Open an order

Title company in Palm Beach County: title insurance and closings

Bayit Title LLC is a Florida title company closing in Palm Beach County, West Palm Beach and Boca Raton included, from our office in Coral Springs. We handle residential and commercial title, escrow and settlement. Signings happen in a closing room by appointment in Boca Raton and West Palm Beach, wherever the signer is, or by remote online notarization.

Who pays here, and what sets the price

In Palm Beach County the owner’s title policy is customarily paid for by the seller, though the contract controls and the parties can agree otherwise. Title insurance premiums in Florida are promulgated by the Office of Insurance Regulation; what differs county to county is local custom and recording practice.

  • South Florida · West Palm Beach and Boca Raton closings
  • Figures checked September 14, 2026
  • Underwritten by First American Title Insurance Company

Who pays for the owner’s policy in Palm Beach County?

The seller customarily pays for the owner’s title policy in Palm Beach 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

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.

All Palm Beach topicsNext Owner’s title policy

What does title insurance cost in Palm Beach 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

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

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.

All Palm Beach topicsNext Deed doc stamps

Documentary stamp tax on a Palm Beach 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

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.

Deed stamps
$3,500on a $500,000 sale
70¢ per $100 · Fla. Stat. § 201.02(1)(a)
Mortgage stamps
$1,400on a $400,000 loan
35¢ per $100 · Fla. Stat. § 201.08(1)(b)
Intangible tax
$800on the same loan
$2 per $1,000 · Fla. Stat. § 199.133(1)

A cash closing carries neither mortgage tax. The Florida doc stamp tax calculator works it out for a specific price and loan.

More detail

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.

All Palm Beach topicsNext Records the deed

Recording in Palm Beach County

Deeds and mortgages record with the Palm Beach County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller.

Recording Entering a document in the county’s official records, which makes it notice to everyone. More in the glossary

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 Palm Beach County deed and a Levy County deed of the same length record for the same money.

"We cannot guarantee documents will be recorded on the same day that we receive them." "Notices of Commencement are normally recorded within one business day when submitted electronically." Walk-in recording appears under the heading "Same Day Recording": "Except for designated holidays. Present documents in person at the following locations, Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 4 p.m." (five locations listed).

The office’s own words on turnaround — read from its page on September 14, 2026. Not a time we can promise.
More detail

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.

All Palm Beach topicsNext Cities in Palm Beach

How Palm Beach County records, in its offices’ own words

What the office that records deeds and mortgages says about how it works.

Same-day recording
For same-day recording, the Clerk takes documents in person on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Main Courthouse in West Palm Beach, the South, North and West County courthouses in Delray Beach, Palm Beach Gardens and Belle Glade, and the Royal Palm Beach branch. Certain documents are accepted only at the Main Courthouse. Source
E-recording
The Clerk’s eRecording business rules say e-recorded documents are normally processed or rejected within 48 business hours, and that a time-sensitive document should be submitted at least one week before it must be recorded, or presented in person. Source
Online records
The Clerk’s online Official Records search is free, and images can be viewed and printed for documents filed since Jan. 1, 1968. Provisional records, marked “I”, can change until they are verified, generally within 3 business days, when they change to “V”. Source
Fraud alert
The Clerk’s free Property Fraud Alert emails a subscriber when a document is recorded that exactly matches a registered name, address or parcel number, entered with all 17 numbers. Because it sends exact matches only, the Clerk recommends registering every variation of a name and address, and each person must register separately. Source
Electronically signed documents
Documents originally created and signed with an electronic signature must be recorded electronically, the Clerk says, citing section 28.222(3)(h), Florida Statutes. Source
Electronic notarization
The Clerk’s eRecording Business Rules accept electronically signed and notarized documents and require electronic notary signatures to follow section 117.021, Florida Statutes. They say the Clerk has no duty to look beyond the document to judge whether its notarial act is legally sufficient. Source
Originals come back unstamped
The Clerk returns an original document recorded over the counter or by mail without a recording stamp. A copy or certified copy of the recorded document can be bought. Source
Re-recording
The Clerk will not re-record a modified certified copy or record an uncertified copy of any document. A document that needs changes must be re-recorded as a new document or as the modified original. Source
Abstract and search fees
The Clerk charges an abstract fee of $0.60 for each of the first two legal descriptions in a document and $0.20 for each one after, citing County Commission Resolution 2004-2566, and a $2.00 search fee when a document cites a book and page or file number without the legal description. Source
Main Courthouse only
The Clerk accepts some documents only at the Main Courthouse, among them declarations of condominium and related documents, notices of homestead, plats, transfers of a lien or judgment to a bond, and requests to release redacted information on recorded documents for a title search. Source
Notices of Commencement at PZB
On Wednesdays the Clerk also records Notices of Commencement and related documents at the County’s Planning, Zoning & Building office in the Vista Center, 2300 N Jog Road, where it takes payment by credit card only. Source
Fraud alert timing
The Clerk says a Property Fraud Alert arrives within 24 hours of a matching recording, and gives the document type, the Clerk’s File Number and the book and page. Source
Forged documents
The Clerk asks anyone who suspects a recorded document is forged to contact its office right away, and says a document cannot be removed from the Official Records without a court order. Source
Court holidays
The Clerk’s 2026 holiday calendar lists Good Friday, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur as Court holidays, not County holidays: the courthouses are closed on those days while other County buildings stay open. Source

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.

