Who pays for the owner’s policy in Broward County?
The buyer customarily pays for the owner’s title policy in Broward County.
Owner’s policy The title policy that protects the buyer, issued for the full insurable value of the property, in a sale ordinarily the price. More in the glossary: Owner’s policy
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 has a box written for this county and one other: “AS IS” contract ¶9(c)(iii), the Miami-Dade/Broward regional provision. Checked, it has:
- the buyer choose the closing agent and pay the owner’s premium;
- the seller pay the actual cost of the title search, up to the figure the contract writes in or $200 where the blank is left empty;
- and the seller pay the actual cost of the tax search and the municipal lien search.
The seller net sheet works it through line by line.
How the custom runs in the other counties is on who pays for title insurance in Florida.
What does title insurance cost in Broward County?
The same as anywhere in Florida — the premium is promulgated.
Premium The price of a title insurance policy. In Florida it is set by rule, applies throughout the state, and no one may knowingly quote, charge or collect a different one; it runs per $1,000 of coverage, in bands. More in the glossary: Premium
- Owner’s policy, $500,000
- $2,575
- Original rate, R. 69O-186.003(1)(a)
- At the reissue rate
- $1,530
- Where the prior title was insured and conditions are met
- Lender’s policy alongside
- $125
- Our charge; the rule’s minimum is $25
The Office of Insurance Regulation sets the premium by rule under Fla. Stat. § 627.782, and an owner’s policy is written for the full insurable value of the property. The Florida title insurance rates, both schedules, are printed in full on the calculator; what each side pays is on the buyer closing costs and seller closing costs pages.
More detail on what title insurance costs
The reissue rate applies where the owner’s or the seller’s own title was insured and the rule’s conditions are met. The rule sets $25 as the least a lender’s policy issued at the same time can be. That $25 is a minimum, not a price: Bayit Title charges $125 to issue the policy alongside the owner’s, and that is the figure the estimate prints. Where the loan is larger than the owner’s amount, the coverage above it adds the difference between the original rate at the loan amount and at the owner’s amount.
Read from Fla. Admin. Code R. 69O-186.003 on September 14, 2026. The rule was last amended January 27, 2002. Tell us if a figure here does not match what you are quoted and we will check it against the rule again.
Documentary stamp tax on a Broward County sale
The deed is taxed by the state, not by the county.
Documentary stamp tax Florida’s tax on documents, paid at the closing. More in the glossary: Documentary stamp tax
The deed rate here is the rate in 66 of the 67 counties — Miami-Dade is the exception. The stamps are charged on each part of $100, so they round up. Which side pays is decided by the contract, not the statute.
A cash closing carries neither mortgage tax. The Florida doc stamp tax calculator works it out for a specific price and loan.
More detail on documentary stamp tax
Deed stamps. 70¢ per $100 of consideration, or part of $100. Charged on each part of $100, so the figure rounds up, not down.
Mortgage stamps. 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.
Intangible tax. 2 mills on each dollar secured — $2 per $1,000. One time, on the obligation the mortgage secures.
Each figure was read from the statute that sets it on September 14, 2026 and is linked to its section. Which county ch. 83-220 describes comes from the Department of Revenue’s documentary stamp tax guidance. Rates change by act of the Legislature — if one of these no longer matches what you are being charged, tell us and we will correct it.
Recording in Broward County
Deeds and mortgages record with the Broward County Records, Taxes and Treasury Division.
Recording Entering a document in the county’s official records, which makes it notice to everyone. More in the glossary: Recording
Not the clerk of the circuit court. The clerk is the recorder in every Florida county unless the county has placed the duty elsewhere — Fla. Stat. § 28.222(1) — and Broward County has. We e-record in this county, so a document usually posts without a courier trip.
- First page
- $10.00
- Then $8.50 a page
- A 3-page deed
- $27
- Same at every office
- A 25-page mortgage
- $214
- Same at every office
Set by statute and charged by the page — Fla. Stat. § 28.24(13) — so a Broward County deed and a Levy County deed of the same length record for the same money.
More detail on recording
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)
The office’s own fee schedule covers the other things it does — certified copies, searches, its own e-recording arrangements — and a third-party e-recording vendor may add a fee of its own, which is not the office’s charge and not this.
Read from the statute on September 14, 2026. If a charge here no longer matches what you are being charged, tell us and we will correct it.
How Broward County records, in its offices’ own words
What the office that records deeds and mortgages says about how it works.
- Where to record
- The County’s Records, Taxes and Treasury Division records documents into the Official Records, at its Recording Office in Room 114 of the Broward County Governmental Center, 115 S. Andrews Ave., Fort Lauderdale, open 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Source: Where to record
- Deed requirements
- The Division will not record a deed without the parcel ID or folio number of the property as well as the legal description, and returns unrecorded any document without a three-inch square of white space at the top right of its first page. Source: Deed requirements
- Same-day recording
- When time is of the essence, the Division suggests bringing a deed into the office and waiting while it is recorded. Source: Same-day recording
- Certificates of title
- The Division collects the documentary stamp tax on a foreclosure Certificate of Title and records the certificate. If the tax has not been received 15 calendar days after the certificate is issued, the Division records it without tax and notifies the Florida Department of Revenue. Source: Certificates of title
- Where recorded documents are kept
- The Clerk of Courts sends anyone looking for official recorded documents, mortgages and deeds to the County’s Records, Taxes and Treasury Division, at its Search and Copy section. Source: Where recorded documents are kept
Each line restates what the page linked beside it said when it was read, on October 7, 2026: a page of one of the county’s own offices, 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.
All Broward topicsNext Liens and charges that stay with the property
County liens, utility charges and assessments in Broward County
What the county’s offices and its code say about charges and liens a buyer can inherit.
- Code liens on other property
- Once recorded, an order imposing a county code fine is a lien on all real and personal property the violator owns. The County can foreclose if it is still unpaid three months after filing, but never on a homestead. Source: Code liens on other property
- Releasing code liens
- The County Code delegates to the County’s code enforcement hearing officer any power the County has to execute satisfactions and releases of code enforcement liens, or otherwise to mitigate them. Source: Releasing code liens
- Water and sewer liens
- If a county water or sewer bill is still unpaid 30 days after a notice of default, the County Commission may assess a lien for it. The lien comes ahead of the interest of any owner, tenant or mortgagee and ranks with county taxes. Source: Water and sewer liens
- Waste collection liens
- The County Code makes the fees and charges of the County’s waste collection and disposal system liens on the land served, on a parity with state, county and municipal taxes and prior and superior to all other liens on it. Source: Waste collection liens
- Vacant homes in foreclosure
- For a vacant home in foreclosure, the County Code makes the mortgagee responsible from the lis pendens until the home is sold or the case is dismissed. A recorded civil penalty is a lien on the violator’s real and personal property. Source: Vacant homes in foreclosure
- Nuisance abatement fees
- Several Broward cities charge a “Nuisance Abatement” fee for keeping up an abandoned property, such as cutting the grass, cleaning the pool or fixing a fence, the Property Appraiser says. Each year those fees become a non-ad valorem assessment on the annual tax bill. Source: Nuisance abatement fees
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, or the county’s code. Offices change these pages without notice; on a file where one of them matters, ask us and we will check it again.
Property tax and the Tax Collector in Broward County
What the county’s offices say about collecting the property tax and what goes on the bill.
- Who collects property taxes
- The Broward County Tax Collector describes itself as an independent constitutional office whose primary responsibility is to collect and distribute the ad valorem and non-ad valorem real estate taxes set by the County Commission, local taxing authorities and special levying districts. Source: Who collects property taxes
- Delinquent tax payoffs
- The Tax Collector says the amount owed on delinquent taxes may rise on the first day of each month, so it asks payers to get the amount and deadline first. Once a tax certificate is issued it takes only cash, cashier’s check, money order or wire, and a delinquent payment must reach its office, as postmarks are not honored. Source: Delinquent tax payoffs
- Tax deed applications
- The Tax Collector says that once a tax deed application is filed, every tax year in it must be paid in one lump sum by cashier’s check, and that on average it can take up to 16 months after an application before the property is scheduled for sale; a scheduled auction date is shown on its website. Source: Tax deed applications
- The bill after a sale
- Taxes go with the property, not the owner, the Tax Collector says. A bill can still carry the previous owner’s name if the sale came after the tax roll was prepared, usually by July 1, and a buyer who got a prorated credit at closing owes the entire bill. Source: The bill after a sale
- Assessments on the tax bill
- The Tax Collector’s guide to the 2025 bill lists the authorities whose non-ad valorem assessments can appear on a Broward bill, among them County Street Lighting, the County’s unincorporated fire and solid waste charges, water control and community development districts, safe-neighborhood districts and PACE providers. Source: Assessments on the tax bill
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 its charter. Offices change these pages without notice; on a file where one of them matters, ask us and we will check it again.
All Broward topicsNext Exemptions and the Property Appraiser
Exemptions, ownership records and parcel numbers in Broward County
What the county’s offices say about exemptions, ownership records and the parcel when a property sells.
- Exemptions after a sale
- A buyer inherits the seller’s exemptions for the year of the sale and must file for homestead in their own name, the Property Appraiser says. The seller’s exemptions come off automatically at the end of that year, or may come off in the year of the sale if the seller claims homestead on another Florida property that year. Source: Exemptions after a sale
- Reassessment after a purchase
- A home is reassessed by the Property Appraiser the year after it is bought, from the purchase price and comparable qualified sales, as of January 1. Its Homebuyer’s Tax Estimator gives a rough estimate of that year’s taxes. Source: Reassessment after a purchase
- Estimates leave out fees
- The Property Appraiser’s tax estimators include nothing for the non-ad valorem fees that cities and local taxing districts charge. It suggests adding roughly $100-350 for a single-family home, and a property’s own fees show on its most recent online TRIM notice. Source: Estimates leave out fees
- PACE assessments
- PACE financing is repaid through a special assessment collected on the annual tax bill, but the Property Appraiser says those assessments do not appear on its TRIM notice of proposed taxes or in the tax amount on its property record page. Source: PACE assessments
- Owner Alert
- The Property Appraiser’s free Owner Alert, open only to Broward property owners, emails a subscriber a link to the recorded document when a change of ownership of the registered property reaches its office. It does not report other documents recorded under the owner’s name. Source: Owner Alert
- Deeds and ownership records
- The Property Appraiser changes its ownership records from deeds recorded with the County’s Records Division, does not recognize unrecorded deeds, and says a recorded deed is processed by its office within 48 business hours unless there is an issue with the deed. Source: Deeds and ownership records
- Sale price shown online
- The sale price on the Property Appraiser’s property record page is worked out from the documentary stamps paid at recording. If the stamps were wrong, the owner can send in a copy of the closing statement and the office will note it, but it says it cannot change the price shown on its website. Source: Sale price shown online
- Folio and parcel numbers
- A Broward folio number is a shortened Parcel ID, the Property Appraiser explains, and its first four digits give the township, range and section. A folio beginning 0212 is in Section 12, Township 50 South, Range 42 East, and Lot 1, Block 1 of a plat there can read 0212 01 001. Source: Folio and parcel numbers
- Homestead fraud liens
- Owners who intentionally cheat on homestead and other exemptions face a tax lien on their property, the Property Appraiser warns, plus up to ten years of back taxes, a penalty of 50% of the unpaid taxes for each year and 15% interest a year. Its Fraud Investigation Unit takes reports. Source: Homestead fraud liens
- Local senior exemptions
- Broward County, since tax year 2020, and cities including Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Pembroke Pines, Plantation and Pompano Beach have adopted the added exemption for low-income seniors 65 or older who have lived in their home at least 25 years, the Property Appraiser says. Each applies it to its own portion of the tax bill. Source: Local senior exemptions
- Reading ownership listings
- On the Property Appraiser’s records, “H/E” after a name flags the owner who qualified for the homestead exemption, “ETAL” means there are more owners than are listed, and a name after “%” receives the mail and is not an owner. Since 10/14/2020, life estates and remainder holders are not shown on the property record page. Source: Reading ownership listings
- Not a title search
- The Property Appraiser says it is not an abstract company and does not decide who has the better title when the public records conflict, and that it has no information on whether a property’s taxes have been paid, which comes from the Tax Collector. Source: Not a title search
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, 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.
Building permits and safety inspections in Broward County
What the county’s building officials publish about permits and building inspections.
- Building safety inspections
- Under the Board of Rules and Appeals’ Policy 05-05, a building must have a safety inspection once it is 25 years from its certificate of occupancy and every ten years after. Houses of up to four units and three stories, fee-simple townhouses and buildings under 3,500 square feet are exempt. Source: Building safety inspections
- Inspection notices and deadlines
- The policy has building officials notify owners or associations by certified mail from June through August, says a missed notice does not excuse the owner, and requires the inspection within 180 days of the notice and any repairs it finds within 180 days of the report. Source: Inspection notices and deadlines
- Missed inspections
- Under the policy, an owner or association that does not file the inspection report on time is taken before a Special Magistrate or Code Enforcement Board under chapter 162, and a building whose required repairs are not made may be deemed unsafe and sent to the Unsafe Structures Board. Source: Missed inspections
Each line restates what the page linked beside it said when it was read, on October 15, 2026: a page of the county government, one it links to, or the county’s code. Offices change these pages without notice; on a file where one of them matters, ask us and we will check it again.
Law particular to Broward County
What the county’s charter, its code or a Florida law sets for Broward in particular.
- An elected Tax Collector
- The Florida Constitution requires each county to elect a tax collector and bars a county charter from transferring a tax collector’s duties to another office. For Broward County, it provides that this amendment took effect January 7, 2025, and governed the 2024 elections. Source: An elected Tax Collector
- Vacant property registration
- In unincorporated Broward County, the County Code requires a mortgagee whose borrower defaults on a home to inspect it and, if it is vacant, register it with the County within ten days, at $150 a year for as long as it stays vacant, including after a foreclosure sale to the lender or a deed in lieu. Source: Vacant property registration
Each line restates what the page linked beside it said when it was read, on October 15, 2026: the county’s charter or code, a page of the county government, or the Florida Constitution. Offices change these pages without notice; on a file where one of them matters, ask us and we will check it again.
Foreclosure and tax deed sales in Broward County
How the county’s offices run the sales, as they describe them.
- Stamps on a foreclosure bid
- The Clerk says the successful bidder at a foreclosure sale owes documentary stamps on the final bid, at $.70 per $100, to the Broward County Board of County Commissioners, and is sent an email on how to pay them. Source: Stamps on a foreclosure bid
Each line restates what the page linked beside it said when it was read, on October 15, 2026: a page of the office that runs the sale, 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.
Cities in Broward County we have written about
Some things change from city to city, not county to county.
The premium, the taxes and the recording office on this page apply everywhere in Broward County. A city guide adds what the city itself decides: how a signing happens there, and what a municipal lien search has to cover. We have written guides for these cities so far.
Community associations in Broward County we have written about
Some things are set by the community, not the county.
The premium, the taxes and the recording office on this page apply everywhere in Broward County. A community association’s recorded documents add their own: which estoppels to order, what is paid to the association at closing, and whether a sale or a lease needs its approval. We have written up these communities so far, each from its recorded documents.
- Chapter 720 homeowners' associationHeron Bay
The master association's quarterly dues and resale Capital Payment, its leasing rule, which Neighborhoods need a second estoppel, and who owns the old golf course.
Title problems we have written about in Broward County
What tends to hold up a Broward closing, and what it takes to clear.
How Bayit Title handles a Broward County file
Opened by the same four people who close it.
We order the search, examine what comes back, and put anything that could hold up the closing in writing — with what it would take to clear it — rather than waiting for it to surface at the table. Our office is here, in Coral Springs.
Closing room in Plantation
261 N University Drive, Suite 500, Plantation.
By appointment, booked for your signing.
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About mobile notary signings →Remote online
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How remote online notarization works →
Each kind of file has a page of its own: home purchases and sales, refinances and commercial title. Everything we handle is on title, escrow and closing services in Florida.