Free Madison County FL Public Records Search (All Record Types)

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Free Madison County Public Records Search

Access Madison County Records: marriage, divorce, warrants, arrests, probation, criminal, court, background checks, and all public records.

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Search free Madison County public records today via the databases offered and linked in this resource.

Public records include criminal data from arrests and warrants to court documents and prisoner information (including probation). Public documents also include vital records (e.g., marriage, divorce, birth and death) and property details. You can get all of this information from background check reports, online searches and directly from record custodians within the county.

Through the federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Florida’s Public Records Law, individuals are given access to these types of public records. However, it is important to know the best ways to search for these documents and to understand that some information may be found online, while certain records require a formal request or an in-person visit.

Use this article as your go-to resource for anything you need to know about securing public records in Madison County, Florida.

This resource was written by Attorney Robert Bailey Jr, who holds a Juris Doctorate from Widener University School of Law.

How To Look Up Arrest Records & Mugshots in Madison County for Free

You can perform a free public records search for Madison County arrest records both online and in person. Arrest records can be a valuable resource to find out if someone is in jail or learn more about why a person was arrested.

You can search broadly throughout Madison County with the sheriff’s office and county jail. Searching online or in person at the county level allows you to cast the widest net when performing an arrest record search. This may be especially helpful if you have a person’s name but are not sure of the arresting agency.

Finding an arrest record at the county level can give you a person’s booking information and help individuals learn when a person was arrested and their current incarceration status.

Performing a search through municipal (city) law enforcement agencies affords you the opportunity to look into records at a more granular level. Here, you can request police reports, which can provide greater detail and specificity as to why a person was arrested and the surrounding circumstances. These details may be necessary in certain legal situations or when filing an insurance claim.

Searching with local law enforcement can also be helpful if a matter is time-sensitive and the person was arrested within the past day or so.

Below is the necessary information for citizens to learn how to perform an arrest record search and obtain police reports.

How To Find Someone’s Arrest Records in Madison County FL

You can find someone’s mugshot and view arrest information by searching public records in Madison County via the Online Jail Search Tool provided by the sheriff’s office.¹

When you first navigate to this online search tool, you can see a recent arrest report of individuals booked in Madison County Jail over the past 24 hours.

To view individuals listed on their jail roster, you can search by a person’s name. The search tool allows you to narrow your results by setting a date range for when the person was booked or released. In addition, you can focus your search on current or released inmates or broaden it to include any inmates that have been booked in Madison County Jail.

After running a search, the results will provide you with a mugshot (if available) along with some basic information about the incarcerated individual. This includes whether they are currently incarcerated, their booking number and date. If the inmate has since been released, a searcher can see the exact day and time this occurred.

You can also view the subject’s age when they were booked, bond amount and the city and state where the arrestee lives.

Beyond clicking on an enlarged image of a mugshot, there is no additional information provided by this search tool. For information on charges, court dates and more, you will have to contact the arresting agency or perform a Madison County criminal records search (more on both of these actions discussed in later sections).

For additional Madison County arrest information, you can contact the sheriff’s office by phone at 850-973-4151 or visit them in person at:

Madison County Sheriff’s Office
2364 W. US 90
Madison, Florida 32340

To contact the jail directly regarding Madison County bookings and jail records, you can call them at 850-973-4002. Their physical address for contacting them in person is below:

Madison County Jail
823 SW Pinckney St. 
Madison, Florida 32340

Get Arrest Details or Request Police Reports via Local Police Departments Within Madison County

In addition to performing a county search, you can also search for arrest information with local police departments. Contact these police departments to request a police report or other related information.

Below are the only local police departments within Madison County. You can either call them for more information or inquire in person.

Madison Police Department
310 Southwest Rutledge St.
Madison, Florida 32340

Phone: 850-973-5077

Greenville Police Department
101 SW Broad Avenue
Greenville, Florida 32331

Phone: 850-948-2241

Note: Most of Madison County is under the jurisdiction of the sheriff’s office. You can contact them to request police reports and other related information.

