Palm Beach County Recorder: Deeds & Records

The full-service Recording Department is inside the Main Courthouse at 205 N. Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach, FL 33401.

Recording and Official Records services are located in Room 4.2500 on the fourth floor.

Parking is available in nearby street spaces, lots and garages. Parking fees may apply.

Palm Beach County accepts many recording documents at several Clerk branch locations.

Some specialized document types are accepted only at the Main Courthouse, so check before traveling.

The Clerk’s Official Records database is free to search.

It includes deeds, mortgages, judgments, liens, marriage licenses and other recorded documents.

Start with the Palm Beach County Property Appraiser’s PAPA system.

PAPA supports searches by owner name, property address or PCN and is the county’s main public property-assessment database.

1. Open PAPA.

   Use the Real Property Search on the Property Appraiser website.

2. Enter the street address.

   Choose the matching parcel from the suggested results.

3. Save the PCN and owner name.

   Confirm the parcel before searching recorded documents.

4. Open Official Records.

   Use the parcel and owner information to locate deeds, mortgages and liens.

The Recording Department accepts documents in person, by mail and through approved eRecording providers.

Florida law prevents Clerk staff from giving legal advice or deciding which deed form is right for your situation.

1. Prepare the legal document.

   Use a properly prepared deed with the correct names, legal description, signatures and acknowledgment.

2. Include the Prepared By statement.

   Florida law requires a Prepared By statement on many documents affecting real property.

3. Include witness names and addresses.

   Deeds and easements notarized in Florida require witness names and witness addresses.

4. Leave space for the recording stamp.

   The first page needs a 3 × 3-inch blank space at the upper-right.

5. Leave space on later pages.

   Each additional page requires a 1 × 3-inch recording-stamp space.

6. Calculate recording fees and taxes.

   Recording fees, documentary stamps and other taxes can depend on the document and transaction.

7. Use the Recording Transmittal Form.

   The Clerk asks filers to include this form when submitting documents for recording.

8. Submit by an accepted method.

   Use the Main Courthouse, an eligible branch, mail or an approved eRecording provider.

Recording fees can include base page charges, legal-description fees, additional-name fees and state taxes.

Use the Clerk’s fee calculator for a transaction-specific estimate before writing a check or submitting electronically.

Documentary stamp tax is rounded according to Florida tax rules and may depend on consideration, mortgages or other transaction details.

Many Official Records images can be viewed and printed online for personal research.

If a bank, court, title company or government agency requires an official copy, order a certified copy instead.

Include a self-addressed, postage-paid envelope when submitting hard-copy documents by mail.

The Clerk says original hard-copy documents are returned without a physical recording stamp after recording.

eRecording allows approved users to submit recordable documents securely online.

Common eRecorded documents include deeds, mortgages, mortgage assignments and satisfactions.

A document originally created and executed using an electronic signature must be electronically recorded under the Florida rule cited by the Clerk.

The Clerk provides a free Property Fraud Alert service.

It sends an email when a newly recorded document exactly matches a registered name, address or parcel number.

Fraud Alert phone: 561-355-2991

Email: PropertyFraudAlerts@mypalmbeachclerk.com

Florida law commonly requires a Notice of Commencement before certain construction, renovation or improvement projects begin.

Palm Beach County records Notices of Commencement through the Clerk’s Recording Department.

The Clerk states that only the owner can sign the Notice of Commencement for recording.

Florida law restricts internet display of some record images even when the underlying record can be viewed through authorized government channels.

Examples include certain military discharge records, death certificates and documents governed by family, juvenile or probate confidentiality rules.

If the index shows a document but the image is unavailable online, contact the Clerk or visit an authorized Records Service Center.

This page is an independent informational guide and is not the Palm Beach County Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller or Property Appraiser.

It is not legal advice, a title examination, a deed-preparation service or a guarantee of property ownership.

Recording fees, tax rates, forms, office hours and submission requirements can change. Verify current requirements with the responsible government office.

Do not use public property records for employment screening, tenant screening, credit eligibility, insurance underwriting or another FCRA-regulated consumer-reporting purpose.