Address: 
201 South Indian River Drive
Fort Pierce, FL 34950
Directions To This Location


MAILING ADDRESS: 
Clerk of Circuit Court
P. O. Box 700
Fort Pierce, Florida 34954

Official Records: (772) 462-3207
          Research: (772) 462-6930
                   Fax: (772) 462-1283

Hours: 8AM -5PM, Mon - Fri

           FAQ

Question: 
Why did the Clerk's South County Recording Division Close?

Answer: 
Bills passed by the Florida Legislature and signed by the Governor demanded that Clerks' offices across the state reduce their budgets by more than $46 million statewide. In St. Lucie County, that reduction was $546,000.  Staff has worked diligently to create a plan that balances the need to fulfill our statutory responsibilities while providing the least inconvenience to our residents.  State statute mandates that “ The Official Records of the county must be kept at the county seat ”, which is our main office in downtown Ft. Pierce .  Anything else is not required, and like many businesses during these economic times, we had to make difficult decisions that are not popular but never-the-less right and will protect the institutional integrity of the Clerk's office.  It is important to note that the Recording division public traffic has reduced dramatically in the last year.  If and when that traffic increases and our budget allows us to do so, it is our intention to reopen the branch office in St. Lucie West.

Department Functions and Services:

As established by the Constitution of 1838, one of the responsibilities of the Clerk of the Circuit Court is to act as the guardian of public records for the county. In St. Lucie County that duty is carried out by the Official Records/Recording Department.

The Official Records/Recording Department accepts certain documents that are to be recorded and made available to the public. Upon payment of the statutory fees, the Clerk of the Circuit Court will record in the County's Official Records a variety of instruments such as: deeds, leases, bills of sale, agreements, mortgages, claims of lien, satisfactions, certificates of discharge from military service and any other instrument required or authorized by law to be recorded. All documents are recorded upon receipt. They must be microfilmed, indexed, verified and scanned in order to appear in the public records database. The department also records and maintains records of final judgments, some misdemeanor judgments, Family Relations and Domestic Violence orders and judgments, Small Claims judgments, dismissals and some orders, along with some orders for Child Support.

Research:
The Research division of the Official Records / Recording Department is responsible for interfacing with the public. The department personnel answer customer questions regarding recorded documents both in person and by phone. They search for and make copies of requested documents for the public, write up charge slips or cash receipts.

The Research division also will look up parcel I.D. numbers and legal descriptions for people by name. This request is usually made by people who need this information in order to record a document. People may also come to the Courthouse to do searches on their own. The department personnel are available to provide instructions for the operation of the Search Room equipment. You may also access this information through the Public Records Search portion of the Clerk's website.