Palm Beach County, Florida
What are closing costs in Palm Beach County?
The short answer
On a $500,000 sale with a $400,000 loan in Palm Beach County, the charges set by law come to $6,075 for the seller and $2,441 for the buyer. The seller’s is the documentary stamp tax on the deed, $3,500 at 70¢ per $100 of the price, and the owner’s title policy, $2,575, which the seller customarily pays in Palm Beach County. The buyer’s is $2,200 in taxes on the mortgage and $241 to record the deed and the mortgage. A buyer paying cash pays $27, the recording of the deed. A title agency’s own fees, the lender’s charges, the commission and the prorations are on top.
Source: Bayit Title, https://bayittitle.com/closing-costs/palm-beach-county
On a $500,000 sale with a $400,000 loan in Palm Beach County
- Seller
- $6,075 deed stamps and the owner’s policy
- Buyer, with the loan
- $2,441 mortgage taxes and recording
- Buyer, paying cash
- $27 recording the deed
- Owner’s title policy
- $2,575 customarily the seller’s hereFla. Admin. Code R. 69O-186.003
What do closing costs come to at each price in Palm Beach County?
The charges set by law, from $300,000 to $2,000,000| Sale price | Deed stamps | Owner’s policy | Seller, in all | Buyer, 80% loan | Buyer, cash |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $300,000 | $2,100 | $1,575 | $3,675 | $1,561 | $27 |
| $400,000 | $2,800 | $2,075 | $4,875 | $2,001 | $27 |
| $500,000 | $3,500 | $2,575 | $6,075 | $2,441 | $27 |
| $600,000 | $4,200 | $3,075 | $7,275 | $2,881 | $27 |
| $750,000 | $5,250 | $3,825 | $9,075 | $3,541 | $27 |
| $1,000,000 | $7,000 | $5,075 | $12,075 | $4,641 | $27 |
| $1,500,000 | $10,500 | $6,325 | $16,825 | $6,841 | $27 |
| $2,000,000 | $14,000 | $7,575 | $21,575 | $9,041 | $27 |
The loan is 80% of the price. The owner’s policy is counted on the seller’s side, where Palm Beach County’s custom puts it. Priced at the original rate, as a single-family residence, on a 3-page deed and a 25-page mortgage. The same rows are a CSV download, and the closing cost calculator works it out at your own price and loan.
What is in each figure?
Every line on a $500,000 sale with a $400,000 loan, and what sets it| Charge | Amount | Paid by | Set by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owner’s policy, original rate | $2,575 | Seller | Fla. Admin. Code R. 69O-186.003(1)(a) |
| Documentary stamp tax on the deed | $3,500 | Seller | Fla. Stat. § 201.02(1)(a) |
| Documentary stamp tax on the mortgage | $1,400 | Buyer | Fla. Stat. § 201.08(1)(b) |
| Nonrecurring intangible tax | $800 | Buyer | Fla. Stat. § 199.133(1) |
| Recording the deed, 3 pages | $27 | Buyer | Fla. Stat. § 28.24(13) |
| Recording the mortgage, 25 pages | $214 | Buyer | Fla. Stat. § 28.24(13) |
The statutes were read on September 14, 2026. Each line is worked out on its own, at your figures, on the doc stamp calculator and the title insurance calculator.
Who pays for what in Palm Beach County?
By custom and by the contract, not by lawThe seller customarily pays for the owner’s title policy in Palm Beach County. Custom is not law. The purchase contract decides it, and in a negotiated deal either side can end up paying. Read the contract before assuming which line it falls on.
The Florida Realtors/Florida Bar “AS IS” Residential Contract for Sale and Purchase puts the deed’s documentary stamp tax on the seller in paragraph 9(a), and its paragraph 9(c) has the parties choose who pays for the owner’s policy, which is where the county’s custom comes in. The taxes on the mortgage and its recording are the borrower’s alone: a seller has no new loan.
The seller customarily chooses the closing agent, the title company, in Palm Beach County. That is a custom of its own: the side that pays for the owner’s policy usually brings the closing agent, and the contract can put either on either side. What each side can insist on is on who chooses the title company.
That is the custom as we see it on our own files, confirmed on November 3, 2026. It is a report of what is usual, not a rule, and not a promise about your contract.
How the custom runs in the other counties is on who pays for title insurance in Florida.
What are the doc stamp and mortgage tax rates in Palm Beach County?
Set by Florida statute, read September 14, 2026The deed is taxed by the state, not by the county, and the rate in Palm Beach County is the rate in 66 of the 67 counties; Miami-Dade is the exception. The stamps are charged on each $100 or part of $100, so they round up. On a $500,000 sale with a $400,000 loan the deed’s stamps are $3,500 at 70¢ per $100; the taxes on the mortgage are $2,200.
