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Seller closing costs in Florida

The short answer

A Florida seller’s closing costs are the documentary stamp tax on the deed, set by statute at the county’s rate; the owner’s title policy where custom or the contract puts it on the seller; whatever must be paid to deliver clear title — the mortgage payoff, association balances, municipal claims; prorations; and the commission and fees no rule sets. The contract decides which side each line falls on.

2 items we have not published yetThese are not stated anywhere on this page. We publish a figure once it is tied to a source we are willing to stand behind, and none of these is there yet — an invented closing cost is worse than a missing one. Ask us on a specific file and we will tell you what we are seeing.
  • Bayit Title’s settlement fee on the seller’s side, which is not promulgated
  • How the standard Florida contract forms allocate each line by default

The other side of the same closing statement is on the buyer closing costs page.

Documentary stamp tax on the deed

The deed is taxed by the state, not by the county, and the Legislature sets the rate. It is the same in 66 counties; Miami-Dade is the exception, with a lower deed rate and a surtax of its own. The tax is charged on each $100 or part of $100, so it rounds up:

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 deed
60¢ per $100 of consideration, or part of $100 Lower than the rest of Florida because the 10-cent increase in ch. 92-317 was never applied here. Fla. Stat. §§ 201.02(1)(a), 201.0205
County discretionary surtax
45¢ per $100 of consideration, or part of $100 Not charged where the interest conveyed involves only a single-family residence. Fla. Stat. §§ 201.031, 125.0167

On a $500,000 sale that is $3,500 in 66 counties, and in Miami-Dade $3,000 plus $2,250 in surtax where what is conveyed is anything other than a single-family residence. Which side pays it is decided by the purchase contract, not by the statute.

The owner’s title policy, where the seller pays

Custom varies by county. In Duval County, Hillsborough County, Orange County, Palm Beach County, Brevard County, Charlotte County, Lee County, Manatee County, Marion County, Osceola County, Pasco County, Pinellas County and St. Lucie County the seller customarily pays for the owner’s policy. In Broward County, Miami-Dade County, Collier County and Sarasota County it is customarily the buyer. Custom is not law: the contract decides. The county pages state the custom only where we have confirmed it.

Whoever pays, the seller’s history can lower the figure. If the seller’s own title was insured and the prior policy can be produced, the new policy can qualify for the reissue rate in Fla. Admin. Code R. 69O-186.003, which is a different schedule rather than a discount. On a $500,000 sale the original rate is $2,575 and the reissue rate is $1,530: $1,045 less. Find the policy from when you bought and send it with the contract.

First $100,000 of liability
$3.30 per $1,000 Fla. Admin. Code R. 69O-186.003(2)(a)
$100,000 to $1,000,000
$3.00 per $1,000 Fla. Admin. Code R. 69O-186.003(2)(a)
$1,000,000 to $10,000,000
$2.00 per $1,000 Fla. Admin. Code R. 69O-186.003(2)(a)
Over $10,000,000
$1.50 per $1,000 Fla. Admin. Code R. 69O-186.003(2)(a)

Clearing the title

A seller delivers title free of what the contract says it must be free of, and the cost of getting there is the seller’s. None of these is a fee of ours, and none is set by rule:

  • The mortgage payoff — the lender’s written figure as of the closing date, paid from proceeds. The lender then records a satisfaction; recording it is charged by the page at the statutory rate, $18.50 for a 2-page satisfaction.
  • Association balances — what a condominium or homeowners’ association states is owed on the unit in its estoppel certificate, and the association’s charge for preparing that certificate.
  • Municipal claims — open or expired permits, code enforcement fines and utility balances the City knows about and the county’s records do not. We order a municipal lien search on every file, and what it turns up goes to you in writing.
  • Judgments and liens against the seller — paid or released from proceeds where they attach to the property.
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)

Prorations, commission and the rest

  • Property taxes — Florida bills the year’s taxes after most of the year has passed, so a seller closing mid-year usually credits the buyer for the months already lived in the house. The contract says how the proration is computed.
  • Association dues — prorated as of closing, the same way.
  • Commission — set by the listing agreement, paid from proceeds. Not a title charge and not ours to set.
  • The settlement fee — the title agency’s own charge where the contract puts one on the seller. Ours is not promulgated and is quoted on the file: request a quote.
  • A foreign seller — federal law can require withholding from the price under the IRS rules known as FIRPTA. We raise it at the start of the file; the seller’s tax adviser settles whether and how much.

Common questions

Does the seller pay the documentary stamp tax on the deed in Florida?

The statute taxes the deed at 70 cents per $100 of consideration, 60 cents in Miami-Dade, and does not say who pays. The purchase contract allocates it, and the standard Florida contract forms do so in a specific paragraph. Read yours.

Does the seller pay for title insurance in Florida?

In some counties custom puts the owner’s policy on the seller and in others on the buyer, and the contract can override custom either way. Whichever side pays, if the seller’s own title was insured and the prior policy can be produced, the new one can qualify for the reissue rate, which is a lower schedule in the same rule.

What does the seller pay to clear a mortgage?

The payoff the lender states in writing as of the closing date, and the recording charge for the satisfaction the lender then records. The payoff is the lender’s figure, not ours; the recording charge is set by statute and charged by the page.

Does the seller pay the real estate commission at closing?

Commission is set by the listing agreement between the seller and the brokerage, not by statute and not by the title agency. It appears on the closing statement because it is paid from the proceeds, but its amount is the agreement’s.

Is there withholding on a foreign seller?

Federal law can require the buyer to withhold part of the price when the seller is a foreign person, under the IRS rules known as FIRPTA. Whether it applies and how much depends on facts about the seller and the property that only the seller’s tax adviser should settle. We flag it early; we do not give tax advice.

Premium read from Fla. Admin. Code R. 69O-186.003 on September 14, 2026. Taxes and recording charges read from the statutes on September 14, 2026 and linked line by line above. These pages describe how closing costs generally work in Florida and are not legal or tax advice.