Lafayette County, FL Courts and Public Records

The Lafayette County Circuit Court and County Court serve as the county's trial courts for the 3rd Judicial Circuit. The Circuit Court handles felonies, larger civil cases, family matters, and probate, while the County Court handles misdemeanors, traffic, and smaller civil and small claims disputes.

Have the full name, the case number if you know it, and approximate dates ready before you search. Court records for Lafayette County are kept by the Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller of Lafayette County.

Lafayette County's Circuit and County Courts received 689 new cases in fiscal year 2024-25 and disposed of 550. Total filings rose 25.3% from 550 in FY 2023-24.

Criminal filings drove most of the change, which rose by 115 cases (from 134 to 249).

This table covers the five most recent fiscal years for Lafayette County. Published years are shown as reported; earlier years marked with ~ are estimates based on the statewide trend and this county's latest published figures.

Across the two fiscal years reported, total filings rose by 139 cases, or 25.3%, from 550 to 689. The biggest driver was county criminal filings, which rose by 109 cases (+134.6%). Dispositions rose 15.1%, from 478 to 550.

Chart note: a line chart of filings versus dispositions would run from oldest to newest, with years marked ~ as estimates.

Civil cases make up the largest share of Lafayette County filings at 38.9% of the 689 filed in FY 2024-25.

No category fell, and County criminal filings grew fastest at +134.6%, while County civil grew slowest at +1.3%.

Lafayette County accounted for 0.019% of all 3,628,225 filings in Florida circuit and county courts in FY 2024-25.

The county's filings per resident are below the statewide rate, and its total filings changed +25.3% compared with +1.1% statewide. Its docket is less weighted toward civil cases than the state, with civil making up 38.9% of filings compared with 69.8% statewide.

These figures are Florida statewide totals as reported to the FBI, not counts for Lafayette County. Agency reporting may be incomplete, and county crime counts are not available here. Statewide violent and property crimes combined fell 10.0% from 2024 to 2025. In 2025, reporting agencies covered about 83.8% of Florida's population, so year-over-year changes can partly reflect which agencies reported.

Rates use the Florida 2025 population of 23,462,518. County-level rates are not published, so this section does not compare Lafayette County with the state.

Lafayette County has 1 verified clerk courthouse location, in Mayo, Florida. Check your notice or citation for the assigned courthouse before you go.

Florida trial cases in Lafayette County go to either the Circuit Court or the County Court. Parking tickets and federal cases are handled elsewhere, so check the charge and case type on your paperwork.

Yes, most Lafayette County court records are public, with exceptions set by Florida Rule of General Practice and Judicial Administration 2.420.

Public records

Most case files in the Circuit and County Courts are open, including dockets, filings, and orders. The Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller of Lafayette County holds these court records.

Restricted or confidential records

Juvenile delinquency, dependency, and adoption records are confidential, and mental health records under the Baker Act are restricted. Records that were sealed or expunged, along with judicial drafts, are also excluded under the rule.

Online access

The Florida Courts E-Filing Portal at myflcourtaccess.com offers a free account to view some non-confidential circuit civil documents. Not every document is online, and county clerk case search tools vary by county.

In-person access

Visit the Clerk at 120 West Main Street, Mayo, FL 32066, or call 386.294.1600 to confirm which records the office holds.

Fees

No statewide copy fee schedule was verified, so ask the Clerk about copy and certified copy fees before you request records.

Use the official Florida portals to search Lafayette County court records by case type, and contact the Clerk for documents that are not online.

1. Identify the case type, such as criminal, traffic, civil, small claims, family, probate, or juvenile.
2. Open the Clerk's website, lafayetteclerk.com, or the statewide portal at myflcourtaccess.com, and choose the official tool for that case type.
3. Search by party name or case number and note the case number from the results.
4. Review the case details, such as parties, case status, and docket entries.
5. Contact the Clerk to request documents that are not online.

Traffic citations, criminal fines, and parking tickets are paid through different channels in Lafayette County, so confirm which one applies before you pay.

1. Online: Pay eligible traffic citations at MyFloridaCounty.com using the citation number. Some citations are not eligible for online payment, so check the citation first.
2. Phone: Call the Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller at 386.294.1600 to ask about payment options by phone.
3. In person: Pay at the Clerk's office at 120 West Main Street, Mayo, FL 32066.
4. Mail: Ask the Clerk for the mailing address and whether your citation is eligible for payment by mail.
5. Payment plans: Ask the Clerk about payment plans, which must be requested within the deadline on your citation. Missing the deadline may lead to license suspension.

Parking tickets are paid to the issuing city or county parking authority, not through the court.