Hillsborough County Public Records: Find the Correct Search First
Hillsborough County public records are split among several agencies. Court cases are searched through the Clerk’s HOVER system, deeds and liens through Official Records, property data through the Property Appraiser, tax records through the Tax Collector, and arrest information through the Sheriff’s Office.
Use the finder below to open the right system first. That is usually faster and more accurate than running the same name through several unrelated databases.
Which Hillsborough County Office Has Your Record?
| Record needed | Official source | Best search detail |
|---|---|---|
| Civil, criminal, traffic, probate or family court case | Clerk HOVER | Case number, citation or party name |
| Deed, mortgage, lien, judgment or recorded document | Clerk Official Records | Instrument number, book/page, name or document type |
| Property owner, folio, parcel or assessed value | Hillsborough County Property Appraiser | Folio, parcel number, owner or address |
| Property-tax bill, payment or tax certificate | Hillsborough County Tax Collector | Property/account information or tax year |
| Arrest, current jail information or booking details | Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office | Legal name and booking information |
| Birth or death certificate | Florida Health in Hillsborough County | Name, event date, ID and eligibility |
| County department record | Hillsborough County public-record request | Department, subject and narrow date range |
Search Hillsborough County Court Records With HOVER
The Hillsborough County Clerk’s HOVER system provides public electronic access to many court records, indexes, dockets and non-confidential document images.
HOVER supports searches by case number, uniform case number, citation number, party or business name, date range, court type, case type and court-hearing lookup.
- Choose the search method that matches the information you already have.
- Use the case number or citation number before a broad name search when possible.
- Open the likely case and compare party names, case type and filing information.
- Review available docket entries and public document images.
- Save the case number before requesting an official copy.
Why a court document may not appear online
Electronic access is governed by Florida court-access rules. Confidential, sealed and otherwise protected records may not be remotely available even when a case exists.
Need a certified court record?
The Clerk provides eCertify services for qualifying court and Official Records documents. A normal browser view is useful for research, but another court, government office or legal process may require certification.
Hillsborough County Arrest Records and Jail Lookup
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office provides its own arrest-record and jail-information tools. Use the Sheriff’s system for booking-stage information, then use HOVER when you need the filed court case and later disposition.
- Open the Sheriff’s Who’s In Jail / Arrest Inquiry tool.
- Search the person’s legal name carefully.
- Compare the booking information and listed charges.
- Use the Clerk’s HOVER system to find the related court case.
- Check the court disposition before drawing conclusions about the arrest.
HCSO specifically warns that its arrest information reflects circumstances known at the time of arrest and does not establish guilt, innocence, acquittal, dismissal or final disposition.
Search Hillsborough County Property Records
The Hillsborough County Property Appraiser provides property searches by folio, parcel number, owner and address. Its current property-record-card search also supports advanced property criteria.
- Use the folio number for the most direct lookup when you have it.
- Otherwise choose Owner or Address.
- Open the correct property record and verify the physical address.
- Save the folio and parcel information.
- Use the owner name and property details for Official Records research if you need the deed.
Property Appraiser data is not a title search
The Property Appraiser warns users not to rely on its property information in place of a title search, legal survey or legal determination of ownership.
If your goal is to identify the recorded ownership instrument, mortgage, lien, easement or satisfaction, continue to the Clerk’s Official Records system.
Search Hillsborough County Deeds, Liens and Official Records
The Clerk’s Official Records Index is separate from HOVER. Use Official Records for documents such as deeds, mortgages, liens, easements, notices of commencement, recorded judgments and marriage records.
- Search by party name when you only know the owner or other indexed party.
- Use instrument number or book/page when another record gives you that reference.
- Narrow a broad search using document type or recording information.
- Open the document image when public access permits it.
- Use eCertify if you need an electronically certified copy.
Some images cannot be displayed publicly online
Florida law restricts remote public display of certain record images, including some military discharges, death certificates and documents connected with family, juvenile or probate matters. The Clerk offers a subscription service for qualifying users who require access to restricted Official Records images.
Do not confuse Official Records with court records
A divorce lawsuit, eviction, criminal prosecution or traffic case belongs in HOVER. A deed, mortgage, lien or recorded notice belongs in Official Records.
Search Hillsborough County Property Taxes and Tax Certificates
The Hillsborough County Tax Collector provides searches for real-estate taxes, tangible-property taxes, tax certificates and other tax records.
- Choose Property Tax Search or Tax Certificate Search.
- Find the correct property or account.
- Confirm the tax year.
- Review the amount, payment status or certificate details.
- Print or save the official notice or receipt if needed.
The Property Appraiser determines assessed value and processes exemptions. The Tax Collector sends tax bills and collects payments. Hillsborough County property tax bills are mailed in November and are due by March 31; unpaid taxes become delinquent April 1.
Early-payment discounts
| Payment month | Current published discount |
|---|---|
| November | 4% |
| December | 3% |
| January | 2% |
| February | 1% |
Hillsborough County Vital Records
The Florida Department of Health in Hillsborough County provides local birth- and death-certificate services. These are certificate-ordering services, not unrestricted public name searches.
Birth certificates
The local office provides Florida birth certificates from 1930 to the present. The currently published fee is $14 for a birth certificate and $9 for each additional certificate ordered with it.
- Confirm the Florida birth falls within the local record range.
- Review who is legally eligible to receive the certificate.
- Prepare valid photo identification.
- Complete the birth-certificate application.
