Miami Dade Court is divided into 8 main divisions: Civil Court, Criminal Court, District Courts, Family Court, Juvenile Court, Probate Court, Small Claims Court, and Traffic Court.

The Civil Court Division operates on two levels: Circuit Civil and County Civil. Circuit Civil is the jurisdiction for civil matters where the amount of damages sought is in excess of $15,000.00. County Civil is the jurisdiction that includes summary procedure also known as Small Claims, where damages sought range from $.01 to $5,000.00. Actions where damages sought range from $5,000.01 to $15,000.00 as well as Landlord/Tenant actions are also included in County Civil. These actions may be filed in the Miami-Dade County Courthouse (the central office downtown) or in the full service District Courts.

The Family Court Division was established in January, 1992. This Division provides clerical support to more than Nineteen Circuit Judges and ten General Masters. This Division handles two broad category of cases: Domestic Relations and Probate. In the Probate Category, Estate, Guardianship and Mental Health cases are filed, processed and maintained. Dissolution of Marriage, Child Custody and Support, Paternity, Adoption, Name Change and other related actions are maintained in the Domestic Relations Category as prescribed by the applicable laws and rules of the State of Florida. Annually, The Family Court Division filed and maintains more than 35,000 new cases.

The Juvenile Court Division concentrates on delinquency and dependency matters. Delinquency cases are filed and processed annually and average at approximately 15,000. An average of 1,500 dependency petitions, inclusive of substance abuse and termination of parental rights cases are filed on a yearly basis. The main purpose of the Juvenile Division is to provide judicial support and administer numerous other services to the public, insuring due process through which children and other interested parties are assured fair process by a respectful and respected court or other tribunal; assurance of recognition, protection, and enforcement of their constitutional and other legal rights, while ensuring that the public safety, interest, and the authority and dignity of the courts are adequately protected.

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