Who pays for the owner’s policy in Duval County?
The seller customarily pays for the owner’s title policy in Duval 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 Duval 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 Duval 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 Duval County
Deeds and mortgages record with the Duval 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
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 Duval County deed and a Levy County deed of the same length record for the same money.
The filer is solely responsible for ensuring the timeliness of a recording for any legal purpose. While the Clerk processes all documents as soon as possible in the order they are received, the Clerk cannot guarantee same or next-day recording for documents received by mail or through eRecording.
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 Duval County records, in its offices’ own words
What the office that records deeds and mortgages says about how it works.
- Redacted information
- A request to the Clerk to release redacted information on recorded documents for a title search is mailed, signed and in the original, to Room 2338 at 501 West Adams Street. The affidavit is mailed to each affected party and recorded with a certificate of mailing. Source: Redacted information
- Transmittal sheet
- The Clerk requires its Recording Transmittal Sheet, attached and completed, on every package of documents for recording. Source: Transmittal sheet
- Same-day recording
- Original documents brought to the Clerk’s Recording Department are scanned, recorded and returned while you wait, and the Clerk suggests recording in person when a recording is time-sensitive. Source: Same-day recording
- Where to record
- Recording is also among the services the Clerk lists at its Beaches Branch, 1543 Atlantic Blvd., Neptune Beach. Source: Where to record
- E-recording exclusions
- The Clerk lists document types that cannot be processed through e-recording, among them lis pendens, notices of homestead, agreements for deed, plats, notices of contest of lien and requests to release redacted information for a title search. Source: E-recording exclusions
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 Duval topicsNext Liens and charges that stay with the property
County liens, utility charges and assessments in Duval County
What the county’s offices and its code say about charges and liens a buyer can inherit.
- Nuisance lien priority
- Entry in the Tax Collector’s Nuisance Abatement Lien Record makes a nuisance abatement lien effective and final and sets its priority. The lien then lasts 20 years unless it is paid. Source: Nuisance lien priority
- Nuisance lien interest
- A nuisance abatement lien paid within 180 days after the notice is published carries no interest. Paid later, it carries 12 percent a year from the date the lien was filed, and it ranks ahead of every other lien except State, County and City taxes, which rank equally with it. Source: Nuisance lien interest
- Code fine liens
- When a Code Enforcement Board order imposing a fine is recorded, it becomes a lien on the land and on any other real or personal property the violator owns. The fine keeps accruing until the violator complies, and the lien cannot be foreclosed on a homestead. Source: Code fine liens
- Buyer’s fine reduction
- A prospective buyer may apply to have a code fine or lien satisfied for less than full payment. Taxes, special assessments, City utility charges and other government liens must be paid first, and the buyer must have a written agreement to correct the violations by a set date. Source: Buyer’s fine reduction
- Sidewalk and curb liens
- Liens for sidewalk, curb and gutter work are entered in the Street Improvement Lien Book kept at the Tax Collector’s office. A lien not paid within four months of the published notice is assessed as a special tax on the next tax roll. Source: Sidewalk and curb liens
- Fees on the tax bill
- The City bills its residential solid waste and stormwater fees as non-ad valorem assessments on the property tax bill. Each covers the calendar year of the bill it appears on, and homestead and other exemptions do not reduce it. Source: Fees on the tax bill
- Hardship assessment liens
- When an owner gets hardship relief from a Neighborhood Assessment Program assessment, a lien is recorded for it and payments are suspended until ownership changes. The City’s policy is not to foreclose such a lien on a homestead until a sale, transfer or change in use. Source: Hardship assessment liens
- JEA nonpayment
- The City Charter lets JEA shut off, or deny an application for, the service of one utility system for nonpayment of the charges of that system or of any other JEA utility system. Source: JEA nonpayment
- Utility reconnection
- Keeping or reconnecting utility service at a property still in violation after a notice of violation is unlawful when it involves a change in occupancy, unless temporary service is authorized for repairs. Source: Utility reconnection
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 Duval County
What the county’s offices say about collecting the property tax and what goes on the bill.
