Special Magistrate Hearing Dates and Agendas

Public hearings are typically held on the 2nd Monday of every month at 9:00 a.m. in the Clearwater Courthouse, 315 Court Street, 5th Floor Assembly Room, Clearwater, FL 33756. Dates, times and location of hearings are subject to change.

2023 Hearing Dates and Agendas

Visit Hearing Archives for previous hearing dates and agendas.

Hearing Rules of Conduct

Additional Special Magistrate hearings may be called by the Code Inspector, or at any other times as needed. At a hearing, Pinellas County Code Enforcement has the burden of proof to show that a violation exists, or in the case of a repeat violation, existed on the date that the Code Inspector notified the respondent.

The Special Magistrate may consider testimony presented by Code Enforcement Officers, the respondent, or any other witnesses present at the hearing. All testimony is under oath and will be recorded. Irrelevant, immaterial or unduly repetitious evidence may be excluded.

At the conclusion of the hearing, the Special Magistrate will render their decision, or order, based on the evidence. A written order will be mailed to the respondent within ten days after the hearing. A certified copy of the order will be recorded in the Pinellas County public records. If Pinellas County successfully prosecutes our case, we are entitled to recover all costs incurred.

To appeal a Special Magistrate decision, you will need a verbatim record of the proceedings, including the testimony and evidence. You may wish to retain a court reporter for this record, as Pinellas County does not provide this service.

View the full rules of conduct at a hearing.

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