Who pays for the owner’s policy in Orange County?
The seller customarily pays for the owner’s title policy in Orange 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 Orange 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 Orange 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 Orange County
Deeds and mortgages record with the Orange County Comptroller.
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 Orange 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 an Orange 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 Orange County records, in its offices’ own words
What the office that records deeds and mortgages says about how it works.
- Document numbers
- The Comptroller has not assigned book and page numbers to new recordings since January 1, 2016. Each gets only an 11-digit document number, its first four digits the year of recording. Source: Document numbers
- Lien letters
- The Comptroller’s Official Records Department does not search a property for liens and will not provide a letter or other document saying a property has no liens. Source: Lien letters
- Documentary stamps
- The Comptroller says documentary stamp taxes must be paid at the time of recording and calls its Property Transfer Information Form required. Source: Documentary stamps
- Prior recording references
- The Comptroller no longer inserts recording information on documents submitted for recording. Where a document needs the details of a prior recording, the person submitting it must obtain and enter them. Source: Prior recording references
- Notice of Homestead
- For a Notice of Homestead, the Comptroller requires proof that a certified copy of the judgment has been filed in the public records under F.S. 55.10, and asks for the recorded lien’s document number or book and page in the body of the notice. Source: Notice of Homestead
- Remote notarization
- The Comptroller’s e-recording business rules say it interprets Florida law to permit a remote notarial acknowledgement if the statement specifies that it is a remote notarization; an acknowledgement without that language is assumed to be in person and is accepted for recording. Source: Remote notarization
- Property Fraud Alert
- The Comptroller’s free Property Fraud Alert watches the personal or business names a subscriber enters and sends an alert by email or telephone when a matching document is recorded in Orange County; the Comptroller notes that nothing distinguishes one person’s name from another’s. Source: Property Fraud Alert
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 Orange topicsNext Liens and charges that stay with the property
County liens, utility charges and assessments in Orange County
What the county’s offices and its code say about charges and liens a buyer can inherit.
- Code liens on other property
- Recording an order of the Code Enforcement Board or special magistrate imposing a fine makes it a lien on the land in violation and on any other real or personal property the violator owns. Source: Code liens on other property
- Code lien reductions
- Unless the county has sued to foreclose, an interested party may ask the Code Enforcement Division in writing, on the county’s form, to reduce a code enforcement lien. The manager of code enforcement decides liens of $100,000.00 or less, and the board or special magistrate decides larger ones. Source: Code lien reductions
- Lien reduction for a buyer
- The County Code allows a code enforcement lien to be reduced when the property is under contract to a purchaser who intends to bring it into compliance; the decision must include a compliance timetable and a stipulation that liens are not released until all violations are cured, and must at least recover the county’s costs. Source: Lien reduction for a buyer
- Open code violation search
- Orange County Code Enforcement offers an online open code violation search for title companies checking a property before a sale or closing, confirms details for an address by email to CodeResearch@ocfl.net, and points to the Comptroller’s Official Records for recorded liens and assessments. Source: Open code violation search
- Utility charges as liens
- The County Code makes unpaid charges for county water, wastewater and reclaimed water service, with interest, a lien on the property served, superior to the interest of any owner, lessee, tenant or mortgagee and subject only to the lien of county taxes. Source: Utility charges as liens
- Demolition and repair liens
- When the county repairs or demolishes a building under its Property Maintenance Code, the County Code has the Board of County Commissioners adopt a claim of special assessment lien by resolution and record it, and a satisfaction is adopted by Board resolution once the amount due is paid in full. Source: Demolition and repair liens
- Capital improvement assessments
- Capital improvement assessments, for work such as road paving or sewer installation, are paid in installments on the tax bill over 1–10 years, the Comptroller says, and stay a lien on the property until paid in full. Source: Capital improvement assessments
- Assessments on the TRIM notice
- The Comptroller’s Finance and Accounting Department administers the special assessments for streetlights, retention pond and lake maintenance, common area maintenance, capital improvement projects and speed hump installation listed in the non-ad valorem section of the TRIM notice. Source: Assessments on the TRIM notice
- Assessment service periods
- On the tax bill, the garbage collection assessment covers the January to December calendar year, while street lighting, retention pond maintenance and common area maintenance cover the October to September fiscal year, according to the Comptroller. All MSBUs take effect November 1. Source: Assessment service periods
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 Orange County
What the county’s offices say about collecting the property tax and what goes on the bill.
