In Duval County, deeds are recorded in the Official Records kept by the Duval County Clerk of Courts, and evictions are filed in Duval County Court at the courthouse on W. Adams Street. Homestead and portability go to the Duval County Property Appraiser on E. Forsyth Street by March 1. We meet Jacksonville clients by phone or video.
Duval County is unusual among Florida counties because the City of Jacksonville and the county consolidated their governments on October 1, 1968. Most of the county is the city, but Jacksonville Beach, Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach and Baldwin remain separate municipalities. For real estate, that means one county Clerk, one Property Appraiser and one county court handle the recording, tax and eviction steps for nearly every property, while a beach town or a neighboring county such as Clay can add its own layer. This page explains where each step happens.
Communities we serve in Duval County
- Jacksonville, including Downtown, Riverside, San Marco, Mandarin, Southside and the Northside
- Jacksonville Beach, Atlantic Beach and Neptune Beach
- Baldwin
- The Orange Park area just across the county line in Clay County, also part of the Fourth Judicial Circuit
Recording deeds in Duval County
The Duval County Clerk of Courts records deeds, mortgages, liens and other instruments in the Official Records. Documents can be recorded in person, by mail or electronically. For mailed recordings, the Clerk accepts a money order, business check or cashier's check, but not a personal check.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Recording, first page | $10.00 |
| Recording, each additional page | $8.50 |
| Each name indexed beyond four | $1.00 |
| Documentary stamp tax on a deed | 70 cents per $100 of consideration |
The page fees are set by section 28.24 of the Florida Statutes. Documentary stamp tax is due when the deed is recorded, so it is worth deciding before closing whether you will hold title personally or through an entity. A later transfer to an LLC can be taxed even though the owners have not changed.
The Duval County Property Fraud Alert
The Clerk offers a free Property Fraud Alert. You register a personal or business name, and you receive an alert whenever a document matching that name is recorded in Duval County. Each alert lists the instrument number so you can pull up the document in the Official Records. The Clerk notes that an alert is not generally a cause for concern, and that its office documents records but cannot decide whether one is valid. A forged deed has to be undone in court, which our real estate litigation page explains. The service covers Duval County only, so an owner with property in Clay or St. Johns County should register there too.
Homestead and portability with the Duval County Property Appraiser
The Duval County Property Appraiser's Customer Service and Exemptions Division is at 231 E. Forsyth Street, Suite 260. Applications can be filed online, by mail, by fax, by email or in person, and the timely filing deadline is March 1 under section 196.011. You must own the home and live in it as your permanent residence on January 1.
The Property Appraiser treats portability as a separate application with the same March 1 deadline. Under section 193.155(8), portability moves much of the Save Our Homes difference from a prior Florida homestead to a new one, up to $500,000, if you had the exemption on any of the three prior January 1 dates. Jacksonville has many buyers who relocate within Florida, and missing the portability form is one of the more expensive oversights we see after a closing. Our Florida homestead exemption guide explains the exemption in detail.
Evictions in Duval County Court
Residential evictions are filed with the Clerk's County Civil department and heard in Duval County Court at the Duval County Courthouse, 501 W. Adams Street. The Clerk publishes eviction packets for possession only and for possession plus damages, as well as a tenant rights packet. The general sequence is:
- Written notice. A three day notice for unpaid rent, counted without weekends and legal holidays under section 83.56(3), or a seven day notice for other violations.
- Complaint. If the tenant does not comply, the landlord files a complaint for eviction, and the Clerk requires a copy of the notice to be attached when it is filed. Section 34.041 sets the removal of tenant filing fee at $180.
- Service and response. The tenant is served with a summons and has five days, excluding weekends and legal holidays, to respond to the possession claim.
- Judgment and writ. After judgment, the Clerk issues a writ of possession, and the Sheriff charges a separate fee to serve it.
A damages claim for unpaid rent runs on a longer schedule than possession. Commercial evictions follow part I of chapter 83 instead, where the tenant generally must deposit the alleged rent into the court registry. Our Florida eviction and landlord and tenant pages explain both tracks.
Closings, title and commercial property
We review purchase contracts, examine title commitments and surveys, and clear the issues that hold up Jacksonville closings: unreleased mortgages, code enforcement liens, unpaid association assessments and title that never passed after an owner died. If an estate has to be opened first, our Duval County probate page explains how. Our real estate closings page covers our role from contract to recording.
For commercial owners and tenants, we negotiate office, retail, industrial and warehouse leases, review assignment and guaranty provisions, and represent buyers and sellers of commercial property. Our commercial real estate page explains our approach. Older owners thinking about how their property passes to family can see our Jacksonville elder law and Duval County estate planning pages.
How we work with Duval County clients
Duval County clients meet with an attorney by phone or video, or in person at any of our Florida offices. Real estate matters in areas without an office are handled remotely, with signings arranged before a local notary. Your first consultation is free. Because the firm limits its caseload, you work directly with an attorney from the first call to the recording of your deed. Read more on our real estate law page, or contact us to discuss your Jacksonville property.
More help in Duval County
We also help Duval County clients with:
