Who pays for the owner’s policy in Collier County?
The buyer customarily pays for the owner’s title policy in Collier 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.
That is the custom as we see it on our own files, confirmed on September 24, 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 does title insurance cost in Collier 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 Collier 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 Collier County
Deeds and mortgages record with the Collier County Clerk of the Circuit Court.
Recording Entering a document in the county’s official records, which makes it notice to everyone. More in the glossary: Recording
- 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 Collier County deed and a Levy County deed of the same length record for the same money.
Documents submitted by mail or electronically, including those submitted by third party vendors, are processed as time permits. The Clerk's office cannot guarantee same day recording of documents submitted by these methods. Time sensitive documents should be presented in person at our main office, where they will be recorded while you wait.
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.
The turnaround above is the office’s own published statement, not a commitment it makes to us or a time we can promise you. Offices change these pages without notice. On a file where the recording date matters, ask us and we will check what the office is actually doing that week.
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 Collier County records, in its offices’ own words
What the office that records deeds and mortgages says about how it works.
- Where to record
- The Clerk lists recording services at its Government Center office in the Courthouse Annex, 3315 Tamiami Trail East in Naples, and at satellite offices including those on Marco Island and in Immokalee. Source: Where to record
- Same-day recording
- The Clerk processes documents sent by mail or electronically as time permits and cannot guarantee them same-day recording. A time-sensitive document presented in person at the main office is recorded while you wait. Source: Same-day recording
- Fraud alert
- The Clerk’s free Risk Alert Notification Program emails a registered user every time a new document is recorded that matches the user’s selected criteria. Registration is valid for up to three years and can be renewed. Source: Fraud alert
- Tax deed sales
- The Clerk holds tax deed auctions in person, on Mondays as needed at 1:00 p.m. in the multi-purpose room on the first floor of the main Courthouse. Bidders must arrive 15 minutes early and cannot register or bid by mail or internet. Source: Tax deed sales
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 Collier topicsNext Liens and charges that stay with the property
County liens, utility charges and assessments in Collier County
What the county’s offices and its code say about charges and liens a buyer can inherit.
- Code fine liens
- A recorded code fine is a lien on the land in violation and on anything else the violator owns. It ranks ahead of any mortgage recorded after it. Source: Code fine liens
- Water and sewer liens
- Unpaid County water and sewer charges are an automatic lien on the property, ranking with county taxes and ahead of any owner or tenant. The County Water-Sewer District serves the owner, not the tenant. Source: Water and sewer liens
- Utility estoppel
- The new owner is responsible for asking the County Water-Sewer District for an estoppel when title transfers. Any balance left unpaid moves to the new owner’s account. Source: Utility estoppel
- Nuisance abatement liens
- When the County abates a nuisance on a lot and isn’t paid, the cost becomes a lien at 12 percent a year that ranks with taxes. The County can sue to foreclose after a year. Source: Nuisance abatement liens
- Mandatory mowing
- For a lot in the County’s mandatory mowing program, an unpaid bill becomes a lien on all the owner’s real and personal property in Collier County. After paying, the owner records the release at their own cost. Source: Mandatory mowing
- Hazardous building liens
- If the County has to fix a hazardous building, the cost becomes a recorded lien enforced like a tax lien. It is also added to the owner’s later tax bills. Source: Hazardous building liens
- Unpaid impact fees
- Impact fees left unpaid draw a ten percent delinquency fee plus interest. Once the County records a claim of lien, it ranks with taxes and ahead of other filed liens. Source: Unpaid impact fees
- Deferred fees on affordable homes
- On an affordable home, deferred impact fees are a lien due in full on a sale, a refinance or loss of homestead. Interest is five percent, capped at 25 percent of the fee, and the lien sits behind the first mortgage. Source: Deferred fees on affordable homes
Each line restates what the page linked beside it said when it was read, on October 16, 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.
Building permits and safety inspections in Collier County
What the county’s building officials publish about permits and building inspections.
- Boarded-up buildings
- Boarding up a building takes a County certificate good for six months. To renew it, the owner files a plan to repair the building or to sell it with the repairs provided for in the sale. Source: Boarded-up buildings
Each line restates what the page linked beside it said when it was read, on October 16, 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 Collier County
What the county’s charter, its code or a Florida law sets for Collier in particular.
- Affordable unit resales
- Buyers of affordable units built under the County’s density bonus sign a recorded lien. Resell within 30 years to a buyer who isn’t income-qualified for more than the price plus five percent a year, and the County takes half the excess. Source: Affordable unit resales
- Vacation rentals
- Each short-term vacation rental unit needs a Collier County registration certificate. The owner must tell the County in writing of a change in ownership within ten business days. Source: Vacation rentals
Each line restates what the page linked beside it said when it was read, on October 16, 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.
How Bayit Title handles a Collier 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.
Wherever the signer is
We send a notary to the signer, including outside office hours.
About mobile notary signings →Remote online
Signed online with a Florida-commissioned online notary.
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.