Hillsborough County Property Search
Hillsborough County property records are official documents regarding real estate and personal or commercial property, such as equipment, machinery, or fixtures. These documents reveal ownership, location, size, description, assessed market value, tax information, and other vital details about a property situated in the county. Property records are usually generated by the citizens of the county who own properties and then recorded by the Clerk of Court's Office.
A Hillsborough County property search grants interested inquirers access to review and inspect public property records for legal proceedings, settling land or lien disputes, research purposes, assessing property value before purchase, and determining the historical value of a property.
The County Clerk of Courts and Comptroller’s office is the official custodian of property records and other Hillsborough County Public Records. The office makes these records available to members of the public on request by the Florida Sunshine Law.
Residents of the county submitting property information for recording must follow the stipulated guidelines by Florida Statute 695.26.
- The property information to be recorded must be situated in the county and within the county’s jurisdiction
- All documents submitted for recording must be 8 ½ X 14 inches and contain a three-inch by three-inch (3” x 3”) blank square at the top right corner of the page
- Information should be written legibly, in black print, or typed for best reproduction by microfilming or photographing techniques.
- All instruments, excluding mortgages that pertain to the transfer of an interest in real property, should include the correct mailing address of the new grantee with the body of the instrument properly dated
- The name and address of the person requesting the recording or willing to initiate the transfer of real property must be shown on the document.
- The documents or items to be recorded must be enclosed in a self-addressed stamped envelope containing the name and address (including zip code) the recorded item will be returned if need be.
- The legal description of the real or personal property must be accurate.
- The spelling of names should be correct and identical in all documents and instruments being recorded
- Documents that pertain to the transfer of any property should have two witnesses per signature. Businesses or firms can use a corporate seal instead of witnesses.
- Signatories to a document being recorded must sign before a notary public and have their seal affixed to the document
- Proof of payment of documentary stamp taxes, recording fees, and other stipulated fees must be provided.
Is Hillsborough County Property Records Public?
Chapter 119 of the Florida Public Records Law states that any interested individual can inspect and obtain copies of public records on request without stating the purpose for such requests or present identification.
The Clerk of Court and Comptroller’s Office maintains and provides property records to interested members of the public that require them. Members of the public that wish to obtain Hillsborough property records may do so by contacting the Clerk’s Office with the property's location or owner's details in person, via mail, or online, depending on the options available.
However, some property information in the records is deemed confidential by law and exempted from public access. Such records can only be accessed by individuals with a court order or other forms of legal authorization. These include property information such as
- Government agency retiree names or addresses
- Social security numbers and other information related to its disclosure
- Birth or death certificates
- Medical and psychological history or reports
- Personal identifying information such as home or mailing address, especially that of minors or sexual abuse victims
- Trade secrets and other information whose disclosure can disrupt social safety
- Property appraisals, evaluations, feasibility studies, market assessment questionnaires, and engineering information of properties that are yet to be acquired
- Ad valorem tax and other tax payment information that may place the taxpayer in a disadvantaged position in negotiations
- Financial statements, earning documents, and all income-related information.
What Do Hillsborough County Property Records Contain?
In Hillsborough, the information contained in property records varies with the document type and the official responsible for maintaining and disseminating such records. The common types of property records found in the county are property deeds, mortgage records, liens, foreclosures, easements, titles, property tax records, and index maps. A typical property record in Hillsborough should contain the following details:
- Physical description and location of the property
- Property owner’s name and address
- Signatures of all parties listed in the document
- Appraiser’s Identification Number and other appraiser information
- A notary public’s seal or stamp
- Court injunctions, foreclosures, and restrictions if available
- Building information (design, quality, assessment value, appreciation or depreciation status, year of building, etc.) and land information such as size, value, and map
- Liens and mortgages if applicable to the property
- Ownership and appraisal history
- Historical and market value of the property
- Index maps such as plat maps, subdivision maps, right-of-way maps, and plan line maps.
- Evidence that the seller has legal authorization to sell and transfer the title or ownership to the grantee.
Where to Perform a Hillsborough County Property Lookup
Information seekers can perform a Hillsborough County property lookup by contacting the County Clerk or Appraiser’s Office. Interested members of the public can obtain copies of property records by submitting requests to the custodial office in person, via mail, or online at a cost. The Clerk's Office is open to the public for in-person visits from 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M., Monday through Friday, scheduled before the date of visit.
Persons who wish to look up property deeds, mortgages, or lien records can query the Hillsborough County Clerk of Court and Comptroller office, while those seeking tax records will need to visit the Hillsborough County Property Appraiser’s office. The inquirer must present the following details to retrieve property records:
- Property location or owner’s name
- Document title and type
- Party names listed in the document
- The year document was recorded
- Contact information of the requestor
- Mailing details and address of the requested record would be sent to
- Proof of stipulated property record request fee payment
Obtaining copies of property records costs $1.00 per page, while certifications cost $2.00 per document.