Determining if Someone Has a Criminal Record in Madison County FL

Another option for getting information on individuals who have been arrested and charged with a crime is to perform a free criminal record check.

Madison County public records pertaining to criminal history and case proceedings can be a great tool for finding information on individuals who have been convicted of a crime.

These records are also useful in tracking down specific types of criminal data, such as Madison County warrants.

When you look up someone’s criminal record, you get a more complete picture than when you run an arrest search. Arrest records contain a more abbreviated snapshot, while criminal records can provide detailed information from the initial arrest through to their sentencing.

You can search Madison County criminal records to find out if someone was convicted of a crime, what their sentence consisted of (e.g., incarceration, probation, fines etc.) and details regarding any hearings, court filings and related information.

Below are steps an individual can take to check public records for criminal information on residents of Madison County.

Verify if Someone Has a Criminal History via the Madison County Clerk of the Circuit Court’s Online Records Search Tool

If someone has a criminal record, you can look up their information using the Clerk of the Circuit Court’s Online Records Search Tool.² When you navigate to this page, select the “Public” option to perform a free search of Madison County judicial records for criminal history information.

Once on the search page, select the appropriate “Court Type” since this is a public index of various case records in Madison County. For criminal records, you can select criminal, traffic, felony or misdemeanor under the court type selections.

From there, enter the person’s name you are searching for. In addition, you can enter their Social Security Number or date of birth if you have that information available. Narrow your search by entering a date range for when a criminal case was filed, if known.

After following these steps, you can view a list of results. The page will list results alphabetically by name, along with the person’s gender, race, city and state of residence. In addition, you can view how many criminal cases they have.

Note, you can select one or multiple individuals at once to view their criminal record using this tool. 

Once you select a particular criminal record, you can view the specific details of their convictions, including the charges (and applicable statute) that were brought against the person. Connected to the charges, you can see when the case was filed, the current status and the judge assigned to the case.

In the top left corner of the criminal record is the unified case number. If you click on the case number, you can also view detailed docket information from the inception of the case through to the sentencing of the person.

Perform a Criminal Records Search via the Madison County & Circuit Courts

Another option is to search for criminal records in person at the Madison County Court & Circuit Court.⁴ Before you begin your search, it is important to understand the types of criminal cases each court has jurisdiction over.

Madison County Court: The county court is responsible for handling misdemeanors (e.g., harassment, assault etc.) and criminal traffic violations (e.g., driving under the influence, reckless driving etc.).

Madison Circuit Court: The circuit court is responsible for adjudicating all criminal felony matters in Madison County. These include serious cases involving violence (e.g., murder, armed robbery etc.).

A good starting point for an in-person search is to call the Clerk of Court and ask them what their process is for in-person searches. You can contact the Clerk of Court by phone at 850-973-1500. Once you understand the process for searching criminal records in person, you can go to the address below:

Madison County & Circuit Courts
125 SW Range Ave. 
Madison, Florida 32340

How To Find Warrant Information in Madison County Florida

To execute a warrant search in Madison County, you have three primary options.

Criminal Records Search: A person can get warrant information after finding a person’s criminal record using the Clerk of Court’s Online Court Records Search Tool. When you find the person you are searching for, click on the universal case number to view the docket. Here, you can view every case event that has occurred, including whether a warrant was issued.

Florida Department of Law Enforcement: The FDLE provides a Wanted Persons Online Directory Search Tool.⁵ You can use this search tool to find out if someone has a warrant throughout Madison County or the entire state of Florida.

You can search for people in Madison County with warrants by either using their name or nickname. Filter search results by race, sex or date of birth. If you find the person you’re seeking, you can view data on any warrants against them, including when the warrant was issued.

This online tool also includes additional details, such as the basis for the warrant and the reporting agency.

