Who pays for the owner’s policy in Okaloosa County?
The seller customarily pays for the owner’s title policy in Okaloosa 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.
How the custom runs in the other counties is on who pays for title insurance in Florida.
What does title insurance cost in Okaloosa 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 an Okaloosa 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 Okaloosa County
Deeds and mortgages record with the Okaloosa County Clerk of Court and Comptroller.
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 an Okaloosa County deed and a Levy County deed of the same length record for the same money.
There is no guarantee that documents will be recorded by Clerk of Court in the same day as it is e-Recorded.
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 Okaloosa County records, in its offices’ own words
What the office that records deeds and mortgages says about how it works.
- Deed books
- The Clerk’s notice on deed books says the deed books and their indexes were refilmed, that some deed book instruments may have been altered since the original microfilming, and that accuracy can be verified against the original microfilm. Source: Deed books
- Where to record
- Documents can be submitted for recording in person or by mail at either of the Clerk’s locations, 101 East James Lee Blvd. in Crestview or 1940 Lewis Turner Blvd. in Fort Walton Beach. The office cannot accept personal checks. Source: Where to record
- E-recording
- Under the Clerk’s e-recording business rules, documents may be submitted at any time but are processed only between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. (Central Time zone) on days the office is open, normally within six business hours. E-recording began January 3, 2011. Source: E-recording
- Foreclosure surplus
- The Clerk says a claim to foreclosure surplus funds should be filed and received within one year from the date of sale, and that an attorney or representative is not required to file it. Source: Foreclosure surplus
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 Okaloosa topicsNext Liens and charges that stay with the property
County liens, utility charges and assessments in Okaloosa County
What the county’s offices and its code say about charges and liens a buyer can inherit.
- Lien reductions for new owners
- A buyer who fixes an inherited code violation within a reasonable time can ask the County Commission to reduce the code lien. With narrow exceptions it won’t go below the County’s costs plus 20 percent, and an approved reduction lapses if not paid within 60 days. Source: Lien reductions for new owners
- Releasing a code lien
- A code lien is satisfied only after a code officer’s affidavit confirms the property fully complies and every fine, charge and interest is paid. The County Commission then signs a satisfaction for recording. Source: Releasing a code lien
- Abatement costs
- If the County has to abate a violation itself and isn’t repaid, it records a claim of lien and puts the cost on the tax bill as a non-ad valorem assessment. The lien ranks with taxes and carries judgment-rate interest until the cost reaches the roll. Source: Abatement costs
- Sewer hookup
- Once County sewer is available, owners have 365 days from notice to connect, and the sewer rate is billed after that whether they connect or not. A home or business still unconnected can have a lien placed on it. Source: Sewer hookup
- Prepaid capacity charges
- Water and sewer capacity charges prepaid since October 1, 2021 are refunded to whoever then owns the land if no connection is made within five years. Charges paid with grant money are not refunded. Source: Prepaid capacity charges
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.
Law particular to Okaloosa County
What the county’s charter, its code or a Florida law sets for Okaloosa in particular.
- Okaloosa Island leases
- Okaloosa Island land is leased from the County under protective covenants in chapter 75-456, Laws of Florida. For a continuing breach of a lease or covenant, the code board can recommend voiding the lease and returning the land to the County. Source: Okaloosa Island leases
- Island covenants
- Where the County’s land development code and the Okaloosa Island leaseholders’ covenants conflict, the covenants win. Additions, pools, docks and similar work there need review by the Leaseholders Association’s architectural committee before a permit issues. Source: Island covenants
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 an Okaloosa 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.