Hillsborough County Clerk of Court and Comptroller’s Office
800 E. Twiggs
Downtown Tampa, FL 33601-3249
Phone: (813) 276-8100
Hillsborough County Property Appraiser’s Office
5th Floor County Center
601 E. Kennedy Boulevard
Downtown Tampa, FL 33602-493
Phone: (813) 272-6100
Fax: (813) 272-5519
How to Perform a Property Owner Lookup in Hillsborough County
Individuals interested in buying a property often seek to gather vital information about the property, such as the owner’s details before purchase. Florida's Sunshine Law allows prospective buyers to peruse property records and retrieve information about the property owner.
In Hillsborough, residents and other interested members of the public can confirm property ownership by querying the County Clerk of Courts and Comptroller's Office for a fee. Individuals interested in carrying out a property owner lookup must have either the property address or the Parcel identification number to ease the search process. Persons that wish to obtain certified copies of the records can call or send a written request to the Official Records Division of the Clerk's Office at the cost of $1.00 per page for property records and $2.00 for certified copies.
How to Find Hillsborough County Property Records Online
The County Clerk of Court and the Property Appraiser in Hillsborough County both maintain an online repository through which members of the public can search for free and obtain copies of property records virtually for a fee.
Alternatively, an inquirer can make use of third-party websites that provide their clients with public property records online for a fee. The cost of using these third-party websites varies across the platforms and depends on the type of information requested. Interested persons will need to furnish the search engine with their party name, parcel identification number, property location, record year, or other search parameters to begin the search.
How to Find Property Owner by Address Free
Persons who wish to find a property owner by address will need to visit the county clerk’s office in person and carry out the search for free. Making copies of the records retrieved, however, has charges attached to it. The requester will be required to provide the property address with which the owner’s address can be retrieved.
However, state laws prohibit the disclosure of personal identifying information, such as a property owner’s home or office address, online. As such, inquirers cannot access such information from the recording office online.
Hillsborough County Property Tax Lookup
Per Florida, Statute 197.122, property owners and prospective property buyers have the right to know the amount of tax attached to their property and conduct a property tax lookup online. The Hillsborough Tax Collector is responsible for billing, collecting, and distributing taxes on all real estate property and other non-ad valorem assessments in the county. The Property Appraiser determines the taxable value of real estate property.
Interested persons can obtain Hillsborough Property tax records by querying the county appraiser's office or the tax collector. Tax lookup requests, both written and in person, can be made at:
Hillsborough Tax Collector
14th Floor County Center
601 East Kennedy Boulevard
Tampa, FL 33602
Fax: (813) 347-4383
Phone: (813) 635-5200
Hillsborough County Property Appraiser’s Office
5th Floor County Center
601 E. Kennedy Boulevard
Downtown Tampa, FL 33602-493
Phone: (813) 272-6100
Fax: (813) 272-5519
How to Find Hillsborough County Property Appraiser
Interested persons can find the Hillsborough County Property Appraiser via the official website or using the contact information below:
Hillsborough County Property Appraiser’s office
5th Floor County Center
601 E. Kennedy Boulevard
Downtown Tampa, FL 33602-493
Phone: (813) 272-6100
Fax: (813) 272-5519
Hillsborough County Property Assessor
The Hillsborough Property Assessor is the elected government official responsible for
- Estimating the true value of all real and tangible property situated in the County
- Locating, identifying, and accurately assessing all properties subject to ad valorem taxes
- Maintaining property value roll equity
- Processing allowable exemptions.
The contact details of Assessor Offices in Hillsborough County are listed below:
Hillsborough County Property Assessor, Downtown Tampa Office
5th Floor County Center
601 E. Kennedy Boulevard
Downtown Tampa, FL 33602-493
Phone: (813) 272-6100
Fax: (813) 272-5519
Hillsborough County Property Assessor, Brandon office
311 Pauls Drive
Brandon, FL 33511
Phone: (813) 272-6100
Fax: (813) 635-8036
Hillsborough County Property Assessor, South County Office
Southshore Regional Service Center Office
410 30th Street Southeast
Ruskin, FL 33570
Phone: (813) 272-6100
Fax: (813) 672-7835
Hillsborough County Property Assessor, Plant City Office
307 N. Michigan Avenue
2nd Floor, Suite 230
Plant City, FL 335663-3400
Phone: (813) 272-6100
Fax: (813) 757-3877
