Access Gainesville Traffic Records

Gainesville traffic court records are filed and maintained by the Alachua County Clerk of Courts. As the county seat and home to the University of Florida, Gainesville has a large volume of traffic cases from students, commuters, and local residents alike. All traffic citations written in Gainesville go to the Alachua County Clerk for processing. You can search for Gainesville traffic records using the clerk's online citation index, pay fines through several methods, or visit the clerk office in person at the Alachua County courthouse on University Avenue. The clerk also has a dedicated traffic email for questions about your case.

Alachua County Handles Gainesville Traffic

Traffic court records for Gainesville are kept at the Alachua County Clerk of Courts. Florida cities do not have their own traffic courts. The county clerk handles all filings, fine collection, and record storage for every city within the county. Gainesville is the county seat of Alachua County, so the courthouse is right in the city.

The Alachua County Clerk's traffic bureau is at 201 East University Avenue in Gainesville. The phone number is 352-374-3636. You can also email the traffic bureau at traffic@alachuaclerk.org for questions about a Gainesville traffic citation. The Alachua County Clerk online traffic citation search lets you look up current citations from home. Under Chapter 316 of the Florida Statutes, the same traffic laws apply in Gainesville as in every other Florida city.

Note: Court filings for Gainesville traffic cases cannot be accepted by email, even though you can email questions to the traffic bureau.

Search Gainesville Traffic Records Online

The Alachua County Clerk offers an online traffic citation index where you can look up Gainesville traffic court records. The tool is in beta but gives access to currently managed citations. There is about a 24-hour processing delay after a citation is issued before it shows up in the system. You can search by name or citation number to find case details.

The screenshot below shows the Alachua County Clerk's website, which is the starting point for Gainesville traffic record searches.

From here you can navigate to the online citation search, payment options, and court records for Gainesville traffic cases.

The clerk also has a separate pay ticket online page if you already know what you owe and just want to make a payment. Florida's public records law under Chapter 119 of the Florida Statutes makes most traffic court records available to anyone. You do not need to be named on the citation to search for Gainesville traffic records. Personal data like social security numbers stays private, but case details are public.

The online index has some limits. Idle sessions time out after 30 minutes. Document retrievals are capped at 60 per hour. Non-USA billing addresses cannot use the online payment service. Despite these quirks, the online search is the fastest way to check on a Gainesville traffic case.

Gainesville Citation Response Options

A traffic citation in Gainesville gives you four options. You must pick one within 30 days of the date on the ticket. If you miss that window, a $23.00 late fee gets added. The FLHSMV outlines the basic choices, but the Alachua County Clerk provides the local details.

Your four options for a Gainesville traffic citation are:

• Pay the citation and accept points on your driver license
• Elect traffic school to avoid points (adjudication withheld)
• Enter a plea of no contest or guilty and appear in court
• Plead not guilty and request a court hearing

Traffic school is a popular choice in Gainesville, especially among students who want to keep their driving records clean. You pay the citation amount and get an extra 60 days to complete a state-approved driver improvement course. If you finish the course on time, no points go on your license and adjudication is withheld. Fail to complete the course or turn in the certificate late, and the court removes the fee reduction, puts points on your record, and may suspend your license. The Alachua County Clerk has a list of approved traffic schools on their site.

Under Florida Statute 318.18, penalty amounts depend on the violation type. Moving violations carry higher fines. Speeding tickets scale based on how much you exceeded the posted limit. All of these details go into your Gainesville traffic court record once the case is resolved.

Gainesville Traffic Fees and Payments

The Alachua County Clerk collects all fines for Gainesville traffic cases. Fine amounts vary by violation. The clerk office at 201 East University Avenue accepts payments in person during business hours. You can also pay online through the clerk's website or through payflclerk.com, the statewide payment portal that covers all 67 Florida counties.

Late payments are costly. A $23.00 late fee applies if you do not act within 30 days of the citation date. The payment must reach the clerk by the compliance date. A postmark before the deadline does not count if the payment arrives after the date. Past the 90-day mark, unpaid fines go to a collection agency under Florida Statute 28.246. That agency can add up to 40% in fees. This is true for all Gainesville traffic citations, whether you were cited for speeding, running a stop sign, or any other infraction.

Note: The Alachua County Clerk has a table of traffic fines including traffic school reductions available on their website for Gainesville residents.

Gainesville Police Department Records

The Gainesville Police Department issues traffic citations within city limits and keeps its own records for accident reports and incident reports. These are not the same as the court records at the Alachua County Clerk. If you need a crash report or the details of a traffic stop, contact the police department directly.

Once a Gainesville officer writes a citation, the ticket goes to the Alachua County Clerk for processing. The clerk logs it into the system within about 24 hours. After that, the citation appears in the online search tool. Alachua County has civil traffic records going back to September 2001 in their online system. Older Gainesville traffic records may need to be requested in person at the clerk office. The Florida Clerks of Court Operations Corporation supports all county clerks in managing these records statewide.

Public Access to Gainesville Court Records

Gainesville traffic court records are public under Florida law. The Florida Supreme Court's Administrative Order AOSC 15-18 requires that traffic court records for adult defendants be visible online, including the actual documents in many cases. Confidential information like social security numbers and bank accounts gets redacted. Everything else in a Gainesville traffic case file is available for public review.

The Alachua County Clerk online system has the oldest available case dating back to July 23, 1928. For civil traffic records, online documents start from September 2001. Criminal records go back to December 2005. If you need Gainesville traffic records from before those dates, visit the clerk office on University Avenue in person. The FLHSMV locations page can help you find a nearby office for driver license matters tied to your Gainesville traffic case.

Alachua County Traffic Court Records

Gainesville is in Alachua County, and all traffic filings go through the Alachua County Clerk of Courts. The county handles cases for the entire area, with Gainesville producing the largest share. For full details on the county court system, resources, and more, visit the Alachua County page.

View Alachua County Traffic Court Records

Nearby Cities

Gainesville is the only city in Alachua County with a population over 75,000. If you got a traffic citation near a county boundary, check the ticket to see which county it was filed in. The county on the citation determines where your traffic court record is kept, not where you live.