How to Look Up a Court Case in Bay County
An arrest record only tells you how a case started. To find out what actually happened, you need the Clerk of Court. Bay County is the outlier among the counties we cover — a different judicial circuit, and the most open public access of the five. Here is how it works.
Start here
Bay County court records are maintained by the Clerk of Court & Comptroller, Bill Kinsaul. The search tool is reached from the Clerk’s own site:
Search court cases & docket: baycoclerk.com/public-records/search-court-cases-court-docket/
Case search: baycoclerk.com/court-records/case-search/
You will accept a disclaimer before reaching the search. No login is needed to search for a specific case — that matters, and we will come back to it.
Searching by name
Format name searches as LAST, FIRST MIDDLE. Like Walton — and unlike Okaloosa — you can search by last name only. The Clerk’s guidance is straightforward: the more explicit the name information, the more the search narrows, but a surname alone will return results.
For a common surname in a county the size of Bay, that can mean wading through a lot. If you have a case number from a prior search or a court notice, use it instead.
The thing Bay does better than its neighbors
Most Florida clerks reserve expanded record access for attorneys and parties. Bay is notably more open:
Bay County offers a free secure login to the General Public, Parties to a Case, and Florida Attorneys alike. You complete a Bay County Access Agreement and email it to the Clerk’s office. The login unlocks advanced search features, including full Court Docket information — a complete calendar of docket events rather than just the events attached to one case you already know about.
Without a login, searching a specific case still shows an Events section listing that case’s docket entries. The login is what lets you browse the docket broadly rather than case by case.
If you follow Bay County cases with any regularity, this is worth doing. Among the five counties we cover, it is the most generous public access on offer.
Reading the results
A criminal case record typically shows the case number, the charges as filed by the State Attorney (which often differ from the arrest charges), a docket listing every filing and hearing in date order, and the disposition once the case concludes.
The State Attorney declined to prosecute, or dropped the charge after filing. No conviction. Often shortened to “nolle prossed” or “NP.”
The judge withheld a formal finding of guilt, usually alongside probation. Not a conviction under Florida law, which matters for sealing eligibility.
The court ended the case — after a successful motion, a completed diversion program, or the State being unable to proceed.
A formal conviction, by plea or trial. This is what disqualifies someone from sealing or expunging under Florida’s standard criteria.
What these records are — and what they are not
Bay offers this access under Florida Statute 119.01. The Clerk’s disclaimer is explicit: the website is intended for the general public’s personal use to retrieve general information, the information is not official and should not be relied on for any type of legal action, and the Clerk will not be responsible for inaccuracies.
For anything with legal weight — an employer, landlord, immigration filing, or court — you need a certified copy. Those come from the Clerk’s Official Records Division, reachable at (850) 747-5100. Copies run $1.00 per page.
Free uncertified copies can be retrieved from the online search pages, which is usually enough if you just want to know what happened.
Office and contact
- Bay County Courthouse — 300 East 4th Street, Panama City, FL 32401
- Phone: (850) 747-5102 · Fax: (850) 747-5188
- Official Records Division: (850) 747-5100
- Mailing: P.O. Box 2269, Panama City, FL 32402
Note the mailing ZIP (32402) differs from the street address ZIP (32401) — a pattern shared with Walton and Santa Rosa.
If you are looking for federal court records rather than county, the Clerk directs inquiries to Tallahassee at (850) 521-3501 or Pensacola at (850) 435-8440.
Why Bay is different: the Fourteenth Circuit
This is the real distinction, and it is worth understanding if you follow cases across the region.
Okaloosa, Walton, Escambia, and Santa Rosa all sit in Florida’s First Judicial Circuit. Bay County does not. Bay belongs to the Fourteenth Judicial Circuit, which covers Bay, Calhoun, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, and Washington counties.
Practically, that means Bay operates under a different Chief Judge and a different set of circuit administrative orders than the other four counties on this site. Local procedures, scheduling practices, and court operations can genuinely differ — so do not assume that how something worked in Okaloosa tells you how it will work in Panama City.
It also means Bay County cases appeal into a different administrative structure, and that deadlines are frequently triggered by the docketing date recorded by the Bay County Clerk rather than the date a party receives notice.
If your case was resolved in your favor
If the Clerk’s record shows your charges were dropped, dismissed, or nolle prossed, and an arrest listing for it still appears on this site, you can ask us to remove it. Removal is free and always will be. A certified disposition is the fastest way to confirm it — submit it through our Mugshot Removal Policy page.
To clear the record more broadly, see our guide on sealing or expunging a Florida criminal record.
Sources
Bay County Clerk of Court & Comptroller — Search Court Cases & Court Docket, Case Search, and Office Directory pages; Fourteenth Judicial Circuit of Florida — Clerks of the Court and Court Locations; Florida Statute 119.01. Portal addresses, forms, fees, and office hours change — verify with the Clerk before relying on any detail here.
Last reviewed: September 2026