- Documentary stamp tax on the deed
- 70¢ per $100 of consideration, or part of $100 Charged on each part of $100, so the figure rounds up, not down. Fla. Stat. § 201.02(1)(a)
- Documentary stamp tax on the mortgage
- 35¢ per $100 of the amount secured, or part of $100 The $2,450 cap in § 201.08(1)(a) is on the tax on a note or other written obligation to pay money. There is no cap on the tax on a mortgage recorded against Florida property. Fla. Stat. § 201.08(1)(b)
- Nonrecurring intangible tax
- 2 mills on each dollar secured — $2 per $1,000 One time, on the obligation the mortgage secures. Fla. Stat. § 199.133(1)
Where is the deed recorded, and what does recording cost?
By the page, at a rate set for every office in FloridaDeeds and mortgages in Palm Beach County record with the Palm Beach County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller. The charge is by the page: $27 for a 3-page deed and $214 for a 25-page mortgage.
- Recording, first page
- $10.00 $5.00 service charge, plus $1.00 to the Public Records Modernization Trust Fund, plus $4.00. Fla. Stat. § 28.24(13)(a), (d)1., (e)
- Recording, each page after the first
- $8.50 $4.00 service charge, plus 50¢ to the trust fund, plus $4.00. Fla. Stat. § 28.24(13)(b), (d)2., (e)
- Indexing, per name over four
- $1.00 Reached by a deed with several grantors, or by a mortgage naming a trust. Fla. Stat. § 28.24(13)(c)
"We cannot guarantee documents will be recorded on the same day that we receive them." "Notices of Commencement are normally recorded within one business day when submitted electronically." Walk-in recording appears under the heading "Same Day Recording": "Except for designated holidays. Present documents in person at the following locations, Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 4 p.m." (five locations listed).
What do the cities in Palm Beach County charge for a municipal lien search?
Each city’s own published termsA title search reads Palm Beach County’s official records. Open or expired permits, code enforcement cases, unpaid utility balances and special assessments are a city’s to know, and take a municipal lien search directed to the city, which the city prices and times as it likes. It is in none of the totals above. What each city here with a page on this site publishes:
- Boca Ratonthe city’s lien search page
- The City’s Financial Services Department searches its records for outstanding bills, special assessments and pending or certified liens. The search costs $150.00 and does not include open building or other permits. Source: Boca Raton, Lien search Read October 7, 2026.
- On the User Fee Schedule in effect from 1 October 2026, the Financial Services lien search, to verify outstanding city liens on real property records, is $150, and the Code Compliance confirmation letter on code violations and building permits is $200, which the schedule itself says is not an official lien search. Source: Boca Raton, Lien search fee Read November 4, 2026.
- Boynton Beachthe city’s lien search page
- The city’s online lien portal charges $140 a report, covering permits, code enforcement, utilities, and mowing and maintenance liens inside city limits. For a property outside city limits, the report covers utilities only. Source: Boynton Beach, Lien search Read October 7, 2026.
- Delray Beachthe city’s lien search page
- Since September 1, 2019, lien search and estoppel requests have gone directly to an outside company the City partners with, through the city’s online lien portal, at $115 each. A search needs the property address, the owners’ names and the parcel ID, and covers outstanding municipal liens, code enforcement liens and utility balances. Source: Delray Beach, Lien search Read October 16, 2026.
- Greenacresthe city’s lien search page
- The City Clerk’s lien search covers outstanding solid waste collection fees, code cases and violations, and open building permits, for $90 with a response in 1-3 business days. The company that paid may request one free update for the same address within 90 days. Source: Greenacres, Lien search Read October 7, 2026.
- Jupiterthe city’s lien search page
- The Town’s Code Compliance code violation and lien search currently has no fee. The Town asks for up to 5-7 business days and answers requests in the order received. Source: Jupiter, Lien search Read October 7, 2026.
- Wellingtonthe city’s lien search page
- The Village says a “Property Assessment Form” must be completed to help a buyer review claims on the property. Without it, the closing may be delayed, or the seller’s unpaid balances may be transferred to the buyer or filed as a lien on the property. Source: Wellington, Lien search Read October 7, 2026.
- West Palm Beachthe city’s lien search page
- The city’s online lien portal charges $120 for each report, paid in advance by credit card. Source: West Palm Beach, Lien search Read October 7, 2026.
Palm Beach Gardens publishes a search page with no figure on it we could set down, so none is printed. Each line restates what the city’s own page said on the date shown; cities change these pages without notice. Every city in the table is on municipal lien search fees, by city.
What do Palm Beach County’s own offices say about the costs around a closing?
6 statements, each linked to the office’s pageThe figures above are set by rules that apply across Florida. These are Palm Beach County’s own: what its offices charge, what lands on the tax bill and what a buyer takes on with the property. None of it is in the totals.
