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Official Records

ADDRESS, LOCATION, AND HOURS

Physical/Overnight Delivery Address:
Orange County Comptroller’s Official Records
109 E. Church St., Suite 300
Orlando FL 32801

Location:
Downtown Orlando, corner of Church Street and Magnolia Avenue
Driving directions: click here

Mailing Address:
Orange County Comptroller’s Official Records
PO Box 38,
Orlando FL 32802-0038

Web: www.occompt.com
Phone: (407) 836-5115
Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.,
Monday through Friday, except holidays

BIRTH CERTIFICATE

Birth certificates are not recorded in the Orange County Official Records. To obtain a copy of a FLORIDA birth certificate, visit the Orange County Health Department, Office of Vital Statistics. Contact the state where born for non-Florida birth certificates or check online at VitalCheck Express.

Address: 832 W. Central Blvd., Orlando FL 32805
Main Phone: (407) 836-7128

Branches:

CONFIDENTIALITY REQUEST

A Confidentiality Request Form for law enforcement/public safety personnel to block information from public view on the internet can be downloaded from https://www.occompt.com/official-records/confidentiality-request-form/.

An individual can submit this request to remove information from public inspection in the Orange County Official Records in accordance with Florida Statutes 119.071, 493.6122, and/or 741.465.

DEATH CERTIFICATE

Death certificates relating to real estate transactions can be recorded in the Orange County Official Records (for Florida—must not show cause of death). Only UNALTERED copies are accepted for recording. Examples of altered copies could include: cause of death covered up or cut out of document; prepared by and return to information on face of document; writings in margins; handwritten or scribbled notes on face and back of document, etc.

To obtain a copy of a death certificate for Orange County, visit the Orange County Health Department, Office of Vital Statistics. Death certificates for other Florida counties may be obtained by contacting the Florida Department of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, at (904) 359-6900. For non-Florida death certificates, check online at VitalCheck Express.

Address: 832 W. Central Blvd., Orlando FL 32805
Web: Death Certificates | Florida Department of Health in Orange (floridahealth.gov)
Main Phone: (407) 858-1460

Branches:

NOTE: To record Florida Death Certificates, you must obtain a certified copy from the Orange County Health Department or Florida Department of Health, Office of Vital Statistics, without the cause of death shown.

Cost: Typical cost for recording a one-page death certificate is $10.

DECLARATION OF DOMICILE

Orange County Public Schools (OCPS) no longer accepts/requires a Declaration of Domicile form as verification of residency. For more details on other forms of verification, Visit our website or call Pupil Assignment at (407) 317-3200.

To record a Declaration of Domicile for other reasons, download and complete the form. Complete the form and have it notarized prior to coming to Official Records ($10.00 fee). If obtaining the form directly from Official Records, complete it on site and take the required oath ($10.00 fee + $3.50 oath = $13.50). No other documentation is required.

DEEDS AND TRANSFER OF TITLE
  • LEGAL ADVICE CANNOT BE PROVIDED
    The Orange County Comptroller’s Official Records staff cannot and will not provide legal advice, nor can they help you with preparing legal forms.
  • CORRECT OR ADD/REMOVE NAME FROM DEED
    We strongly recommend that you consult with a real property attorney or legal advisor if you wish to correct (i.e., misspelled name, wrong legal description, scrivener’s error) or add/remove a name on a deed (i.e., transfer title to property). To obtain the name of a Florida real property attorney/legal advisor, contact the Florida Bar Association. Once the appropriate documentation resulting from the transfer is completed and ready for recording, it must meet the recording criteria outlined in Florida Statutes, Section 695.26.
  • DEED FORMS
    We do not provide deed forms. They can be purchased from many stationery stores or downloaded from on-line web sites, depending upon what you are trying to do. We strongly encourage you to consult with an attorney or legal advisor to be sure that the form you use is appropriate for your situation. Once the appropriate form is completed and ready for filing in the Official Records, it must meet the recording criteria outlined in Florida Statutes, Section 695.26. Other statutes may also apply.
  • FEES
    The per page cost to record a deed is $10.00 for the first page and $8.50 for each additional page. If there are more than four names on the document, each additional name costs $1.00, and any variation of the name is counted as a separate name. In most cases, documentary stamp taxes (also known as excise taxes) must also be paid at the time of recording
  • REQUIREMENTS
    There are multiple requirements for deed documents. Please check Florida Statutes, Section 695.26.
  • SUBSCRIBING WITNESSES
    A deed or other transfer document recorded in the Orange County Official Records without two subscribing witnesses may not be recognized by the Orange County Property Appraiser’s Office for tracking ownership changes in the tax roll records (see Florida Statute 689.01). Nonetheless, if you insist on recording a document that does not meet this criteria, we will record the document [statutory authority provided in Florida Statutes 695.03 and 695.26(1)(c)]. Be aware that we will not refund money to customers for recording a document without two witnesses, and we will not record for free a document which was modified after being recorded the first time.
  • TIME FRAME
    It normally takes 7-10 BUSINESS DAYS to record a deed received by mail. If time is of the essence, you should consider bringing the document into the office and waiting for it to be recorded.
  • Mailing Address:
    Orange County Comptroller’s Official Records Department
    PO Box 38
    Orlando FL 32802-0038
    Phone: (407) 836-5115
  • Physical Address/Overnight Delivery:
    Orange County Comptroller’s Official Records Department
    109 E. Church St., Suite 300
    Orlando FL 32801
DOCUMENTARY STAMP TAXES

