How to Record a Document with the Hillsborough County Recorder
Recording puts a deed, declaration, or other instrument into Hillsborough County's Official Records, the public index title companies, lenders, and courts search. Here's the actual office, current fees, and how to file.
The Hillsborough County Recorder function is the Official Records Department inside the Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller, primarily at 419 Pierce Street, Room 140, Tampa (with Brandon and Plant City service centers). Recording costs $10.00 for the first page and $8.50 per additional page under Fla. Stat. §28.24; oversize instruments like plats run a separate, higher fee tier. You can file in person, by mail, or through an approved e-recording vendor.
Why a deed or declaration needs to go on the public record
A notarized deed or affidavit is valid between the signing parties once it's properly executed. Recording is the separate act that places the instrument into Hillsborough County's Official Records, so a title company, lender, or future buyer searching the record can find it. Fla. Stat. §28.222 makes the clerk of the circuit court the ex officio recorder of instruments in every Florida county; in Hillsborough, that function is the Official Records Department, with its primary counter at 419 Pierce Street, Room 140, Tampa, FL 33602, plus service centers in Brandon and Plant City for some transactions.
I notarize the signatures and confirm the document carries what the recording statute requires, but submitting it to the Official Records Department is a separate step the signer, their attorney, or their title company completes directly.
Hillsborough recording fees and documentary stamp tax
Current fees (including the oversize-document tier for plats and condominium exhibits), e-recording vendors, formatting requirements, and cited authorities for the Hillsborough County Recorder are in the "Hillsborough County recording office & requirements" section below, sourced live from the county-recording registry.
How to record a document with the Hillsborough Recorder
Confirm the document meets Florida's recording requirements: original signature, complete notarial certificate, legibly printed witness names with post-office addresses (effective January 1, 2024 — an email address does not satisfy this), and a preparer's name and return address on a deed.
Calculate the fee, including the oversize-document rate if the instrument is larger than 8.5 × 14 inches (plats, condominium exhibits).
Choose your filing method: in person at 419 Pierce Street, Room 140, Tampa (or the Brandon or Plant City service centers, for the document types they accept); by mail to the Official Records Department, including a Recording Transmittal form or cover letter and a self-addressed stamped envelope, since Hillsborough's own page recommends this even though no clerk-provided cover-sheet template is published; or e-recording through one of Hillsborough's approved vendors.
Pay the recording fee and any documentary stamp tax at submission.
Receive your recorded document back stamped with the official book/page or instrument number confirming it's part of Hillsborough's Official Records.
What EMC does not do
I notarize the signatures on the document and confirm it carries what's required for recording, but I don't submit filings to the Official Records Department and I don't determine whether a specific transfer or transaction is legally sufficient. That review belongs to the closing agent, title company, or the parties' own attorney.
I am not an attorney licensed to practice law in the State of Florida, and I may not give legal advice or accept fees for legal advice.
Hillsborough County recording office & requirements
Hillsborough County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller — Official Records Department
419 Pierce Street, Room 140, Tampa, FL 33602 (primary); Brandon Regional Service Center, 311 Pauls Drive, Suite 110, Brandon, FL 33511; Plant City Courthouse Annex, 301 N. Michigan Ave, Room 1071, Plant City, FL 33563. Mail: PO Box 3249, Tampa, FL 33602-3249.
Recording fees
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| First page | $10.00 |
| Each additional page | $8.50 |
| Indexing, each name over four | $1.00 |
| Oversize document, first page | $35.00 |
| Oversize document, additional page | $19.50 |
| oversize_notes | Instruments larger than 8.5 x 14 in. (plats, condo exhibits) billed at the oversize rate. |
| Documentary stamp tax, deeds (per $100) | $0.70 |
| Documentary stamp tax, notes/mortgages (per $100) | $0.35 |
Statutory basis: Fla. Stat. §28.24 (recording fee schedule), Fla. Stat. §28.222(1) (clerk as county recorder), Fla. Stat. §201.02 (documentary stamp tax, deeds). Confirm current figures with the recorder's office before finalizing a closing statement.
E-recording
This office accepts electronic recording (e-recording) through approved third-party vendors.
