Polk County, FL Courts and Public Records

The Polk County Circuit Court and County Court in Judicial Circuit 10 handle criminal, civil, family, probate, and juvenile cases for Polk County. Circuit Court covers felonies, larger civil claims, family, probate, and juvenile matters, while County Court covers misdemeanors, traffic, smaller civil claims, and small claims.

Have the person's full name, the case number if known, and approximate filing dates ready before you search. Polk County court records are kept by the Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller.

The Polk County Circuit and County Courts recorded 101,578 filings in FY 2024-25, a +14.2% change from FY 2023-24, and 99,078 dispositions. Filings and dispositions are counted separately and should not be read as equal.

The largest change by division was County Court civil filings, which moved by +11,090 cases, followed by Circuit Court criminal at +2,033.

This table covers the five most recent fiscal years for Polk 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.

Filings changed by +12,642 cases (+14.2%) between the two years, while dispositions changed +10.8%. The largest division change was County Court civil (+11,090), and Circuit Court criminal moved +2,033. Circuit Court and County Court filings together account for the change, and a line chart of filings and dispositions would show two points per series, oldest to newest.

Civil cases (including small claims) make up the largest share of Polk County filings, at 54.5% of the 101,578 filed in FY 2024-25.

Circuit Court criminal grew fastest at +38.9%, while Probate fell fastest at -9.2%.

Polk County accounted for 2.8% of all Florida circuit and county court filings in FY 2024-25.

Polk County's filings grew +14.2% while Florida's grew +1.1%, and its criminal and civil shares differ from the statewide mix as shown above. Per resident, the county files 119.1 cases per 1,000 residents compared with 155.2 statewide.

These figures are Florida statewide totals as reported to the FBI, not counts for Polk 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 Polk County with the state.

Polk County has 1 courthouse location for Circuit and County Court matters. Check your notice or ticket for the assigned courthouse and division before you go.

Most Polk County cases are filed in either Circuit Court or County Court, and the case type decides which one.

Yes, most Polk County court records are public under Florida Rule of General Practice and Judicial Administration 2.420, with exceptions for records the rule or other law makes confidential.

Public records

Most case files in Circuit Court and County Court are open, including dockets, filings, and orders, unless a rule, statute, or court order makes them confidential.

Restricted or confidential records

Juvenile delinquency and dependency records, termination of parental rights, adoption records, Baker Act and other mental health records, and expunged or sealed records are restricted.

Online access

myflcourtaccess.com for statewide access where offered lets you search case information where public access is offered. Online results may not show every document, and restricted cases are not shown.

In-person access

Visit the Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller at the Polk County Courthouse, 255 N. Broadway Ave., Bartow, FL 33830. Call ahead to confirm which division holds your case.

Fees

Copy and certified copy fees are set by the clerk, so confirm the amount before you request records.

Use the statewide portal and the Polk County clerk to search court records by case type, and ask the clerk for documents that are not online.

1. Identify the case type, such as criminal, traffic, civil, small claims, family law, probate, or juvenile.
2. Open myflcourtaccess.com for statewide access where public access is offered.
3. Search by party name or case number and note the case number from the results.
4. Review the case details for status, parties, and scheduled dates.
5. Contact the Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller for documents that are not online.

Polk County traffic citations and fines are paid through the Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller, using the methods below that the county offers.

1. Online: Pay eligible traffic citations at MyFloridaCounty.com with your citation number.
2. Phone: Call the MyFloridaCounty traffic phone line where your county offers it, and have your citation number ready.
3. Mail: Send payment with your name, address, phone number, and citation number, following the clerk's instructions.
4. In person: Pay at the Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller traffic office for Polk County.
5. Payment plans: Request a payment plan before the county deadline, and confirm any administrative fee with the clerk.

Parking tickets are paid to the city or county agency that issued them, not through the County Court traffic process. Fees, deadlines, and eligibility vary by county, so confirm with the clerk.