Public Records

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Click Here Contact the Polk County Public Records Office

(863) 534-7670
RMLO@polk-county.net
330 W. Church St., Drawer BC01
P.O. Box 9005, Drawer BC01, Bartow, FL 33831-9005

Polk Public Records Center

Many agency public records are available in electronic format. Requests can be submitted through the online portal, which provides quick access to tracking, status and responsive records. There are two options for submitting a request (1) An account (username and password) (2) anonymous submittal.
In addition, the following reports are posted monthly: Code Compliant Violation List, Fire Code Violations , Water Shut Off List

Police investigator studying archival crime case materials, working overtime in detective office room. African american policewoman searching evidence records and taking file from shelf

Official Electronic Records

Many of Polk’s building and land development records are available in electronic format. Use the search below to locate building permits, elevation flood records, approved plans, and other approved projects. Search by project number, project name, parcel or address.

cropped shot of couple pointing at building plan while making renovation of home

Residential Building Permits by Address

Polk County records staff are in the process of modernizing the customer self-service experience. Soon a dynamic, “Google-style” search will be available for residential building permits simply by entering an address. This new feature will make finding permit information faster, easier, and more intuitive.

Coming Soon

The Polk County Board of County Commissioners is committed to ensuring both public access and protection of exempt county government records. Many records are available electronically, and all records are provided at reasonable times and under reasonable conditions.

If any portion of a record is exempt and requires redaction, the county will cite the applicable statutory exemption and release the remainder of the record.

When a public records request is received, it is acknowledged the request promptly and respond in good faith. The Records Management Liaison Officer (RMLO) tracks all requests and responses to help ensure compliance with statutory requirements. However, under Florida law, requests may be submitted to any county office, not solely through the RMLO.

Florida law also states that requests are not required to be submitted in writing, and that request submitters are not required to provide their name or reason for the request.

For convenience and prompt assistance, requests may be submitted online. Use the Polk County Public Records Center option. If you prefer not to submit online, you may contact the RMLO directly by email at RMLO@polk-county.net or by phone at (863) 534-7670.

Records Management is a section of the Information Technology Division, which provides support to all county divisions in fulfilling public records responsibilities.

For more information about your rights under Florida’s Public Records Law, visit the Florida Statutes and Rules website.

Polk County’s five constitutional officers: the Clerk of Court, Sheriff, Supervisor of Elections, Tax Collector and Property Appraiser are responsible for providing their organizations’ public records.