- Homestead liens
- The Tax Collector says homestead liens are placed by the Property Appraiser and, if not paid within 30 days of the first notice, are filed with the Clerk of Court. A homestead lien is not a tax certificate and is not eligible for a tax deed. Source: Homestead liens
- Municipal liens
- The Tax Collector says municipal liens, such as nuisance and demolition liens, can be found on its online lien information site. Source: Municipal liens
- Redemption amounts
- The Clerk says a property can be redeemed until the Clerk has received full payment for the tax deed, and that the redemption amount is obtained, and paid, at any Tax Collector branch; the Clerk neither gives the amount nor takes redemption payments. Source: Redemption amounts
- Who collects
- All taxes, fees, service charges and other revenues due the consolidated government are collected by the Tax Collector, except as the City Council provides for water and sewer charges. Source: Who collects
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.
Exemptions, ownership records and parcel numbers in Duval County
What the county’s offices say about exemptions, ownership records and the parcel when a property sells.
- Exemptions after a sale
- The Property Appraiser says a seller’s homestead exemption stays on the property through the end of the calendar year of the sale and is removed as of January 1 the next year. That exemption is not the buyer’s: the new owner must file for a homestead exemption. Source: Exemptions after a sale
- Assessed value after a sale
- At the end of the sale year, the seller’s exemptions and assessment cap come off and the Property Appraiser sets a new market and assessed value for the next year. The assessed value may be lowered only if the new owner has portability from a previous homestead. Source: Assessed value after a sale
- Exemptions no longer due
- An owner whose property was no longer eligible for a homestead or other exemption on January 1 must tell the Property Appraiser by March 1. Failing to do so can mean back taxes going back as far as ten years, plus 50% penalties and 15% interest, the office says. Source: Exemptions no longer due
- Senior exemptions
- The Property Appraiser lists two senior additional homestead exemptions in Duval County for limited-income owners 65 or older. One, for owners resident at least 25 years whose property’s just value is under $250,000, exempts the City of Jacksonville’s portion of the property taxes. Source: Senior exemptions
- Real Estate Number
- The City’s Planning Department says a property is found most directly by its address or by its ten-digit real estate number (RE #), also known as the tax identification number. Source: Real Estate Number
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 Duval County
What the county’s building officials publish about permits and building inspections.
- Milestone inspections
- Condominium and cooperative buildings three stories or taller in Duval County, outside Urban Services Districts 2, 3, 4 and 5, need a milestone inspection by December 31 of the year they turn 25, counted from the certificate of occupancy, and every ten years after. Source: Milestone 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 Duval County
What the county’s charter, its code or a Florida law sets for Duval in particular.
- Consolidation
- The county government of Duval County and the City of Jacksonville’s municipal government are consolidated into one government named the City of Jacksonville. It does not include or affect Jacksonville Beach, Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach or the Town of Baldwin. Source: Consolidation
- Beaches and Baldwin
- The consolidated government may exercise any county power throughout Duval County, but no municipal power inside Jacksonville Beach, Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach or the Town of Baldwin. Source: Beaches and Baldwin
- Airport notice zones
- The Zoning Code bars selling land or a structure in Noise Zones A and B or an Airport Notice Zone unless the buyer is given an Airport Notice Zone Acknowledgement at contract, included in the contract; a sale requires the acknowledgement fully executed and recorded. Source: Airport notice zones
- Violation notices on sale
- A seller whose property is still in violation under a property-safety violation notice must give the buyer a copy of the notice before any interest in the property passes. Source: Violation notices on sale
- Drug lab disclosure
- A property declared an illegal drug manufacturing site may be sold before its Certificate of Fitness issues only with a full written disclosure attached to the sale documents. A copy goes to the Building Inspection and Municipal Code Compliance divisions within 10 days of closing. Source: Drug lab disclosure
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 Duval County
How the county’s offices run the sales, as they describe them.
- Assignments of bid
- The Clerk says a pre-sale assignment of bid in a foreclosure is treated as court work and is not recorded in the Official Records, while a post-sale assignment is recorded by the Recording Department before it is filed in the case. Source: Assignments of bid
- Liens after a tax deed
- Governmental liens and judgments survive a tax deed and are paid as far as possible from any overbid, the Clerk says. A governmental lien not paid in full stays against the property. Source: Liens after a tax deed
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 Duval 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 Duval 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.
How Bayit Title handles a Duval 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.