All Palm Beach topicsNext Liens and charges that stay with the property

County liens, utility charges and assessments in Palm Beach County

What the county’s offices and its code say about charges and liens a buyer can inherit.

County lien searches
The County’s Planning, Zoning and Building Department searches unincorporated property for fines and liens, open building permits and open code violations for a fee through its online portal, returning results in 7 to 10 business days, or within 3 for a rush fee. Source
County liens reach other property
Planning, Zoning and Building says that, unless otherwise indicated, a lien it records covers not only the property addressed but every property with the same owner. Its liens cover building abatement and demolition, code compliance, lot clearing and nuisance abatement. Source
Code lien priority
The County’s Unified Land Development Code says a recorded code enforcement fine order is a lien on the land where the violation is and on any other real or personal property of the violator, superior to mortgages, liens and other instruments recorded after it. Source
Unsafe structure liens
The County Code says the County’s cost of repairing or demolishing an unsafe structure is assessed against the property, recorded as a lien bearing 12% interest if not paid within 20 business days, and put on the tax roll as a non-ad valorem assessment if unpaid by the next September 1. Source
Lot clearing and nuisance liens
When the County clears a lot or abates a nuisance, the cost is assessed against the lot. It is recorded as a lien if not paid within 20 business days of the notice of assessment, and goes on the tax roll as a non-ad valorem assessment if still unpaid by the following September 1. Source
County water charges
The County Water Utilities Department says unpaid water, wastewater and reclaimed water charges remain with the property even after a change of ownership, and points to its online lien search system. Balances in a tenant’s name are not the owner’s responsibility. Source
Water lien priority
The Water Utilities Department’s policy manual says fees in default for 60 days or more may be filed as a lien on the parcel served, a special assessment lien equal in rank with county ad valorem taxes and superior to all other liens, titles and claims. Source
Special assessment liens
The Clerk’s special assessment office says County special assessment liens for improvements such as road paving and water mains are on the property, not the owner, and stay on it if unpaid when title transfers; under Ordinance 95-52 they are first-position liens not subordinate to others. Source
Special assessment payoffs
The Clerk’s online special assessment search shows whether a property has a County special assessment lien and gives payoff and lien satisfaction letters. Closing agents can pay by wire when a lien satisfaction is time-sensitive. Source

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.

All Palm Beach topicsNext Property tax and the Tax Collector

Property tax and the Tax Collector in Palm Beach County

What the county’s offices say about collecting the property tax and what goes on the bill.

Delinquent taxes
The Tax Collector says property tax becomes delinquent on April 1 and cannot be paid online once delinquent. A delinquent payment counts for a month only if received by that month’s last working day, and a postmark is not proof of payment. Source
Redemption wires
A wire to redeem before a tax deed sale must arrive before the auction starts, the Tax Collector says, and if it arrives late a tax deed may issue and transfer ownership. Source
PACE assessments
The Tax Collector says a PACE assessment is collected on the property tax bill in the same manner as real estate taxes, passes automatically to the buyer when a home is sold, and may have to be prepaid to sell because some lenders will not accept it. Source

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 Palm Beach topicsNext Exemptions and the Property Appraiser

Exemptions, ownership records and parcel numbers in Palm Beach 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 change of ownership removes exemptions and resets the assessment to market value on the January 1 after the purchase. A seller’s homestead exemption may stay on the property through the year of the sale, but it is not the new owner’s exemption. Source
Ownership update after recording
Recorded deeds reach the Property Appraiser electronically from the Clerk, and the office says it takes about 1-3 weeks from recording for the new owner’s name to appear on its website. Source
Property Control Number
Every parcel, and every condominium or cooperative unit, has a 17-digit Property Control Number (PCN) assigned by the Property Appraiser. The first two digits are 00 in unincorporated Palm Beach County and the municipality’s code inside a city. Source
Senior exemption amounts
The Property Appraiser lists the additional exemption for low-income owners 65 or older at $25,000 for Palm Beach County taxes, with city amounts from $5,000 in Royal Palm Beach to $50,000 in Jupiter, Riviera Beach and Wellington. It does not apply to school district taxes. Source
Long-term senior exemption
Boynton Beach and Delray Beach give a larger exemption to qualifying low-income seniors who have owned and lived in the home at least 25 years, if its market value is under $250,000, the Property Appraiser says. Source
Commercial fire assessments
On commercial property, the special fire assessment that Boynton Beach, West Palm Beach and Boca Raton levy by use and square footage can exceed $10,000, according to the Property Appraiser. Source

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.

