Palm Beach County Recorder

Clerk Michael A. Caruso was sworn in as Palm Beach County’s new Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller. The Recording Department of the Clerk/Comptroller's Office is responsible for recording and maintaining real property records in Palm Beach County.

The Palm Beach County Recorder offers free fraud monitoring for your property. Register to receive free alerts when a document such as a deed or mortgage is recorded with the recorder's office using your name or your business's name. Choose to get alerts by email or by phone.

If you receive an alert about activity not initiated by you, this early notification can provide valuable time to stop criminals in their tracks.

http://pfa.fidlar.com/FLPalmbeach/

UPDATE: there are new submission requirements for documents related to Reverse Mortgages.

The Palm Beach County Recorder has emphasized that due to the nature of the recording process, there is no opportunity to speak with the submitter once the documents are submitted. As a result, it is critical that all necessary information is included in the initial submission to avoid delays or rejections.

Key Information to Include:

A cover page must be included with the document submission, clearly indicating the following:
The documentary stamps are being assessed on the principal limit amount.
The intangible taxes are being assessed on the full consideration amount.
If this information is not provided, the package will be rejected, and the recording will be delayed. Therefore, it’s crucial to ensure that all documents are thoroughly reviewed and include the required information before submission.

Effective January 1, 2024, certain documents recorded in Palm Beach County's Official Records must include the post office address of each witness, in addition to the witness's name. The new requirement applies to any "instrument by which title to real property or any interest therein is conveyed, assigned, encumbered, or otherwise disposed of." All deeds and easements notarized in Florida require witness names, so these documents will now require witness addresses. Other documents "by which title to real property or any interest therein is conveyed, assigned, encumbered or otherwise disposed of" may or may not have witnesses, but an address is required if a witness is included. For more information, go to the Palm Beach County Clerk's website located here: mypalmbeachclerk.com

Systems limitations -- No more than 20 documents per receipt

All deeds must have a grantee address per FS 695.26

Submitting Death Certificates for Recording

Must be scanned as Black & White 300 DPI.
Must be a full-sized image.
Watermarks should not be so dark that they obscure information.
All margins must be intact once scanned.
Do not alter the Death Certificate, including redaction of information, notes or markings not made by the Bureau of Vital Statistics.
Submitting Notices of Commencement for Recording

Must be scanned as Black & White 300 DPI.
Must be a full-sized image.
Font size must be large enough to be legible when printed. (Font should be standard 10 point or higher in Times New Roman or equivalent.)
If handwritten, must be neatly printed to ensure legibility.

To record the first page of a document (not to exceed 8.5 x 14 inches), the fee is $10. Each additional page or fraction thereof is $8.50.

Documents that include legal descriptions are $0.60 for the first two legal descriptions. Each additional legal description after the first two is $0.20.

The documentary stamp tax for deeds is $0.70 per $100 (or fraction thereof). This tax will be paid to the Clerk and Comptroller when the document is recorded. The Florida Department of Revenue website has additional resources. (Formula: .0070 x Total Purchase Price = Amount of Doc Stamps)

The documentary stamp tax for mortgages is $0.35 per $100 (or fraction thereof). (Formula: .0035 x Amount Financed = Amount of Doc Stamps)

The intangible tax is $0.002 for each $1 of consideration on applicable documents.

A self-addressed stamped envelope must be provided with your documents. It is not necessary to provide one envelope per document if all documents are to be returned to the same address, provided that envelopes and postage meet the U.S. Postal Service guidelines.

County recording fees are subject to change without notice. For the most current fees and further information, contact the local clerk's office directly.

Real property documents can be recorded in person at the main courthouse or sent through the mail. Additionally, the branch offices will accept documents with the appropriate fees and send them to the main courthouse to be recorded.

The Clerk and Comptroller's Office is unable to accept a modified certified copy of any document for re-recording. They are unable to record an uncertified copy of any document, with or without changes. In order to record a document that has changes to the original, provide either a new document or make the modification to the original document.

Submit a recording transmittal form (mail-in or walk-in documents ONLY) with the deed. The form is available on the Clerk and Comptroller's website.

* To entitle any real property document to be recorded, the execution must be acknowledged by the party executing it and proved by a subscribing witness to it. Two witnesses are required on the signature page.

* Beneath all signatures in the document, the corresponding name must be typed, printed, or handwritten in dark black or blue ink. Signatures are needed from the person who executed the document, the witnesses, and the notary public.

* A complete name and address is needed for the person who executed the instrument and for the person who prepared the instrument. The preparer's statement can be given in the following format: "This instrument was prepared by NAME and ADDRESS."

* Documents that require state documentary stamps are bonds, deeds and all conveyances, notes and written obligations to pay money, mortgages, liens, and other evidences of indebtedness.

* Intangible tax is required on obligations to pay money involving real estate.

* Documents can be submitted on letter or legal sized paper.

* Black ink should be used throughout the document, with a font size of at least 9 point.

* On the first page, a 3 x 3 inch blank space (minimum) in the upper right corner should be provided for the county clerk. In the upper right hand corner of each subsequent page, a 1.5 x 3 inch blank space should be provided.

* The consideration paid must be listed on the document of conveyance.

* A legal description must be included in the real property document.

* A property appraiser's parcel identification number is needed on a deed.