- CSC (Corporation Service Company)
- e-Doc Solutions
- eRecording Partners Network (ePN)
- Indecomm Global Services
- RecordNation
- Simplifile
- File and Go (Notices of Commencement only)
- eRecordingUSA
- Hopdox
- Swift-E Recording Services
Formatting requirements
Fla. Stat. §695.26 statewide rule, restated on hillsclerk.com's Official Records page: 3x3 in. top-right first page, 1x3 in. top-right subsequent pages.
- A 3-inch by 3-inch space at the top right-hand corner on the FIRST page is reserved for clerk use (recording stamp).
- A 1-inch by 3-inch space at the top right-hand corner on EACH SUBSEQUENT page is reserved for clerk use.
- Names of each person who executed the instrument must be legibly printed, typewritten, or stamped immediately beneath the signature; same requirement applies to witnesses, notaries, preparers, and grantees where applicable.
- Effective January 1, 2024 (2023 amendment): each witness's name AND post-office address must be legibly printed/typewritten/stamped on any instrument conveying, assigning, or encumbering real property — an email address does not satisfy this.
- Standard document page size is capped at 8.5 x 14 inches; larger instruments (plats, condominium exhibits) are recorded under a different, higher fee tier by most clerks.
- Exemptions from §695.26 formatting: instruments executed before July 1, 1991; court decrees; instruments executed outside Florida; wills; plats; documents prepared by public officers other than notaries.
- A clerk's failure to comply with §695.26 (e.g., recording a noncompliant document) does NOT impair the validity of the recordation or the constructive notice it gives — the requirement binds the preparer/submitter, not the legal effect of recording.
Recommends a Recording Transmittal form/cover letter and SASE with mailed submissions; no clerk-provided recording cover-sheet template found.
Verify before relying on this
Two conflicting PO Box zip codes found across hillsclerk.com pages (33602-3249 recording vs 33601-3249 web-subscription service) — used the recording-specific zip; resolve by phone before treating as fully settled. Verify the current e-recording vendor list and any figures above directly with the Hillsborough County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller — Official Records Department before relying on them for a filing.
Authority citations
- https://hillsclerk.com/About-Us/Fees-and-Fines
- https://www.hillsclerk.com/propertyrecords-and-recording
- https://www.hillsclerk.com/Additional-Services/Official-Records
- https://www.hillsclerk.com/about-us/service-options-and-locations
- https://floridarevenue.com/taxes/taxesfees/Pages/doc_stamp.aspx
Last verified 2026-07-13 (county_confirmed_fees_and_format; doc_stamp_rate_indirectly_verified (Hillsborough's own page defers to FL DOR rather than restating the rate)). I am not an attorney licensed to practice law in the State of Florida, and I may not give legal advice or accept fees for legal advice.
Related downloads
Frequently asked questions
Where do I physically go to record a document in Hillsborough County?
The Official Records Department is primarily at 419 Pierce Street, Room 140, Tampa, FL 33602. Brandon and Plant City service centers handle some document types; confirm before traveling to a branch. You can also mail your document or submit it electronically through an approved e-recording vendor.
How much does it cost to record a one-page deed in Hillsborough?
Recording the first page costs $10.00 under Fla. Stat. §28.24, plus documentary stamp tax at the standard statewide rate. Oversize instruments (plats, condominium exhibits larger than 8.5 × 14 in.) are billed at a separate, higher tier.
Does Hillsborough require a recording cover sheet?
Hillsborough recommends a Recording Transmittal form or cover letter (and a self-addressed stamped envelope) for mailed submissions, but doesn't publish a mandatory clerk cover-sheet template. EMC's Deed Recording Cover Sheet template (see downloads below) covers the same information in a self-check format.
What changed with witness names on Hillsborough recordings in 2024?
Effective January 1, 2024, witness names must be legibly printed along with a post-office address on instruments conveying, assigning, or encumbering real property — an email address does not satisfy this requirement.
Does the notary who signs my document also record it in Hillsborough?
No. Notarization and recording are separate steps. I complete the notarization and confirm the document meets recording requirements; you, your attorney, or your title company submits it to the Official Records Department.
Coordinating a real estate closing or loan signing?
The Real Estate & Loan Signing Packet covers notarial fee caps, itemized closing costs, and how document handling and recording fit into one signing appointment.
Get the real estate signing packet →