Who pays for the owner’s policy in Pinellas County?
The seller customarily pays for the owner’s title policy in Pinellas 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 Pinellas 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 Pinellas 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 Pinellas County
Deeds and mortgages record with the Pinellas 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: 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 Pinellas County deed and a Levy County deed of the same length record for the same money.
While in most cases the Clerk processes all documents received for recording within 2 business days, the Clerk cannot guarantee same or next-day recording for documents received by mail, drop-box, or though 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 Pinellas 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 records documents at its Recording Services Department, 315 Court Street, Clearwater, and at its St. Petersburg Branch, 545 First Avenue North, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays. Its North County center takes documents for drop-off only: they are not recorded there but sent by courier to 315 Court Street. Source: Where to record
- Fraud alert
- The Clerk’s free Fraud Alert service sends a subscriber an alert by phone, text or email of any document recorded with the subscribed name in the Pinellas Official Records, starting the day they sign up. The name is the only thing it monitors, so a common name may bring multiple alerts. Source: Fraud alert
- Utility lien payoffs
- Pinellas County Utilities takes title disclosure and lien payoff requests for properties it serves that are pending sale, and asks for up to four business days to process a request. Source: Utility lien payoffs
- Code liens
- Pinellas County Code Enforcement says a code-lien payoff starts with a lien search request submitted to it and continues with a request for a payoff statement. Source: Code liens
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 Pinellas topicsNext Liens and charges that stay with the property
County liens, utility charges and assessments in Pinellas County
What the county’s offices and its code say about charges and liens a buyer can inherit.
- Code fines on other land
- Once recorded, a code fine is a lien on the property cited and on anything else the violator owns in Pinellas County. It ranks ahead of mortgages recorded later, and the County can foreclose after three months, but never on a homestead. Source: Code fines on other land
- Cap on code liens
- Special magistrate code liens on one property are capped at $20,000 in total for a lawful single-family home, and a condo or townhouse unit may count as one. Other property is capped at $100,000. The County’s hard costs and its other liens fall outside the cap. Source: Cap on code liens
- Lien reductions for buyers
- A later buyer, not just the owner cited, can ask the special magistrate to settle a code lien for less. Nothing is granted until the land’s taxes, special assessments, County utility charges and other government liens are paid and the violations are fixed under permits. Source: Lien reductions for buyers
- Water and sewer liens
- Unpaid County water and sewer charges are a lien on the parcel served. A recorded notice of lien is constructive notice, and the lien bears interest at the section 687.01 rate from the day it is recorded. Source: Water and sewer liens
- Lot-clearing liens
- When the County clears an overgrown lot in unincorporated Pinellas, the cost and its fees become a lien it can record. No interest runs until the 30th day after recording, and then the lien bears six percent a year. Source: Lot-clearing liens
- Lealman garbage assessment
- Garbage service in the Lealman district is a yearly assessment collected on the tax bill. It becomes a lien every January 1 and is treated the same as County taxes. Source: Lealman garbage assessment
- PACE assessments
- Pinellas runs its own PACE program in unincorporated areas and in cities that have not opted out. Its assessments are liens equal to taxes until paid, and a seller who skips the required disclosure to a buyer doesn’t make the assessment any less valid. Source: PACE assessments
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 Pinellas County
What the county’s building officials publish about permits and building inspections.
- Aging condo inspections
- Pinellas has its own milestone inspection ordinance for condo and co-op buildings where the County is the building official. Associations with buildings three stories or higher must register online within 180 days of notice, and repairs from a phase two report must start within 360 days. Source: Aging condo inspections
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 Pinellas County
What the county’s charter, its code or a Florida law sets for Pinellas in particular.
- Selling during a code case
- A seller with a code case awaiting hearing must tell the buyer in writing, hand over the notices and notify the County within five days of the transfer, or fraud is presumed. The seller before the sale, or the buyer once it has title, can seek a fine reduction. Source: Selling during a code case
- Short-term rentals on sale
- In unincorporated Pinellas, a short-term rental’s certificate of use doesn’t pass to a buyer. The new owner has 30 days from the sale to apply for a new one, with a fresh inspection, or the old certificate is void on the 30th day. Source: Short-term rentals on sale
- Foreclosure registration
- A lender foreclosing in unincorporated Pinellas must register the property within 30 days of starting and pay a yearly fee. Once in possession, it must inspect the property every 60 days for as long as it stays foreclosed property. Source: Foreclosure registration
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.
Cities in Pinellas 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 Pinellas 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 Pinellas 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.