Located on the west coast of Florida, Sarasota County has some of the most beautiful beaches on the Gulf of Mexico. The county has 725 square miles of land and 153 square miles of water. The population is over 419,000. Some of the cities in Sarasota county include Sarasota, Casey Key, Fruitville, Gove City, Milton, Venice, and North Port.
Shortcuts: DMV Offices, Sarasota County Clerk of Court
Many government services provided at the county level are available from either the DMV Office or the Clerk of Court - also known as the Clerk of the Circuit Court. The DMV focuses on licenses and tags for anything that you drive including cars, boats, motorcycles, trucks, RVs and more.
Your Clerk of Court delivers an enormous amount of services. Examples include your civil and criminal courts, bail bonds, boating and fishing citations, traffic citations, marriage licenses, adoptions, jury service, parking, passports, and many more.
Your Sarasota County DMV offices provide vehicle registration, drivers licenses, ID cards, tag and title services for cars, trucks, trailers, vessels and mobile homes.
You can also contact the DMV office for specialty tags, disability parking permits, and transferring a motor vehicle or boat/vessel title. Many of Sarasota's Florida DMV services are available online or by phone to save you time.
If you are a new Florida resident, you are required to register your vehicle within ten days and get a Florida drivers license within 30 days. If you have an out-of-state drivers license and it has not expired beyond 30 days you can convert your license without taking a written or road test. If you need a drivers license for the first time you must complete a State of Florida authorized four-hour Drug and Alcohol (DATA) Course and Permit Test on road signs and road rules.
Before registering your vehicle, you must obtain Florida Auto Insurance and have verification of the VIN number. The auto insurance must be purchased from an insurance company licensed by the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation. Florida's minimum coverage is $10,000 personal injury protection (PIP) and $10,000 property damage liability (PDL). If you have been involved in a crash, or been convicted of certain offenses, you may be required to purchase bodily injury liability coverage (BIL).
The Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) can be validated with a manufacturers Certificate of Origin if the vehicle is new. If it is not new, the VIN must be verified with a HSMV 82042 form from Sarasota tax collector office and signed by a Florida notary, DMV compliance examiner, law enforcement officer, or a licensed dealer in Florida.
Most DMV offices are only open from Monday to Friday.
Typical office hours are from:
8:30 to 4:30pm or 5:00pm
But some counties have an office that opens earlier (7:15am) and stay open later (6:00pm)
Check the location you are going to visit for their schedule.
Not every DMV offices offers the same services. Example — some DMV offices do not offer driving tests (road test)
Check the location you are going to visit for their schedule.
