If you are handling your own civil, family, small claims, or eviction case in Volusia County, the pro se court forms you need come from the Volusia County Clerk of the Circuit Court, either as downloadable packets on clerk.org or in person at the DeLand or Daytona Beach courthouses.1Clerk of the Circuit Court, Volusia County Florida. Forms The family law forms are the same Florida Supreme Court approved versions used statewide, so a packet pulled from the Florida Courts website works just as well. The work after that falls into three parts: filling the forms out correctly, filing them through the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal or at the clerk’s counter, and arranging formal service on the other party.
Where to Download the Forms
The Clerk’s forms page groups packets by case type: child support, circuit civil, county civil, eviction, and family law.1Clerk of the Circuit Court, Volusia County Florida. Forms Each packet includes the blank form, filing instructions, and a checklist of supporting documents. Download the whole packet rather than a single form; the instructions and checklists are where the procedural requirements live.
Getting In-Person Help
The Seventh Judicial Circuit runs Family Court Self-Help offices at both Volusia County courthouses:2Seventh Judicial Circuit Court. Family Court Services
- Volusia County Courthouse, 101 N. Alabama Ave., Room B250, DeLand, FL 32724, (386) 626-6615. Open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 5 p.m. Spanish-speaking assistance available.
- Steven C. Henderson Judicial Center, 125 E. Orange Ave., Room 201, Daytona Beach, FL 32114, (386) 248-8182. Open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Staff can point you to the correct packet and explain general procedures. They cannot tell you which form to file for your situation, fill it out for you, or advise on strategy. Florida’s unauthorized practice of law rules draw that line, and the fact that a clerk handed you a form is not a defense if it turns out to be the wrong one.312th Judicial Circuit Court. Pro Se Representation in Court For actual legal advice, low-income Floridians can use the Florida Bar’s free virtual clinic at florida.freelegalanswers.org.
Which Packet You Need
Family Law
Family law packets cover divorce, child support, custody modifications, paternity, and name changes. Simplified dissolution of marriage is the shortest path, but it only applies when both spouses agree on dividing assets and debts and there are no minor children. Contested divorces, support modifications, and parenting plan changes each have their own packet, and nearly all of them require a financial affidavit.
Small Claims
Small claims handles disputes of $8,000 or less, not counting filing costs, interest, or attorney fees.4Florida Courts. Small Claims You file a statement of claim describing what happened and what the other party owes. Breach of contract, property damage, and unpaid debts are the common fact patterns. The rules are designed to be workable without a lawyer.
Evictions
The Volusia eviction packet includes the three-day notice to pay rent, nonpayment and lease-violation complaint forms, a delinquent-tenant flowchart, and default motion templates.1Clerk of the Circuit Court, Volusia County Florida. Forms Evictions move under the summary procedure in Florida Statute 51.011, so the court calendars them quickly.5Florida Statutes. Florida Statutes Chapter 83 – Landlord and Tenant The three-day notice is unforgiving: wrong language or wrong delivery method can send you back to square one.
Injunctions for Protection
Petitions for domestic violence injunctions and stalking protection orders are available at the clerk’s office at no charge, handled on an expedited basis, and served by the sheriff without a fee.
Financial Disclosure in Family Cases
Almost every contested family law case requires both parties to exchange financial documents under Rule 12.285 of the Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure. The court can sanction you for ignoring it. The starting point is a financial affidavit: Form 12.902(b) if your gross annual income is under $50,000, or the longer Form 12.902(c) if it is $50,000 or more.6Florida Courts. Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Form 12.902(b) Both ask for income, monthly expenses, assets, and liabilities. The affidavit has to be filed with the court; parties cannot agree to skip it except in a simplified dissolution where both sides waive it.
Mandatory disclosure also requires you to serve the other party with:7Florida Courts. Florida Family Law Rule of Procedure 12.285 – Mandatory Disclosure
- All federal and state income tax returns for the past three years, plus any gift tax returns.
- W-2s, 1099s, and K-1s for the most recent year, and pay stubs covering the three months before you served the affidavit.
- The last three months of checking statements and the last twelve months of savings, money market, and brokerage statements.
- Any financial statements or loan applications prepared within the past twelve months.
- All deeds from the last three years, promissory notes from the last twelve months, and current leases.
- The most recent statement for every IRA, 401(k), 403(b), pension, or deferred compensation plan, plus the summary plan description.
- Declarations pages and the most recent statements for all life insurance policies, and current health and dental insurance cards covering you, your spouse, or your children.
Pull these records before you touch the affidavit. Working from actual documents keeps you from estimating income or guessing at balances, and both of those mistakes come back.