If you need to confirm you have the right person, the search tool also provides identifying information about the person, aliases (if any) and their last known address and occupation.

Madison County Sheriff’s Office: If the above options do not work, you can contact the Madison County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) Warrants Division for warrant information. The MCSO Warrants Division is responsible for handling warrants throughout the county. You can call 850-253-3345 or visit the following location:

Madison County Sheriff’s Office
Warrants Records Clerk
2364 W. US 90
Madison, Florida 32340

Searching for Probation Information in Madison County FL

If you want to conduct a probationer search in Madison County, there are also three viable options. The first option is the most direct means to search for county probation information.

Criminal Records Search: Similar to searching warrants, you can also gather probation information using the Clerk of Court’s online search tool. Once you perform a criminal record search, click on the individual’s universal case number and view the section labeled “Sentences.”

To find probation information, perform a search for a criminal record. Once you find the record you are looking for, select it and then click on the case hyperlink. From there, you can scroll down to the “Sentences” section.

The sentencing information will indicate whether they were incarcerated or required to serve a period under probation. If on probation, a searcher can view when the probation period started and the overall length of the sentence.

Contact the Probation Department: A second option is to contact the Florida probation department serving Madison County–the Lake City Circuit Office. You can contact them by phone at 386-362-2878 or in person at:

Lake City Circuit Office
1435 US. Hwy. 90 W.
Lake City, Florida 32055

Florida Department of Corrections: The Florida DOC provides a Supervised Population Information Search Tool that allows you to identify individuals on probation in Madison County and throughout Florida.⁷

You can use this tool to conduct a probation-specific search for individuals in Madison County. This search tool will provide specific probation information, such as the start and end date for the supervision period, as well as what type of supervision the person is under.

Performing a Background Check in Madison County Florida

How a background check is performed in Madison County largely depends on the level of detail needed and whether it will be used for personal or professional use.

Searching online resources and gathering records in person to learn more about someone is considered a personal background check. To conduct a personal background check, an individual does not need anything more than the resources and instructions provided in this article.

However, professional background checks are not as straightforward; there is no one-size-fits-all professional background check. The type of professional background check you need will depend on the reasons one is being performed.

Furthermore, there are additional rules when it comes to professional background checks. These requirements are primarily enforced by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

Reasons to Get a Professional Background Check: There are many different reasons for getting a professional background check. Here are some of the most common reasons:

• Employment Application
• Adoption or Foster Care Screening
• Request for a Firearm’s License
• Rental Application
• Security Clearance
• Statutory Requirements (for volunteers and employees working with elderly or children)
• Other State or Federal Laws

Types of Professional Background Checks: There are two primary types of background checks, commonly referred to as Level 1 and Level 2.

A level 1 background check is a name-based search. Typical level 1 background checks will involve a city, county or state agency that will perform a name search of their repository of criminal records. These types of background checks are typically limited to a limited area under the agency’s jurisdiction.

A level 2 background check is conducted using a person’s fingerprints. This fingerprint-based background check can search for records throughout a particular state or the entire United States. This is considered a more thorough and reliable background check, especially since name-based checks may turn up others of the same name or alias.

Often, a level 2 search will pull up criminal record information not included in a name-based background check.

The Madison County Sheriff’s Office does not provide their own background checks (nor do any other county agencies), although they do facilitate the fingerprint process seen below. To request a background check, you will have to do so through the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE).⁸

The FDLE provides a few different options for requesting a background check.

First, you can perform an instant search using the FDLE’s database of criminal records. After submitting your search information and finding the results you were looking for, you can ask to have the results either emailed to you or printed. The search fee for using this online tool is $24.00.

Another option is submitting a request for either a certified or non-certified search, which means that the record is manually conducted by FDLE staff. This request can be made either in person or by mail. If you are using this as a tool to gain more information on a person, then you can request a non-certified search.

If needed for professional purposes, a certified search will be required, which is subject to additional requirements that will be discussed later in this article.