- Abstract and search fees
- The Clerk charges an abstract fee of $0.60 for each of the first two legal descriptions in a document and $0.20 for each one after, citing County Commission Resolution 2004-2566, and a $2.00 search fee when a document cites a book and page or file number without the legal description. Source: Abstract and search fees
- E-recording
- The Clerk’s eRecording business rules say e-recorded documents are normally processed or rejected within 48 business hours, and that a time-sensitive document should be submitted at least one week before it must be recorded, or presented in person. Source: E-recording
- County lien searches
- The County’s Planning, Zoning and Building Department searches unincorporated property for fines and liens, open building permits and open code violations for a fee through its online portal, returning results in 7 to 10 business days, or within 3 for a rush fee. Source: County lien searches
- Special assessment payoffs
- The Clerk’s online special assessment search shows whether a property has a County special assessment lien and gives payoff and lien satisfaction letters. Closing agents can pay by wire when a lien satisfaction is time-sensitive. Source: Special assessment payoffs
- PACE assessments
- The Tax Collector says a PACE assessment is collected on the property tax bill in the same manner as real estate taxes, passes automatically to the buyer when a home is sold, and may have to be prepaid to sell because some lenders will not accept it. Source: PACE assessments
- Exemptions after a sale
- The Property Appraiser says a change of ownership removes exemptions and resets the assessment to market value on the January 1 after the purchase. A seller’s homestead exemption may stay on the property through the year of the sale, but it is not the new owner’s exemption. Source: Exemptions after a sale
Each line restates what the page linked beside it said when it was read, on October 15, 2026: a page of one of the county’s own offices, its code, or one it links to. Offices change these pages without notice; on a file where one of them matters, ask us and we will check it again.
Everything the county’s offices publish that we have read is on the Palm Beach County page.
What do the figures leave out?
The lines no statute or rule setsOnly what a statute or the promulgated rule prices is counted. Not counted:
- The title agency’s settlement or closing fee, and the title search and examination
- The lender’s policy and the endorsements the lender asks for, and e-recording
- The survey, the municipal lien search, estoppel letters and association fees
- The lender’s own charges, prepaid interest and escrows
- The commission, and the tax and association prorations
The seller net sheet adds a seller’s payoff, commission and prorations, and the property tax proration calculator works the tax credit on its own. A quote itemizes the rest: send us the contract and we reply with every line.
Common questions
How much are closing costs in Palm Beach County?
On a $500,000 sale with a $400,000 loan, the charges set by law come to $6,075 for the seller and $2,441 for the buyer, with the $2,575 owner’s policy on the seller’s side, where the county’s custom puts it. They rise with the price: on a $1,000,000 sale with an $800,000 loan they are $12,075 and $4,641. A title agency’s fees, the lender’s charges, the commission and the prorations are on top.
Who pays closing costs in Palm Beach County, the buyer or the seller?
Each side pays its own lines. “AS IS” contract ¶9(a) puts the deed’s stamps on the seller; the taxes on the mortgage and its recording are the borrower’s alone; recording the deed is customarily the buyer’s; and ¶9(c) has the parties choose who pays for the owner’s policy. In Palm Beach County the seller customarily pays for it, though the contract decides. Custom is not law, and a negotiated contract can put any line on either side.
How much are doc stamps in Palm Beach County?
70¢ per $100 of the price, or part of $100, on the deed: $3,500 on a $500,000 sale. That is the rate in 66 of Florida’s 67 counties; Miami-Dade is the exception. A mortgage is taxed on its own, at 35¢ per $100 of the loan plus an intangible tax of $2 per $1,000: $1,400 and $800 on a $400,000 loan.
How much is title insurance in Palm Beach County?
The same as anywhere in Florida: the premium is promulgated, under Fla. Admin. Code R. 69O-186.003. The owner’s policy on a $500,000 purchase is $2,575 at the original rate, or $1,530 at the reissue rate where the seller’s policy is less than three years old and insured at least as much. In Palm Beach County the seller customarily pays for it, though the contract decides.
What does a cash buyer pay in closing costs in Palm Beach County?
$27 in the charges set by law on a $500,000 purchase: the recording of the deed. The $2,414 a $400,000 loan adds (the mortgage’s stamps, its intangible tax and the recording of the mortgage) is not owed, and the lender’s policy and the lender’s own charges go with it.
Where is a deed recorded in Palm Beach County, and what does it cost?
With the Palm Beach County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller. Recording is $10 for the first page and $8.50 for each page after it under Fla. Stat. § 28.24(13), the same at every recording office in Florida: $27 for a 3-page deed and $214 for a 25-page mortgage.
Are closing costs in Palm Beach County different from the rest of Florida?
The amounts set by law are not: the deed’s stamps are the same in 66 counties, the mortgage taxes and recording charges in all 67, and the title premium is promulgated statewide. What is Palm Beach County’s own is who customarily pays for the owner’s policy, where the deed records and what its cities charge for a municipal lien search.
The same closing in Broward County and Miami-Dade County, and in all 67 counties on Florida closing costs by county. The recording office, the county’s liens and everything else on closing in Palm Beach County.