How to Record a Document with the Palm Beach County Recorder
Recording puts a deed, declaration, or other instrument into Palm Beach County's Official Records, the public index title companies, lenders, and courts search. Here's the actual office, current fees, and the ways to file.
Palm Beach County's recorder function is handled by the Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller, Official Records division, whose Main Courthouse recording office is at 205 N. Dixie Highway, Room 4.2500, West Palm Beach. Recording costs $10.00 for the first page and $8.50 per additional page. 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
Once a deed or affidavit is properly signed and notarized, it's valid between the parties who signed it. Recording is the separate step that places it into Palm Beach County's Official Records, the searchable index title companies, lenders, and courts rely on to confirm ownership and check for liens. Fla. Stat. §28.222 designates the clerk of the circuit court as the ex officio recorder in every Florida county; in Palm Beach, that function is run by the Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller's Official Records division, with the Main Courthouse recording office at 205 N. Dixie Highway, Room 4.2500, West Palm Beach, FL 33401.
I notarize the signatures and confirm the document has what's needed for recording, legible names, a complete notarial certificate, a preparer and return address on a deed, but submitting the document is a step the signer, their attorney, or their title company completes directly with the recorder's office.
Palm Beach recording fees and documentary stamp tax
Current fees, e-recording vendors, formatting requirements, and cited authorities for the Palm Beach County Recorder are in the "Palm Beach County recording office & requirements" section below, sourced live from the county-recording registry rather than duplicated here.
How to record a document with the Palm Beach County Recorder
Confirm the document meets Florida's recording requirements: original signature, a complete notarial certificate, legibly printed witness names, and a preparer's name and return address on a deed.
Calculate the fee, adding the page-count fee, any legal-description fee, and documentary stamp tax if the document is a deed, mortgage, or note.
Choose your filing method: in person at any of Palm Beach County’s recording locations (Main Courthouse, 205 N. Dixie Highway, Room 4.2500, West Palm Beach; South County Courthouse; North County Courthouse; West County Courthouse; or the Royal Palm Beach branch — some document types are accepted only at the Main Courthouse, so confirm before traveling to a branch location); by mail, sending the original document with payment for the total fee; or e-recording, through one of the county’s approved vendors (CSC eRecording Solutions, eRecording Partners Network, Hopdox, or Simplifile).
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 Palm Beach County'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 Clerk's Official Records division and I don't determine whether a particular transaction or transfer 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.
Palm Beach County recording office & requirements
Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller, Official Records division
Main Courthouse, 205 N. Dixie Highway, Room 4.2500, West Palm Beach, FL 33401 (also South, North, West County Courthouses and Royal Palm Beach branch — some document types accepted only at Main Courthouse)
Recording fees
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| First page | $10.00 |
| first_page_notes | up to 8.5 x 14 in. |
| Each additional page | $8.50 |
| Legal descriptions, first two | $0.60 |
| Each additional legal description | $0.20 |
| Electronically certified copy | 8.00 ($2.00 statutory + $6.00 service fee) |
| 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 eRecording Solutions
- eRecording Partners Network (ePN)
- Hopdox
- Simplifile
Formatting requirements
Fla. Stat. §695.26 statewide rule.
- 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.
Some document types are accepted only at the Main Courthouse; confirm before traveling to a branch location.
Authority citations
- https://www.mypalmbeachclerk.com/departments/recording
- https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0000-0099/0028/Sections/0028.222.html
- https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0000-0099/0028/Sections/0028.24.html
- https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0200-0299/0201/Sections/0201.02.html
Last verified 2026-07-10 (county_confirmed). 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.
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Frequently asked questions
Where do I physically go to record a document in Palm Beach County?
The Main Courthouse recording office is at 205 N. Dixie Highway, Room 4.2500, West Palm Beach, FL 33401. Several document types can also be recorded at the South, North, or West County Courthouses or the Royal Palm Beach branch, though some documents are accepted only at the Main Courthouse.
How much does it cost to record a one-page deed in Palm Beach County?
Recording the first page costs $10.00 under Fla. Stat. §28.24. Add documentary stamp tax at $0.70 per $100 of consideration, the standard statewide rate; Palm Beach doesn’t add the county surtax Miami-Dade charges on non-single-family transfers.
What is the legal-description fee on a Palm Beach recording?
Documents that include a legal description are charged $0.60 total for the first two legal descriptions, and $0.20 for each additional one. This is separate from the per-page recording fee.
Can I record a document in Palm Beach County without visiting a courthouse?
Yes. Palm Beach accepts e-recording through four approved vendors (CSC eRecording Solutions, eRecording Partners Network, Hopdox, Simplifile), or you can mail the original document with payment for the total fee.
Does every Palm Beach courthouse location accept every type of recorded document?
No. Some document types are accepted only at the Main Courthouse. Confirm your specific document is accepted at a branch courthouse before traveling there, to avoid a wasted trip.
Does the notary who signs my document also record it in Palm Beach County?
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 Clerk’s Official Records division.
Coordinating a real estate closing or loan signing?
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