When making your request, a requester must provide their mailing address as well as identifying information about the person being searched to the FDLE. Mailed requests can be submitted to the below address:

Florida Department of Law Enforcement
Criminal History Services
Attention: VECHS
P.O. Box 1489
Tallahassee, Florida 32302

If you plan to go in person, here is the FDLE’s physical address:

Florida Department of Law Enforcement
2331 Phillips Rd. 
Tallahassee, Florida 32308

The FDLE also performs an ORI search; however, this is limited to particular entities that have been authorized by statute. The majority of people will either perform an instant search or make a request for a certified or non-certified search.

There is a $24.00 fee when requesting a background check through the FDLE. If you have additional questions, you can contact their Criminal History Services Section at 850-410-8161. They also can be contacted via email at [email protected].

The Criminal History Services Section is available Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM.

To request a Level 2 background check (fingerprint-based), you are required to submit electronic fingerprints to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which will be run through their nationwide database of criminal records. You can use any of the available Florida Livescan Service Providers to request and submit electronic fingerprints to the FBI.¹⁰

If you need ink-based fingerprinting services, you can request this through the Madison County Sheriff’s Office. However, they are not a public site for providing electronic fingerprinting services.

Ink fingerprinting with the MCSO will cost $10.00 and is available Monday through Thursday from 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM. For fingerprinting, you can call them at 850-973-4001 or go in person to:

Madison County Sheriff’s Office
2364 US-90 
Madison, Florida 32340

How To Run a Florida Criminal Record Search via State & Federal Resources

In addition to reviewing Madison County public records, individuals have the option to search Florida public records for criminal history details on individuals in not only Madison County, but throughout the state as well.

The criminal record search tools provided earlier in this article are limited to convictions in Madison County.

When performing a Madison County criminal record search, you may have been unable to locate the person you were looking for even though you were certain they had been convicted of crimes. Alternatively, you may have found the criminal records you were looking for and now want to expand your search.

Use the below state and federal resources to find criminal records of individuals throughout Florida and the entire United States:

Florida Online Public Case Docket – The Florida Online Public Case Docket is a unified system that allows you to search by individual county for criminal records throughout Florida.

Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) Criminal Records – This tool provided by the FDLE allows individuals instant access to search criminal records online for any convictions in Florida.

FDLE Career Offender Search – This tool is narrowly focused on searching for convicted felons that are part of a limited subset of felons because of the particular crimes they have committed.

Florida Sexual Offenders & Predators Search – If you want to search for registered sex offenders in Madison County and throughout Florida, you can use this online tool.¹³

Florida Department of Corrections (DOC) Offender Information Search – If a person is incarcerated for a state criminal conviction, a searcher can find them using this tool provided by the Florida Department of Corrections.

Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Search Tool – Individuals convicted of federal crimes are incarcerated in separate prisons from state offenders.¹⁴ Use this search tool to find individuals incarcerated for federal crimes; searches can be completed by entering the subject’s name or BOP register number, if known.

U.S. National Sex Offender Search Tool – If you want to track down information on convicted sex offenders throughout the United States, use this online search tool.¹⁵ You can utilize this tool to search for people registered as sex offenders by their name, address and other search criteria.

These tools can be a great resource to supplement your search of Madison County criminal records as they encompass the entire state of Florida; this can help when the location of the event is unknown.

How To Access Madison County Court Records for Free

Anyone can search a variety of Madison County court records online for free using the Clerk of the Circuit Court’s Online Court Records Search Tool. This online search tool contains a public records repository of court records in a variety of different areas of law.

You can use this search tool to perform a Madison County case search for various court records, including the following:

Civil Cases: This includes court records regarding business disputes, contract actions, malpractice, personal injury and more.

Appeals: These records are cases that were tried in county court and were later appealed to be reheard by the Madison County Circuit Court.

County Ordinance: Cases specifically related to violations of Madison County ordinances.

