Florida’s Notice of Confidential Information Within Court Filing is the form you use under Rule of Judicial Administration 2.420 to tell the clerk that a document you are filing (or already filed) contains information the law protects from public view. You complete it by identifying the document, pinpointing where the confidential information sits inside it, checking which category under Rule 2.420(d)(1)(B) applies, and filing it with the clerk in the county where your case is pending, usually through the state e-filing portal. Since July 1, 2021, in most civil cases the clerk has no duty to hunt for confidential information on your behalf, so if you don’t flag it, it goes public.
Strip Prohibited Data Before You File Anything
Before the notice comes into play, Rule 2.425 flatly prohibits putting certain data into a court filing in the first place. Social Security numbers, bank account numbers, and credit or debit card numbers should not appear anywhere in your document. If a minor is mentioned, use only initials. For dates of birth, include only the year.
Filing a document that contains a full Social Security number or bank account number exposes you to court sanctions, and another party can move to strike the filing. The bigger problem is practical: once that information is on the public docket, you cannot pull it back. Redact this data from your documents first. Then use the Notice of Confidential Information for whatever legitimately confidential material has to remain in the filing so the court can do its job.
When You Need to File the Notice
You file this notice when a document you are submitting genuinely needs to contain information that falls within one of the confidential categories listed in Rule 2.420(d)(1)(B). A financial affidavit in a family case is a common example: the judge needs the account details, so you file the affidavit together with the notice so the clerk protects those portions.
Civil Cases: The Burden Is Entirely on You
Effective July 1, 2021, the Florida Supreme Court amended Rule 2.420 so that in circuit civil, county civil, and small claims cases (case types CA, CC, and SC in the uniform case numbering system), the clerk has no independent duty to review filings for confidential information. Three narrow carve-outs still receive some clerk review within those categories: Jimmy Ryce civil commitment cases, cases stemming from sexual assault, and medical malpractice filings. Everything else in civil is on you.
Family, Criminal, Juvenile, and Probate
In these case types, clerks keep their traditional duty to review filings independently for confidential information. File the notice anyway. The clerk’s review is a backstop, not a guarantee, and sensitive information slips through when filers rely on someone else to catch it.
What Counts as Confidential Under the Rule
Rule 2.420(d)(1)(B) lists 23 categories that are automatically treated as confidential once you flag them properly. No judge’s order is required; the notice is enough. Common categories include:
- Financial identifiers such as bank account numbers and charge or debit card numbers (to the extent they must appear at all under Rule 2.425)
- Personal identifiers including Social Security numbers and, in certain contexts, dates of birth
- Medical records and substance abuse treatment records
- Information identifying victims of sexual offenses
- Adoption records, juvenile delinquency records, and certain dependency records
- HIV test results, genetic information, and records sealed by court order or statute
The full list sits in subdivision (d)(1)(B). If your information fits one of the 23 categories, the notice is all you need. If it is confidential for a different reason, the notice is not the right tool; you will need a Motion to Determine Confidentiality of Court Records instead.
Filling Out the Form
You can download the form from the Florida Courts website or pick up a copy at your local clerk’s office. It runs on two tracks depending on your situation.
If you are filing a new document that contains confidential information, give the document’s title or type and state whether the entire document is confidential or identify exactly where within it the confidential information appears. If the confidential information sits in a document that was already filed without a notice, provide the document title, the date it was filed (if known), the date of the document itself, the docket entry number, and the precise location of the confidential information.
On either track, precision is the whole point. “Financial information on page 3” is not enough. Identify the page and, where possible, the specific paragraph or line. Check the box for the applicable category under Rule 2.420(d)(1)(B); the form lists them so you can match yours. Guessing at page numbers or omitting the docket number on a previously filed document leaves the clerk unable to protect the right material.
The form closes with a Certificate of Service confirming you served the notice on all parties. One caveat under Rule 2.420(k): if a party’s name or address is itself confidential, do not put it in the Certificate of Service. Serve the State Attorney instead or request service through the court.
How to Submit the Notice
E-Filing Through the Portal
The standard route is the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal at myflcourtaccess.com. Non-attorneys register under the “Self-Represented Litigant” filer role using an email address as the username. After registration you will receive an activation email; click the activation link within 72 hours or the account is deleted and you start over.
There is no separate filing fee for the Notice of Confidential Information. The portal charges a statutory convenience fee on any payment (3.5% for credit card transactions or a $5 flat fee for electronic checks), but with no filing fee attached to the notice, no convenience fee is charged either.
Mail or In Person
You can also mail or hand-deliver the form to the clerk of court in the county where your case is pending. County clerk contact details are available through the Florida Court Clerks & Comptrollers directory at flclerks.com. If you mail it, keep a copy and consider certified mail so you have proof of delivery.
What Happens After You File
The clerk reviews the notice to decide whether the information you flagged actually fits one of the 23 categories. If it does, the clerk dockets the notice and the identified information stays out of public view.
If the clerk determines the information does not qualify, you receive a written notification within five business days. The information remains shielded for an additional ten business days after that notification. That ten-day window is your deadline to file a Motion to Determine Confidentiality of Court Records if you disagree. Miss it, and the information becomes publicly accessible.
When You Need a Motion Instead of a Notice
Two situations call for a Motion to Determine Confidentiality of Court Records rather than (or in addition to) the notice: the clerk rejected your notice and you want to challenge that call, or the information is confidential for a reason outside the 23 listed categories, such as a constitutional privacy right or a statute the rule does not enumerate.
The motion goes to the judge, not just the clerk. While it is pending, the disputed information stays out of public view. Unless every party agrees to the requested relief, the court must hold a hearing no later than 30 days after the motion is filed. If the court finds the motion was filed without a sound legal or factual basis and not in good faith, sanctions are available. The motion is not a way to shield embarrassing but non-confidential material; the legal standard under Rule 2.420(c) has to be met.