Documentary stamp taxes (also known as doc stamps or excise taxes) are taxes imposed by Florida law on transactions involving the transfer of ownership or interest in real estate. They are calculated, for recording purposes, as a percentage of either the consideration amount for a deed or the obligation amount for a mortgage. Documentary stamp taxes must be paid at the time of recording. Access the required Property Transfer Information FormClick here for more information.

DOCUMENTS NOT VIEWABLE ON THE WEB

In accordance with Section 28.2221(5)(a), Florida Statutes, the following document images are not viewable on our web site:

Document Type/Document Code 

  • Death Certificates = DC
  • Family Law (Domestic Relations)/Court Papers = DRCP & DRD
  • Juvenile Court Papers = JVCP
  • Mental Health Court Papers = MHCP
  • Military Discharges = MD
  • Probate Court Papers = PRCP
INSERTIONS

Please be advised that the Orange County Comptroller’s Official Records Department no longer performs insertions on documents submitted for recording. Should your document require recording information from a prior recording, you will be responsible for obtaining and entering the information yourself.

We realize that this may be an inconvenience for documents recorded simultaneously but we are not authorized by Florida Statute to perform such services. When considering alternatives, we highly recommend using eRecording as the necessary recording information is usually returned to you within hours.

JUDGMENTS

Search the Official Records index to determine if a judgment has been satisfied or paid off by:

  1. Entering a person’s name;
  2. Beginning with date of judgment to present; and
  3. Locating an entry referencing “S” or “Satisfaction” as the document type.

You can search the records on our web site or by coming to our office to see if a Satisfaction of Judgment has been recorded.

LIENS

We do not search for multiple liens on a piece of property. You may, however, search the Official Records on our web site, click here to identify any liens recorded against a particular name. Liens are recorded and indexed using the property owner(s) name and legal description. We will not provide any documentation (i.e., letter, etc.) indicating that there are no liens on a property. Call (407) 836-5115 if you require assistance navigating the web, and a customer service representative will be happy to help you.

MARRIAGE LICENSES

Effective July 1, 2017, Marriage Licenses are no longer recorded in the Official Records.

For copies of Marriage Licenses issued in Orange County BEFORE March 1, 1998 and AFTER June 30, 2017:

Copies can be obtained from the Orange County Clerk of Courts Records Management Division, located in the Orange County Courthouse located at:

425 N. Orange Avenue, Room 150
Orlando, FL 32801
Phone number: (407) 836-6321

For copies of Marriage Licenses issued in Orange County BETWEEN March 1, 1998 and June 30, 2017:

To search the Official Records web site for a copy of your Marriage License, accept the Disclaimer, view the Video Tutorial, and begin your search.  Once you locate the document, you may print directly from the PDF copy using the print icon.

– You may print a plain copy of the Marriage License from our web site for FREE

– You may also obtain plain or certified copies (for a fee) in person, by mail, or over the phone.

For information on how to order, call (407) 836-5115, option 2.

NOTE:  If unable to determine city/county in which a license was issued, contact the Department of Health, Division of Vital Statistics, (407) 836-7128 or check online at VitalCheck Express.

