Palm Beach County Property Search
Palm Beach County property records are documents that provide details about who owns what properties within the county’s boundaries. These documents are recorded for future use, especially with regard to legal matters, the specifics of the transaction that took place for the transfer of property from one owner to the other, whether it was bought, given as a gift, or inherited.
A deed, which essentially details the property transfer from a buyer to a seller, is a classic illustration of a property record. There are also other documents that make up a property record, including plats, titles, tax records, and surveys.
In Palm Beach County, Florida, the primary custodian of property records is the Office of the Property Appraiser. Residents and persons in the real estate business use these records for informative and legal purposes, such as dispute settlement, determining the property owner, and tracing the property's historical value.
Are Palm Beach County Property Records Search
Property records in Palm Beach are considered public documents per Florida Sunshine Laws and are, therefore, accessible to the general public for review or retrieval. Florida laws direct government organizations to make all Palm Beach County Public Records accessible to the public unless they are specifically exempted from disclosure or redacted in accordance with local or state laws.
The Palm Beach County Property Appraiser's Office, Department of Facilities Development and Operations, Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller's Office, Department of Planning, Zoning and Building and are among the official custodians of property records in the county. Interested persons may view property records online or by sending a formal request to the relevant record custodian.
Despite the fact that property records are open to the public, there are a few exclusions that may restrict access to some information in these records for the general public. Per sections 119.07 and 119.071 of the Florida Statutes, exempted records include:
- Records that are currently provided by law or court order to be confidential and unavailable to the public would be exempt from disclosure.
- Documents containing personal information, such as home addresses, social security numbers, telephone numbers, and photographs of certain state and local government officers.
What Do Palm Beach County Property Records Contain?
Depending on the type of search being conducted and the agency providing the record, the specifics of a Palm Beach County property search may change. Generally, persons who obtain property records can expect to see the following information:
- Details about the property, including the address, the municipality, the parcel control number, the subdivision, the official record or book page, the sale date, and the legal description.
- Owner Information which includes name and mailing address.
- Sales information such as date, price, owner, and type.
- Exemption information such as exemption year and save our homes (SOH) base year.
- Property information such as structural elements for buildings and sub-area/square footage of buildings.
- Appraisals and assessed and taxable values.
Where to Perform Palm Beach County Property Lookup
Property lookup in Palm Beach County can be carried out by members of the public through an official government online portal, via email, mail, or in person. The Palm Beach County Property Appraiser’s Office is the official custodian of property records in the county.
Interested persons may use the Property Appraiser Public Access (PAPA) online tool to lookup a property. Searchers must, however, know the name, parcel control number (PCN), or address of the owner to perform a search. Alternatively, visit the Property Appraiser’s Office during business hours to obtain copies of property records. Mail, email, and fax requests are also acceptable when requestors submit a record request form.
Palm Beach County Property Appraiser
1st Floor, Room 301
N. Olive Avenue
West Palm Beach, FL 33401.
Email: pa-pubsvc@pbcgov.org
Fax: (561) 355-1528
Meanwhile, the Palm Beach Clerk and Comptroller's Office also offers an online database where members of the public can conduct searches for property records. Those who wish to obtain certified copies of these records or to make in-person requests may do so by visiting the records department at any of the county offices. The addresses for the various office locations are provided below:
Main Courthouse
205 North Dixie Highway,
West Palm Beach, FL 33401
Midwestern Communities Service Center
200 Civic Center Way,
Suite 500,
Royal Palm Beach, FL 33411
North County Courthouse
3188 PGA Boulevard
Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410
South County Courthouse
200 West Atlantic Avenue
Delray Beach, FL 33444
West County Courthouse
2950 State Road 15, Room S-100
Belle Glade, FL 33430
How to Perform a Property Owner Lookup in Palm Beach County
The Public Access (PAPA) online portal of the Palm Beach Property Appraiser provides access to information on property ownership. To obtain these specifics, interested parties can conduct an inquiry by visiting the website or by getting in touch with the property appraiser's office during business hours. When a user searches for a property on PAPA, the results include a section with owner information, including the person's name(s) and mailing address.
How to Find Palm Beach County Property Records Online
Using the Property Appraiser Public Access online service, interested parties can see property records in Palm Beach County. To do this, visit the agency's official website. Likewise, the online public records portal maintained by the County Clerk and Comptroller's Office also offers public access to property records.
Furthermore, there are also third-party websites that act as repositories of property records and give the public online access. However, users must be aware that fees may apply and that they should proceed cautiously, knowing that the accuracy of such information may not be guaranteed and should, therefore, only be used for inquiry purposes.
Most of the time, online access to property records gives the general public the chance to inquire about or conduct research on properties in Palm Beach County. However, to obtain certified copies of property records, which may be needed for official purposes, interested parties must contact the record custodians.
How to Find Property Owner by Address Free
The Florida Statutes state that information like addresses is only protected from public publication upon the property owner's request. As a result, the home address of the property owner is displayed when a person searches for properties online, for example.
However, one must first have the address on hand in order to conduct a property owner search utilizing the address. If the requester does not have access to the address, a name search on the Property Appraiser Public Access site would yield results that included the address. As long as the information is present in the repository, this investigation is free of charge, and the findings are displayed.
Palm Beach County Property Tax Lookup
Property tax information is available using the Property Appraiser Public Access (PAPA) portal. A simple name search can be used to perform a lookup for tax records for the last five to ten years. The portal also gives users the chance to access all tax information and calculate their annual property taxes accurately using the property tax calculator option.
Interested parties may also choose to make a personal inquiry by stopping by the office or sending a mail request for tax information to the Property Appraiser Office:
1st Floor, Room 301
N. Olive Avenue,
West Palm Beach, FL 33401.
How to Find Palm Beach County Property Appraiser
On the Property Appraiser Web Page, interested parties can locate Palm Beach County Property Appraisers. Users can access several appraiser alternatives by simply visiting the website. Under the department’s area, one can find a number of possibilities. The user will be given the pertinent information, including the addresses and other contact details necessary to access the desired service, by selecting the preferred option, for instance, Residential Appraisal Service.
The Palm Beach County Property Assessor office provides the following service to residents:
- Find the taxable values for more than 640,000 properties and close to 60,000 accounts for tangible personal property in Palm Beach County.
- Give properties that fit specified criteria tax exemptions.
- Upkeep of the county's official map and records of land ownership.
The Property Appraiser's Office has more credentialed appraisal professionals than any other jurisdiction in the US, with more than 200 employees spread throughout five service sites in Palm Beach County. Its workforce contains more than 67 percent Certified Florida Evaluators. There are 40 Florida State licensed appraisers, 12 Appraisal Institute designees, and 38 International Association of Assessing Officers (IAAO) designees.
The Property Appraisers' office centers are located in the following places and are open from 8:30 A.M to 5:00 P.M., Monday through Friday:
Main Office & Downtown Service Center
County Governmental Center
Main Office – 5th Floor
Downtown Service Center (Exemptions) – 1st Floor
301 North Olive Avenue
West Palm Beach, FL 33401
Fax: (561) 355-2866
South County Service Center
14925 Cumberland Drive
Delray Beach, FL 33446
Fax: (561) 276-1250
North County Service Center
3188 PGA Boulevard, 2nd Floor
Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410
Fax: (561) 624-6521
Mid-West County Service Center
200 Civic Center Way, Suite 200
Royal Palm Beach, FL 33411
Phone: (561) 784-1220
Belle Glade Service Center
2976 State Road 15
Belle Glade, FL 33430
Fax: (561) 996-4890
