Child Custody and Time-Sharing in Martin County, Florida

The Clerk's Domestic Relations Division handles child custody and parenting-plan cases in Martin County. Reach the division directly at 772-288-5660 or 772-288-5533, or visit the Martin County Courthouse at 100 SE Ocean Boulevard in Stuart. Martin County sits in the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit, alongside Indian River, Okeechobee, and St. Lucie counties. A parent filing here uses the same circuit-wide mediation program and parenting-course referral as those other counties, even though the Clerk's counter and courthouse belong to Martin County alone.

Parents preparing their own forms can buy printed packets at the Clerk's counter for $0.15 per page. TurboCourt offers guided online form preparation for a $10.40 fee, but it's a separate paid service, not a requirement to file. The Florida Courts E-Filing Portal handles electronic filing. The standard dissolution filing fee is $408.00; a custody-only petition's fee depends on the case type.

The Nineteenth Circuit Mediation Program is open to families with combined gross income of $100,000 a year or less. As of the page checked, mediations circuit-wide happen online rather than in person, scheduled at least 48 hours in advance through 772-807-4370 or ThomasS@circuit19.org. Parents required to complete a parenting course under Fla. Stat. 61.21 satisfy it through the circuit's Standing Order of Referral to Parent Education Classes, drawing from an approved provider roster that covers the whole circuit, not just Martin County.

Any pleading that could affect where a child lives needs a sworn UCCJEA affidavit, Form 12.902(d), listing the child's residence history for the past five years. This lets the court confirm jurisdiction under Florida's Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act before ruling on time-sharing or parental responsibility.

Where custody cases are heard in Martin County, FL

Custody and time-sharing matters in Martin County, FL are handled by the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida, Martin County, with the county seat in Stuart. Because courthouse locations, hours, and local family court programs change over time and can differ between branches, use the Florida court clerk directory to confirm the current details for your case:

Find the Martin County, FL Clerk of Court (Florida court clerk directory)

How custody is decided in Florida

Florida uses the same statewide rules in every county, including Martin County, FL. Florida law no longer uses the words "custody" and "visitation" in the statute; instead, Florida Statutes chapter 61 uses "parental responsibility" (who makes major decisions for the child) and "time-sharing" (the schedule of when the child is with each parent). Parental responsibility can be shared or, in limited cases, granted solely to one parent. Judges decide time-sharing based on the best interest of the child, considering the factors listed in the statute, and Florida law does not favor a parent based on gender.

You raise parental responsibility and time-sharing inside a dissolution of marriage case, or, if the parents were never married, by first filing to establish paternity. The core steps are:

1. Open or use an existing case: a petition for dissolution of marriage, or a paternity case for unmarried parents.
2. File a proposed Parenting Plan (Florida Supreme Court approved family law form 12.995(a)) covering parental responsibility and a time-sharing schedule.
3. Serve the other parent and file proof of service.
4. Complete a parenting course if your circuit requires one for cases with minor children (Fla. Stat. 61.21).
5. Attend mediation if your circuit requires it before a contested hearing, then attend the hearing if you have not agreed. The court enters a Final Judgment with the Parenting Plan attached.

Florida does not use a fixed statewide waiting period for custody orders the way it does for some other filings; timing depends on your circuit's calendar and whether the case is contested. Parents who agree on a Parenting Plan can submit it for the judge's signature without a contested hearing, which is almost always the faster and less costly path in Martin County, FL.

Local notes for Martin County, FL

Call the Domestic Relations Division's two direct lines, 772-288-5660 and 772-288-5533, before a courthouse visit. Martin County routes its self-help resources through that division's counter rather than a separately branded self-help center.

TurboCourt's $10.40 fee comes on top of the Clerk's own filing fee, not instead of it. Weigh the guided-preparation help against simply buying the $0.15-per-page paper packet and using the free statewide Florida Courts Help forms library instead.

Martin County shares its circuit's mediation and parenting-course programs with Indian River, Okeechobee, and St. Lucie counties, so the procedural experience stays largely the same across all four. What changes locally is where a parent physically files, pays, and appears: in Martin County, that's the Stuart courthouse and the Domestic Relations Division counter.

Official custody resources in Martin County, FL

Martin County Courthouse handles custody filings, located at 100 SE Ocean Boulevard, Stuart 34994. Phone: 772-288-5660.

E-filing is available through https://www.myflcourtaccess.com. Florida Courts E-Filing Portal, statewide. TurboCourt is available for guided form preparation for a $10.40 fee but is a separate paid service, not required to file. Dissolution filing fee is $408.00 per the Clerk; custody-only petition fees vary by case type.

Martin Clerk Domestic Relations Division (https://www.martinclerk.com) can help with procedure and paperwork. No dedicated self-help center URL was located; the Clerk's Domestic Relations Division handles custody and parenting-plan filings directly at 772-288-5660 or 772-288-5533. Court-supplied packets/forms are sold at $0.15 per page at the counter.

• Nineteenth Judicial Circuit Family Division
• Nineteenth Judicial Circuit Mediation
• Martin County Clerk of Court
• Parenting Plan Forms 12.995(a)-(c)
• Florida Courts E-Filing Portal

Local details reviewed August 2026. Offices and locations can change, so confirm with the official sites above before you file.

Martin County, FL Child Custody FAQs