- Choose the available in-person, mail or authorized online ordering method.
Death certificates
Hillsborough County currently provides Florida death certificates for deaths from 2009 to the present. Earlier records must be requested from the state Bureau of Vital Statistics or through its authorized ordering route.
The current local fee is $10 per death certificate. Cause-of-death versions have additional eligibility restrictions.
- Confirm the death occurred in Florida in 2009 or later for local service.
- Decide whether you need cause-of-death information.
- Review the eligibility rule for the certificate requested.
- Complete the application and provide required identification.
- Use the current in-person, mail or authorized online ordering option.
Submit a Hillsborough County Public Records Request
Hillsborough County’s general public-record request system is for records connected with County business, County employees and County services. It is not the correct route for every type of public record.
- Confirm a Hillsborough County department maintains the requested record.
- Use the online request system or the County’s alternative contact route.
- Describe the specific record instead of requesting every document about a broad topic.
- Include a department, location, project or useful date range when known.
- Review any cost estimate before staff begins billable research.
Hillsborough County’s current request-fee rules
The County states that research taking 30 minutes or less is provided without a staff-time charge. Longer research can be billed using the hourly wage of the lowest-paid person able to complete the work.
The first 10 paper-copy pages are currently free, with additional pages listed at $0.15 each. Larger requests or vendor-dependent work may result in additional charges.
Clerk public-record requests
The Clerk also maintains its own public-record request process. Requests for access to judicial-branch court records must be in writing.
- Search HOVER or Official Records first when the record may already be online.
- Use the Clerk request process only when the available search tools do not provide what you need.
- Include the case number, instrument number or other known identifier.
- State whether you need an ordinary or certified copy.
What to Do When a Hillsborough County Search Returns Nothing
| Problem | Try next |
|---|---|
| No court case | Use the case or citation number, shorten the party name, or adjust the date/case-type filters. |
| Arrest appears but no final result | Search the related criminal case in HOVER. |
| Address does not find the parcel | Search by owner, folio or fewer address terms. |
| Property found but deed is missing | Take the owner name and folio clues to the Clerk Official Records search. |
| Deed not found by expected date | Use a wider recording-date range; signing and recording dates can differ. |
| Document image is unavailable | Check whether internet-display restrictions apply or contact the Clerk for access options. |
| Online copy is rejected | Request the appropriate certified copy from the official custodian. |
Hillsborough County Public Records Offices
419 Pierce Street, Room 140
Tampa, FL 33602
Phone: 813-276-8100
Recording, marriage licenses, Official Records and several other Clerk services are available at this downtown location.
800 E. Twiggs Street
Tampa, FL 33602
Phone: 813-276-8100
Use this location for many downtown court services. The Clerk’s current location page separates court services at Twiggs Street from recording services at Pierce Street.
County Center, 15th Floor
601 E. Kennedy Boulevard
Tampa, FL 33602-4932
Phone: 813-272-6100
Published downtown office hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
2008 E. 8th Ave.
Tampa, FL 33605
Phone: 813-247-8000
County Attorney’s Office
601 E. Kennedy Blvd., 27th Floor
Tampa, FL 33601-1110
Main information line: 813-272-5900
Map: Downtown Clerk Official Records location
Recording and Official Records services are available at the Pat Collier Frank Courthouse at 419 Pierce Street. Court services may be handled at a different Clerk location, so confirm the service before visiting.
Before You Rely on a Public Record
- Confirm that the record belongs to the correct person, property or case.
- Do not treat an arrest or allegation as proof of conviction.
- Review the underlying recorded document when an index alone does not answer the question.
- Respect confidential, sealed, exempt and restricted records.
- Use certified records when an official recipient requires certification.
Hillsborough County Public Records FAQs
1. Where do I search Hillsborough County court records?
Use the Hillsborough County Clerk’s HOVER system. It supports searches by case number, citation number, party or business name, date range, court type, case type and hearing information.
2. Where do I search Hillsborough County deeds and liens?
Use the Clerk’s Official Records Index for deeds, mortgages, liens, easements, judgments and other recorded instruments.
3. Is HOVER the same as Official Records?
No. HOVER is primarily for court cases. Official Records is the recording index for documents such as deeds, mortgages, liens and recorded notices.
4. Where do I search Hillsborough County property records?
Use the Hillsborough County Property Appraiser. The property-record-card search supports folio, owner and address searches as well as advanced property criteria.
5. Does the Property Appraiser record prove legal ownership?
No. The Property Appraiser specifically warns that its data should not replace a title search or legal determination of ownership. Use recorded documents when legal ownership history matters.
6. Where do I find Hillsborough County arrest records?
Use the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office arrest-record and jail-information tools. Check the Clerk’s HOVER court system separately for the criminal case and final disposition.
7. Where do I search Hillsborough County property taxes?
Use the Hillsborough County Tax Collector Records & Reports center for property-tax searches, tax certificates and related tax records.
8. Where do I order a Hillsborough County birth or death certificate?
Use the Florida Department of Health in Hillsborough County. Local birth records are available for Florida births from 1930 forward, while local death-certificate service covers Florida deaths from 2009 forward.
9. Where do I request a Hillsborough County record that is not online?
Use the request process maintained by the office that owns the record. General County department records use the Hillsborough County request system, while court and Clerk records use the Clerk’s process.
10. Why might a Hillsborough County public record not appear online?
The record may be maintained by another agency, indexed differently, restricted from remote display, confidential, sealed, recently filed or available only through a direct records request.