How to Obtain a Florida Driving Record: Methods, Fees, and Corrections

You can get a Florida driving record from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) three ways: online through the MyDMV Portal for immediate download, by mail using form HSMV 90511, or in person at a driver license service center, clerk of court office, or tax collector office. Fees run $8 for a 3-year record and $10 for a 7-year or complete record.

Pick the Right Record First

Three versions are sold, and they don’t contain the same information. Choose before you pay.

The 3-year record shows guilty dispositions of traffic violations from the past three years, crash entries tied to a citation, and any currently open suspensions, revocations, or disqualifications. It leaves out violations where adjudication was withheld (what happens when you elect traffic school to avoid points). For most insurance requests, this is enough.

The 7-year record contains the same categories reaching back seven years from the date of disposition. Employers evaluating a longer driving history usually ask for this one. It also excludes adjudication-withheld dispositions.¹

The complete record is the most detailed. It includes every guilty disposition and every adjudication-withheld disposition on file, all open and closed suspensions, traffic school completions, and correspondence entries from the clerk of court. It’s the only version that shows violations where you successfully completed traffic school, and the only one that lists closed suspensions. If a court or attorney has asked for your record, get this one.¹

Order Online Through the MyDMV Portal

The MyDMV Portal at flhsmv.gov is the fastest option. Create a secure account by verifying your identity against FLHSMV records. If the system can’t verify you, it will tell you, and you’ll need to visit a local office instead.²

Once you’re in, select “Driver License Record Request,” pick the 3-year, 7-year, or complete record, and pay by credit or debit card. The record downloads immediately.

If you only need to confirm your license is currently valid, FLHSMV offers a free online Driver License Check. That tool shows license status but isn’t a driving record and won’t satisfy a request that asks for one.¹

Order by Mail

Download the Driver License Record Request Form (HSMV 90511) from the FLHSMV website. Fill in your full name, date of birth, Florida driver license or ID number, and the address where the record should be sent.³

Send the form with a check or money order payable to the Division of Motorist Services to:

Bureau of Records
2900 Apalachee Parkway, MS 52
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0575

Allow ten business days for processing, plus mail time in each direction.¹

Order in Person

Any driver license service center will sell you a record, and many clerk of court offices and tax collector offices that provide driver licensing services do too.⁴ Bring your Florida driver license or another valid ID. Service centers typically accept cash, check, and credit card, and the record is printed on the spot.

One thing to budget for: tax collector offices may charge a $6.25 convenience fee on top of the base price.⁵

Fees

Record fees are set by Florida statute and apply regardless of how you order:

3-year record: $8
7-year record: $10
Complete record: $10
Certified copy: $10
Exemplified record: $15

A certified copy carries an official FLHSMV seal, which courts and some out-of-state agencies require. An exemplified record provides the highest level of authentication. Tax collector offices add the $6.25 convenience fee to whichever base fee applies. Law enforcement agencies, courts, and government agencies get records at no charge.⁴

Requesting Someone Else’s Record

Your own record is available to you anytime. Someone else’s isn’t. The federal Driver’s Privacy Protection Act prohibits state DMVs from releasing personal information from motor vehicle records except for specific permitted uses, including government functions, insurance underwriting, employment verification, and litigation.⁶

A third party requesting another person’s record has to certify a permissible purpose on the HSMV 90511 form. The form lists 14 categories of lawful access, and the requester signs under penalty of perjury that they qualify.³

Employers pulling a record as part of a background check have an added obligation under the Fair Credit Reporting Act: a standalone written disclosure that a report may be obtained and your written authorization before they request it.⁷

Parents and legal guardians of minor drivers get free internet access to their minor child’s driving record until the child turns 18.⁴

If Something on the Record Is Wrong

Driving records aren’t immune to mistakes. Violations reported from other states, data entry errors, and dispositions the clerk of court didn’t properly update can all appear incorrectly. If you spot something wrong, call the FLHSMV Customer Service Center at (850) 617-2000 to have the record reviewed. Corrections are processed once verified.⁸

Fix errors quickly. Insurance companies routinely pull 3-year records when setting premiums, and an inaccurate violation can raise rates for years. If a prospective employer sees a suspension the record shows as open when it was already resolved, that can cost you a job offer before you have a chance to explain.

1
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Questions About Driving Records
2
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. MyDMV Portal
3
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. HSMV 90511 – Driver License Record Request
4
Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 322.20 – Records of Division
5
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Fees
6
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 2721 – Prohibition on Release and Use of Certain Personal Information From State Motor Vehicle Records
7
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1681b – Permissible Purposes of Consumer Reports
8
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Frequently Asked Questions