All Palm Beach topicsNext Permits and building inspections

Building permits and safety inspections in Palm Beach County

What the county’s building officials publish about permits and building inspections.

Milestone inspections
In unincorporated Palm Beach County, condominium and cooperative buildings three stories or taller need milestone inspections at 25 years within 3 miles of a coastline, 30 years elsewhere, then every 10 years. The County sends the association a certified letter in the year one is due. Source
Milestone noncompliance
The County’s Building Division says a building that does not comply with the milestone inspection rules is referred to Code Compliance, which may mean a special magistrate hearing with fines and liens and an unsafe building case before the Construction Board of Adjustment and Appeals. Source

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.

All Palm Beach topicsNext Law that applies in Palm Beach

Law particular to Palm Beach County

What the county’s charter, its code or a Florida law sets for Palm Beach in particular.

Mortgage default registration
A mortgagee must register property in unincorporated Palm Beach County with Planning, Zoning and Building within 10 days of declaring the mortgage in default, and name a local property manager within 20 miles. The rule still applies after a foreclosure sale to the mortgagee or a deed in lieu. Source
Short-term rental receipts
The County Code says a vacation rental or home sharing business tax receipt from the Tax Collector must be obtained before a home is first rented short-term, must be renewed by September 30 each year, and may not be transferred. Source
Solid Waste Authority liens
Under the Palm Beach County Solid Waste Act, ch. 2001-331, Laws of Fla., the Solid Waste Authority’s annual disposal special assessments on improved property, in cities and unincorporated areas alike, are liens as of October 1 of the year imposed, on parity with state, county and municipal taxes. Source

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.

All Palm Beach topicsNext Foreclosure and tax deed sales

Foreclosure and tax deed sales in Palm Beach County

How the county’s offices run the sales, as they describe them.

Foreclosure sales
The Clerk holds foreclosure sales online, generally Monday through Thursday at 10:00 a.m. The winning bidder’s final payment must reach the Clerk by 2 p.m. the next business day, by cash, official bank check, cashier’s check, attorney trust account check or wire. Source
Tax deed sales
The Clerk holds tax deed sales online once a month on designated Wednesdays, starting at 9:30 a.m. A bidder must first deposit the greater of 5% of the intended maximum bid or $200, and final payment is due by 2 p.m. the next business day. Source
Tax deed title
The Clerk says tax deeds are generally not a marketable title, and that it sells tax deed property under chapter 197, Florida Statutes, and cannot guarantee a clear title. Source
Redeeming before a tax deed
Property can be redeemed until the Clerk has received full payment for the tax deed, the office says. Redemptions are paid at the Tax Collector’s office, 301 North Olive Ave., third floor, in cash or by a cashier’s check drawn on a U.S. bank. Source
Mandatory club memberships
The Clerk warns foreclosure and tax deed bidders that property in gated communities, condominiums and cooperatives may carry mandatory club memberships with an initial equity fee and annual dues, owed on top of the price paid at the auction. Source

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.

All Palm Beach topicsNext Who pays the owner’s policy

Cities in Palm Beach 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 Palm Beach 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.

All Palm Beach topicsNext Community associations in Palm Beach

Community associations in Palm Beach 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 Palm Beach 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.

Every community we have written about is on community associations.

All Palm Beach topicsNext Title problems we have written about

Title problems we have written about in Palm Beach County

What tends to hold up a Palm Beach closing, and what it takes to clear.

More on Florida title problems and how they are cleared.

All Palm Beach topicsNext How we handle a file

How Bayit Title handles a Palm Beach 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.

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.

All Palm Beach topics

The whole bill, by side

Every charge set by rule or statute on a $500,000 sale with a $400,000 loan, under the side that customarily pays it. The contract can move any of them.

How to use Open the title policy, the doc stamps or recording above, and the lines it explains are highlighted here.

Owner’s policy premium
$2,575
Deed doc stamps
$3,500
Mortgage doc stamps
$1,400
Intangible tax
$800
Recording, 3-page deed
$27
Recording, 25-page mortgage
$214
Each side’s total
$2,441
$6,075

Our own fees are not included.

Custom, not law. Each line is in the column of the side that usually pays it in a Florida sale, and the contract can move any of them. A seller has no new loan, so the mortgage lines are only ever the buyer’s.

Your own closing

Everything above is worked on a $500,000 example. For your own Palm Beach property, start here.