceedings.

In some cases, filings may be available for ordering online through the database. In these cases, interested parties can add documents to the database cart, and proceed to complete the order by making payment. There is also a print symbol in the upper left-hand corner where the case information can be printed out for free.

In addition to ordering some records through the database, researchers can order court records through the Lee County Clerk of Court’s Records Request System.⁴ This system is an online records request portal. Anyone can request court records through this portal by creating an account or submitting requests anonymously.

Most requesters would choose ‘General Public’ in the ‘Customer Type’ dropdown menu. When requesting dissolution of marriage records, select ‘Family’ in the ‘Court Type’ dropdown menu. Provide the name of at least one of the parties to the divorce in the ‘Party Name’ section.

Ensure that it is clear what type of records are being requested, and remember that divorces are called dissolution of marriage in Florida. Records can be received by email or ‘electronic’, mailed, or picked up in person at the Lee County Clerk of Court office. You can request photocopies or certified copies.

Other than non certified electronic copies, there are fees associated with requesting court records in Lee County.⁵ Normal-sized copies cost $1 per page, while oversized copies cost $5 per page.

It costs $2 to certify a divorce record. In addition to making records requests, you can also track the status of the request by entering the reference number provided at the end of the ordering process.

It is unclear if dissolution of marriage records can be requested in person. Contact the Lee County Clerk of Court office for more information.

The office is open Monday – Friday from 8:30am to 5:00pm. Several locations house different functions of the Clerk of Court’s office. The Justice Center is where divorce and court case-related documents are stored.

Lee County Clerk of the Court & Comptroller
Justice Center
2075 Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard, First Floor
Fort Myers, Florida 33901

Phone: 239.533.5000

Note: In Lee County, Florida, the cities and towns within do not offer services to obtain or request divorce records. However, in addition to a county-level search, individuals may also gain access to divorce records through state resources. Find out how in the section below.

How To Search Divorce Records Throughout Florida (Statewide Lookup)

A dissolution of marriage in Florida effectively terminates it by court order. These orders or judgments are called decrees and can only be obtained from the clerk of the circuit court in the jurisdiction where the event occurred.

There are times when someone looking for divorce information may not be able to obtain it because the event occurred in a neighboring county or elsewhere in the state. In these cases, searching on the even broader state level will prove to be helpful. In these cases, researchers can obtain divorce certificates from the Florida Department of Health Bureau of Vital Statistics.⁶

This statewide agency keeps records of dissolution of marriage certificates that occurred from June 6, 1927, to the present. These records have been recorded by the Lee County Clerk of Court, and other county clerks, and provided to the Bureau of Vital Statistics. Divorce records are generally made available from the county clerks to the Bureau of Vital Statistics office approximately 60 days after the final judgment.

Although the certificate is not the decree, it contains valuable information that informs researchers about the parties to the dissolution of marriage, when it took place, and proof of the divorce. If an interested party knows or has reason to know that a dissolution of marriage occurred within the previous 60 days, they should contact the clerk of the court where the divorce was granted.⁷

Interested persons may request a certificate of divorce by mail or in person at the Bureau of Vital Statistics. Both methods require a completed Application for Florida Dissolution of Marriage Certificate or a written request that contains the following information:⁸

• Full name of both parties to the divorce
• Date of divorce
• County where divorce was granted
• Requester’s full name, address, phone number, signature, and relationship to party to divorce

The application form can be printed out and filled out. Sufficient information that can lead the Vital Statistics Office to locate the proper certificate is required.

There is a general, non-refundable $5 search fee attached to all orders that includes one certified copy. In the event the exact year of the dissolution of marriage is unknown, there is an additional $2 search fee per calendar year to locate the certificate. Additional copies cost $4, rush fees cost $10 per order, and mail in shipping and handling cost $1.

Certificate requests are generally processed within 3 to 5 business days. Payment by check or money order must be made out to ‘Vital Statistics’.

Requests made in person can also be paid by cash or debit or credit card. The addresses for walk-in requests are different from mail-in requests.

Walk-in requests must be made at the following address:

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

This office is open from 8:00am to 4:30pm Monday through Friday.

Mail-in requests must be made out to the following address:

Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics
PO Box 210
Jacksonville, Florida 32231-0042

For more information, contact the Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics at 904.359.6900 ext. 9000.

The Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics has also outsourced its online requests to VitalChek.⁹ There are several fees associated with this method, so interested parties should ensure they understand all of them before placing an order.

Are Details of Divorce Accessible to Everyone in Lee County Florida?

The Florida Public Records Law 119.07 states that any person will be permitted to copy or inspect public records for any reason.¹⁰ All the person has to do is make the request in writing and pay any fees assigned by the agency that serves as the custodian for the record.

Further, under the Florida Vital Records Law 382.025(2)(a), which concerns dissolution of marriage records, copies of all or part of these records must be issued upon request and fee payment.¹¹ The only way a dissolution of the marriage certificate will be withheld from inspection or copying is if a county clerk of court or the Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics determines that a record is exempt and states the basis for exemption.

Divorce papers are public in Florida, and even if an agency determines that a record contains exempt information, the agency only needs to redact the sensitive portion. Members of the public can obtain decrees from the county clerk of court and certificates from the Florida Vital Statistics office. There is no such thing as common law divorce in Florida.

Some third-party providers may be able to help interested parties in their search for archived dissolution of marriage records. However, unless a provider is endorsed by the state or county government, the divorce records are unofficial. This is an option for researchers when county, state, and local searches are unsuccessful.

Lee County divorce records can be obtained by following the guidance in this article; get access to divorce records for personal and official reasons today.