TAMPA—As part of its continuing effort to keep customers and employees safe during the Coronavirus pandemic, the Hillsborough County Clerk’s Office has begun offering certified court documents online.
The new eCertify system means a task that once required a weekday trip to the Clerk’s Office is now just a few clicks away from the comfort of your home 24 hours a day, 365 days a year at hover.hillsclerk.com.
While uncertified copies of court documents are available online for free, customers often need a certified copy of documents such as a divorce decree to prove its authenticity. Now anyone wary of entering one of our offices can stay where they are as long as they have a computer or a smart phone. There is no reason to take time off from work or school, drive to one our offices and deal with parking.
The Clerk’s Office issues more than 12,000 certified court documents a year, so this will save time for thousands of customers, particularly attorneys seeking to serve clients.
The service costs the usual $1 per page and $2 certification fee, plus a $6 convenience fee and 3.5 percent credit card fee. More details on how to use the system are here.
“This is the latest example of the digital revolution that has transformed the Clerk’s Office in the past decade,” said Hillsborough Clerk of Court & Comptroller Pat Frank. “Documents once stored on paper and accessible only in person are now available electronically any time of the day or night. Going digital not only is convenient, it’s a much safer alternative during these difficult times.”
Eventually, the eCertify system will expand to include Official Records such as marriage licenses and deeds. For now the service is limited to court documents such as final divorce decrees, name changes, final sentences in criminal cases or domestic violence restraining orders. Any document available electronically is now available as a certified copy remotely.
“Our office has led the state among Florida Clerks and Comptrollers in the use of technology,” Frank said, “and we are proud of the work our staff has done to reach this next level of customer service.”