Non-Criminal Infractions: These involve matters that do not lead to a criminal record, such as building or fire code violations.

Misdemeanor: Less serious criminal offenses that usually only result in fines or probation. Examples of misdemeanor crimes include trespass, shoplifting, vandalism and stalking.

Criminal Traffic: These types of court records include hit-and-run cases, driving with a suspended license, drunk driving and others.

Felony: Serious crimes that often involve physical violence such as manslaughter, murder, aggravated assault and kidnapping.

Domestic Relations: These cases involve family matters such as divorce, child support, alimony and custody of minor children.

Guardianship: Unique cases in which a person or entity is authorized by the court to make decisions for someone who is unable to make their own choices.

Probate: Cases that involve estates and disputes over them, such as a contested will or a challenge to the actions of an executor.

Small Claims: These are civil cases and disputes that are valued up to $8,000.

Traffic Infractions: Non-criminal traffic violations such as speeding, failing to stop at a stop sign and other related offenses.

You can perform a record search for these same cases in person. To do so, you can go in person to this address:

Madison County & Circuit Courts
125 SW Range Ave.
Madison, Florida 32340

Before you go in person, a searcher may want to contact the courthouse to get information on how their Madison County public records are stored and accessed. You can contact the Madison County Clerk of Court by phone at 850-973-1500 to ask if they can provide you with any assistance.

Retrieve Madison County Vital Records: Marriage, Divorce, Birth & Death Certificates

If you are looking to check if someone is married or access a birth certificate or death certificate, then you need to know how to access Madison County vital records.

Vital records are official government-issued documents that mark important events in someone’s life, such as when they are born or die. Vital records also include marriage and divorce information.

As with other forms of public records, these documents can be searched to learn more about a person. These types of records can also be used by individuals interested in learning about their family’s genealogy.

Often, vital records are a required document needed to take a specific action. For example, when a policyholder wants to add a person to their health insurance policy, they need to prove the person is a family member. This can typically be done through a certificate of birth or marriage certificate.

The next two sections will provide details on how to access and request these vital records. These sections will also discuss which of these records are available to the public and which have accessibility restrictions.

Obtain Marital Records (Marriage, Divorce & Dissolution of Marriage) via the Madison County Clerk of Court & Comptroller

To find out if someone is married in Madison County, you can search using the Clerk of Court & Comptroller’s Official Records Search Tool. An online search tool is available because Madison County marriage records are public information.

To perform a search, enter the party’s name. Next, select “Madison County” under the location tab and “Marriage Record” under the Document Type section. If you need to narrow your search results, you can do so by setting a date range for when the marriage record was filed.

Once you complete your search, you can view detailed information on the Results Page. Here, you can view both parties’ names, the date they were married and the instrument number. On the far right, under the “Description” tab, you can click the “View Image” option to access a PDF of the original marriage certificate.

On the other hand, Madison County divorce records can be searched online using the Clerk of the Circuit Court’s Online Case Records Search Tool. Your first step when performing a search for either divorce or dissolution of marriage records is to select “Domestic Relations/Family (DR)” under the Court Type section.

After you select the appropriate type of records, you can enter either party’s name and, if available, their date of birth or Social Security Number (SSN). The results will provide you with the records that match your search criteria as well as the person’s gender, race and generic address (city and state only).

Once you select a particular person, you can view case information regarding their divorce case, including their former spouse, assigned judge and date the case was filed.

You can click on the unified case number to get detailed case information, including the docket and the date the divorce decree was issued by the judge.

For a broader search of marital information (unions or dissolutions), look over the steps for finding Florida marriage information or the tutorial on tracking down FL divorce details.

Request Madison County Death & Birth Records or Certificates via the Florida Department of Health

An individual can request either a birth certificate or a death certificate through the Florida Department of Health in Madison County.

Unlike marriage and divorce records, there are restrictions on birth and death certificates. Birth certificates become public information 100 years after they are issued, and death certificates (with the cause of death included) become public after 50 years.