- Tax certificates and deeds
- Tax certificates are sold by the Orange County Tax Collector at 200 South Orange Avenue, 16th Floor, Orlando, and certificate holders apply there for a tax deed, the Comptroller notes. Source: Tax certificates and deeds
- Assessments and tax certificates
- Special assessments on the Orange County tax bill are subject to every collection rule that applies to ad valorem taxes, the Comptroller says, including the issuance and sale of tax certificates and tax deeds for non-payment. Source: Assessments and tax certificates
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 Orange County
What the county’s offices say about exemptions, ownership records and the parcel when a property sells.
- Senior exemption by city
- The Property Appraiser says Orange County and the cities of Apopka, Belle Isle, Edgewood, Oakland, Ocoee, Orlando, Windermere, Winter Garden and Winter Park have authorized up to $50,000 of additional exemption for limited-income seniors, the Town of Eatonville up to $25,000, and that Maitland has not adopted it. Source: Senior exemption by city
- Exemptions on a sale
- The Property Appraiser says a homestead exemption and its assessment limitation expire with a change in ownership, the new owner must apply for and receive their own exemption, and the new owner’s first-year taxes are calculated on full just value less any exemptions. Source: Exemptions on a sale
- Removing an exemption
- The Property Appraiser’s Homestead Removal Request form, revised March 2026, which lists a sold property among the reasons for removal, notes that if the owner moved after January 1 of the current year, removal of the exemption will not occur until the following year. Source: Removing an exemption
- Parcel splits
- For property in unincorporated Orange County, the Property Appraiser processes a parcel split or combination only on a form signed by the current owner or the owner’s designated representative, not a prospective buyer, needs prior approval of a split from the local zoning or planning agency, and allows 2 – 6 weeks. Source: Parcel splits
- Lien settlement for plats
- Before a plat, condominium or timeshare is recorded, the Property Appraiser’s Mapping Department prepares a Statement of Lien Settlement to confirm taxes on the parent parcels are current, a representative of the Tax Collector signs it, and one recorded on or after October 1 needs a new or updated statement. Source: Lien settlement for plats
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 Orange County
What the county’s building officials publish about permits and building inspections.
- Expired permits
- Orange County’s Division of Building Safety says a property’s permits, including expired ones, can be looked up by address or parcel ID in its online Fast Track system, and that expired permits must be replaced with new permits and all remaining inspections performed. Source: Expired permits
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 Orange County
What the county’s charter, its code or a Florida law sets for Orange in particular.
- Why the Comptroller records
- Orange County’s recorder is the Comptroller, not the Clerk of Court: County Code section 2-67, taken from Laws of Florida chapter 72-461, makes the county comptroller the county recorder for instruments required or authorized by law to be recorded. Source: Why the Comptroller records
- Short-term rentals
- Orange County’s Code Compliance page says a short-term vacation rental is not allowed in most residential areas in Orange County, and that Code Enforcement investigates where such activity is suspected. Source: Short-term rentals
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 Orange County
How the county’s offices run the sales, as they describe them.
- Tax deed surplus
- When a tax deed sale leaves a surplus, the Comptroller sends the former owner a notice directly. The owner needs no third-party help to get the funds and does not have to sign over any rights for the surplus to be released, the office says. Source: Tax deed surplus
- Tax deed title
- The Comptroller says the County does not guarantee the title to property sold at a tax deed sale, that tax deeds are sold as is on a buyer-beware basis, and that the property may be subject to additional taxes and liens. Source: Tax deed title
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 Orange 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 Orange 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 an Orange 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.