NOTICE OF COMMENCEMENT

Florida law requires that the Notice of Commencement form be recorded in the Official Records. The cost to record a one-page Notice of Commencement is $10.00. Customers typically purchase two (2) certified copies at $3.00 each at the time of recording. Click here for a copy of the form.

OWNER BY ADDRESS

With a property address, you can search the Orange County Property Appraiser’s web site at http://www.ocpafl.org/ to obtain information such as: Property Owner(s) Name, Parcel ID Number, Property Values, Exemptions, Taxes, Property Features, Sales Analysis, Location Information, Deed Book/Page, and Deed Instrument Number. Call (407) 836-5044 if you need assistance, and a customer service representative will be happy to help you.

PRINTING DOCUMENTS

You can print a copy of any document in the Official Records FOR FREE directly from our web site. Official Records documents are in PDF format, and there is no limit to the number of pages that can be printed. You will, however, need at least a 5.x version of Acrobat Reader (1.4 PDF Version) installed on your computer.

RECORDABLE DOCUMENTS

We can only accept documents that are authorized by Section 28.222, Florida Statutes.

Per Section 119.0714(3), Florida Statutes, any person preparing or filing a document for recordation in the Official Records may not include a social security number or a bank account, debit, charge, or credit card number in such a document unless required by law.

Responsibility for proper preparation of documents lies with the customer. We do not review the content of documents other than to ensure it meets the requirements for recording.

A document must be legible for recording. Any foreign language document must include a translation.

RECORDING TIMEFRAMES

We strive to process eRecordings within 24 hours of receiving them and are often recorded same day. All mail, regardless of delivery method are recorded in day received order, typically within three business days. The fastest way to have a document recorded is in person at 109 E Church Street, 32801.

SATISFACTION OF MORTGAGE

Once your financial institution determines that your mortgage has been paid off (i.e., satisfied), that company will issue a satisfaction document, which gets recorded in the Official Records. Once recorded in the Official Records, the company should send you the original document for your files. If you assumed a mortgage, you will want to get clarification from the financial institution or seller concerning in whose name the final satisfaction document will be issued.

SEARCH OFFICIAL RECORDS

You can access Official Records information on line from 1843 to present. You can search by recording date, either party name, document type, document number (a/k/a file or instrument number), or book and page numbers. Click here to search. If you want help, you can call our office at (407) 836-5115. Please keep in mind that extensive searches cannot be conducted over the phone. If you have never done a records search, click here for helping hints or click here to watch a video tutorial.

SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER REMOVAL

If your already recorded document contains a social security number, it can be covered up. As of October 1, 2002, any person preparing or filing a document for recording was not allowed to include a social security number on the documents. The Comptroller’s Office has done its best to cover up all social security numbers in all recorded documents. Click here if you find a document containing a social security number or call us at (407) 836-5115.

TAX DEEDS

Each year, real estate taxes are to be paid by March 31 to avoid becoming delinquent. If delinquent, the Tax Collector holds an auction in order to collect the taxes due. This auction is referred to as a Tax Certificate Sale (Florida Statutes 197.432). The successful bidder at this auction is issued a Tax Lien Certificate which ensures the bidder that the Tax Lien will be paid off, with interest. If the Tax Lien Certificate has not been paid off within two years, the holder of the certificate can apply to force a public auction of the property, also known as a Tax Deed Sale (Florida Statutes 197.542). The monies collected from this Tax Deed Sale are used to pay off the amount(s) owed to the Tax Lien Certificate holder and other costs incurred in the sale process.

Click here to learn more about Tax Deed Sales.

The Tax Deed Sales office is located at 109 E. Church St., Suite 300, in Downtown Orlando FL. Information concerning Tax Deed Sales can be obtained by searching available information on this web site, by visiting our office, or calling (407) 836-5116 during normal business hours. The file folder on each property to be sold is available on this web site. Customer service personnel will help you with your questions. Sales start at 10 am. The list of Lands Available for Taxes is properties which were offered, but not purchased, at a Tax Deed Sale. After 90 days, any person or governmental unit may purchase the land for the opening bid, plus omitted years taxes, as cited in Florida Administrative Code 12D-13.064(3).

TRANSFER OF LIEN

Florida Statute §713.24 permits an owner (or any other interested party) whose property is encumbered by a claim of lien to transfer that lien off the property to a different security, such as a cash deposit or surety bond.

Click here for information concerning Transfer of Lien to Cash.

Click here for information concerning Transfer of Lien to Bond.