Completing the Forms
Use the full legal name on your government-issued ID for every party. Once the clerk assigns a case number, it goes in the header of every document you file after that. Narrative sections should stay with facts: dates, dollar amounts, specific events. For a breach of contract, that means when the agreement was made, what each side promised, how the other side failed, and what you lost. For a divorce, the date of marriage, the date of separation, and the statutory grounds (Florida is no-fault, so “the marriage is irretrievably broken” is the standard phrase). Save argument for the hearing.
Many forms must be signed in front of a notary public or a deputy clerk, and you need a valid photo ID.8Florida Courts. Notary Public Requirement The clerk’s offices in DeLand and Daytona Beach notarize during business hours, which saves a trip. Do not sign ahead of time; signing before the notary is watching invalidates the notarization.
Before you submit, check every field against the packet’s instruction sheet. Documents get kicked back most often for blank required fields, missing case numbers on supplemental filings, and bad notarizations. A five-minute review beats a two-week delay.
Filing and Fees
The Florida Courts E-Filing Portal is the standard way to submit. It runs around the clock from any computer.9Florida Courts E-Filing Authority. Florida Courts E-Filing Portal You create a free account, select Volusia County and the case type, upload your documents as PDFs, and pay online. The portal assigns the case number and emails a confirmation once the clerk accepts the filing.
To file in person, bring your documents to the Volusia County Courthouse at 101 N. Alabama Avenue in DeLand or the Steven C. Henderson Judicial Center at 125 E. Orange Avenue in Daytona Beach. Both are open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mail filings can go to the DeLand courthouse.10Clerk of the Circuit Court, Volusia County Florida. Contact
Filing fees depend on the case type. The Clerk publishes the full schedule online, broken out by circuit civil, county civil, family law, probate, and appellate categories.11Clerk of the Circuit Court, Volusia County Florida. Fees and Fines As a rough guide, small claims filings start around $55, eviction complaints fall in a similar range, and a dissolution of marriage petition runs roughly $400. Check the current schedule before you file; the numbers move and some depend on the amount in controversy.
If You Cannot Afford the Fee
You can apply for a determination of civil indigent status. Under Florida Statute 57.082, you qualify if your household income is at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty guidelines.12Florida Statutes. Florida Code 57.082 – Determination of Civil Indigent Status There is a presumption against indigent status if you own property with net equity of $2,500 or more, excluding your homestead and one vehicle worth up to $5,000. The application asks for net income, other income, assets, and debts. The clerk makes the initial determination, not the judge. If approved, you are excused from the filing fee and from prepaying costs like service fees.13Florida Statutes. Florida Code 57.081 – Costs; Right to Proceed Where Prepayment of Costs and Payment of Filing Fees Waived
Serving the Other Party
Filing is half the job. The other party has to be formally served with a copy of the documents before the case can move. Florida law requires that initial process be served by the county sheriff or a certified process server. You cannot hand the papers over yourself.14Florida Statutes. Florida Statutes Chapter 48 – Process and Service of Process
The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office charges $40 per person for serving a summons or subpoena, and $90 for writs of possession or execution.15Volusia Sheriff’s Office. Civil Unit You request service through the clerk and pay the fee at the same time. Private certified process servers are the other option, and they will often attempt service outside normal business hours, which matters when the other party is hard to catch at home.
Service happens by delivering the complaint and summons directly to the person, or by leaving copies at their usual residence with someone who is at least 15 years old and lives there.14Florida Statutes. Florida Statutes Chapter 48 – Process and Service of Process If you cannot locate the other party after a genuine search, you may be able to serve by publication in a newspaper, but only after filing a sworn statement describing your search efforts.16The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes – Sworn Statement as Condition Precedent Publication is a last resort and adds weeks.
After the Other Side Is Served
The clock starts at service. A defendant in Florida state court has 20 calendar days from the date of service to file a written response, counting weekends and holidays. If no response comes in, you can file a motion for default asking the court to rule in your favor because the other side did not appear.
Florida courts route most contested cases through mediation before trial. In small claims, a mediator is typically available at the pretrial conference at no cost.4Florida Courts. Small Claims In contested family law cases, the court can refer disputed issues to mediation under Rule 12.740, with narrow exclusions for injunctions for protection, contempt proceedings, and other categories set by administrative order. Mediation outside a scheduled pretrial session usually costs each party a fee, often around $60 per party for a two-hour session with a court-appointed mediator, though rates vary.
Check the Clerk’s online case records after filing to confirm your case number, the assigned judge, and any hearing dates. The office mails notices of hearing, but delays happen, and the online docket is faster. If you e-filed, the portal also sends notifications when new documents post to the case.