Death certificates are available immediately with the cause of death redacted.

For non-public birth records, you can only make a request if you are one of the following people:

• The person listed on the record (if 18 years or older)
• Parents
• Legal Guardian

For un-redacted death certificates, the following people can make a request:

• Immediate Family Member (e.g., child, sibling or spouse)
• A person with an interest in the estate or insurance policy
• A legal representative of any of the above people

To request a record, you must complete either a Birth Certificate Application Form or a Death Certificate Application.^17,18 Applications, along with the fee, can be submitted to the address below:

Florida Department of Health in Madison County
218 SW 3rd Ave.
Madison, Florida 32340

Both birth and death certificates cost $15.00 per copy. For additional questions, you can email them at [email protected] or call them at 850-973-5000. They are open for inquiries and requests Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

Birth certificates are available from 1917 to the present, and death certificates from 2009 to the present. If you need vital records from before this date, you can make a request with Florida’s Vital Statistics Office, located at:

Vital Statistics Office
State of Florida
P.O. Box 210
Jacksonville, FL 32231

You can view a redacted certificate of death by using the Clerk of Court’s Official Records Search Tool. Here, you can perform a death certificate search by the decedent’s name. Since the online search tool is available to the public, death certificates issued in the past 50 years will not list the cause of death.

For an online option to request birth and death certificates, you can turn to an approved third-party vendor, VitalChek.

Finding Madison County FL Property & Tax Records

Interested parties can search public records to find out who owns a particular property by using the Property Appraiser’s Online Search Tool.

This tool can be used to search public records in Madison County for property information by owner’s name, address, road name, parcel and more.

The search results will provide information on the property owner, use, legal description as well as when the property was last sold. There are two options to view further information. First, you can select the “map” link to view an aerial view of the property a person is searching for.

In addition, you can click on the parcel ID for more information on the property. You’ll be able to view–among other things–itemized property valuation, sales history and photos of the property. There is also a link to the Madison County Tax Collector, where you can see tax bill information for the property.

If you have additional questions about searching properties, you can contact the Madison County Property Appraiser by phone at 850-973-6133, or go in person Monday through Friday from 7:30 AM – 4:30 PM. They are located at the address below:

Madison County Property Appraiser
229 SW Pinckney Street, Rm. 201
Madison, Florida 32340

Although you can access it indirectly, if you only want to search for property tax information, you can do so with the Madison County Tax Collector’s Online Search Tool. You can use this tool to search for property tax information by owner name, property address or tax bill number.

Certain property documents are also accessible using the Clerk of Court’s Official Records Search Tool. Use this search tool to find various property records, including deeds, easements and liens.

Anyone can search these records by either name or instrument number. The tool allows an individual to narrow the date range to filter their property search results.

An Overview of Citizens’ Rights & Responsibilities in Accessing Madison County Public Records

With the availability of all this information, it may be overwhelming as to how these records can be used and what your rights are if you find yourself the subject of a public records search.

Personal use is the most straightforward. The overarching rule is you cannot use any public records for criminal activity. Beyond that, a searcher just has to make sure to understand they cannot use the records for professional use.

A person conducting a search for personal use can do so without a person’s consent and for any legal reason.

Professional use was explained earlier in the section on how to obtain a background check. When using records for professional use, the first distinction to be aware of is that the requester must have the person’s consent.

It is illegal to perform a professional use search without consent, and failure to do so can result in being reported to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).²¹

Improper professional use of public records can also trigger action from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Individuals discriminated against due to public records (e.g., protected class or criminal record discrimination) can file a complaint with the EEOC.²²

For the professional use of financial information, such as a credit report check, individuals are protected in various ways by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).²³

Now, you know how to access and obtain many types of Madison County public records and how to use them in a responsible and ethical manner; check out the resource on obtaining free Florida state public records for a wider lookup.