To find code violations or liens on a Florida property before you buy, run two searches. Order a lien search from the city, or ask the county’s code office if the land is unincorporated, and ask about open violations. Then search the county’s official records, where a code fine order can be recorded as a lien.

A code fine does not vanish when the house goes on the market. Under Florida law a recorded fine order becomes a lien against the land where the violation exists, and it can sit in the public records while the listing photos show fresh paint. The code enforcement statute’s own disclosure rule covers only one stage of a case, which makes checking for code liens before buying your job.

A code enforcement lien under section 162.09, Florida Statutes, is a lien created when a certified copy of an order imposing a code fine is recorded, and it attaches to the land where the violation exists and to other property the violator owns.

A code lien starts as a fine nobody paid

The mechanics are in section 162.09, Florida Statutes, which sets the rules for local code enforcement boards and special magistrates. When one of them fines a violator, “a certified copy of an order imposing a fine, or a fine plus repair costs, may be recorded in the public records and thereafter shall constitute a lien against the land on which the violation exists.” The same sentence reaches “any other real or personal property owned by the violator.”

The meter keeps running. Section 162.09 says a fine “shall continue to accrue until the violator comes into compliance or until judgment is rendered in a suit filed pursuant to this section, whichever occurs first.” Not counting repair costs, the default caps are $250 per day for a first violation and $500 per day for a repeat violation, and up to $5,000 per violation if the board finds the violation irreparable or irreversible. A county or city with a population of 50,000 or more may adopt higher limits by an ordinance passed by at least a majority plus one of its entire governing body, up to $1,000 per day per violation for a first violation, $5,000 per day per violation for a repeat violation and up to $15,000 per violation if the violation is irreparable or irreversible. The statute sets a separate, higher limit for the knowing and willful demolition of certain historic buildings.

The statute’s disclosure rule has a narrow window

Chapter 162 makes a seller talk at one stage of a code case. Under section 162.06, Florida Statutes, the duty applies when the owner of property “subject to an enforcement proceeding before an enforcement board, special magistrate, or court transfers ownership of such property between the time the initial pleading was served and the time of the hearing.” In that window the seller must:

1. Disclose, in writing, the existence and the nature of the proceeding to the buyer.
2. Deliver copies of the pleadings, notices and other case materials the seller received.
3. Disclose, in writing, that the new owner will be responsible for compliance with the code and with orders issued in the case.
4. File a notice of the transfer with the code enforcement official, with copies of those disclosures, within 5 days after the transfer.

Skipping the first three before the transfer “creates a rebuttable presumption of fraud.” The case also survives the sale: the statute says the proceeding “shall not be dismissed,” and the new owner gets “a reasonable period of time to correct the violation before the hearing is held.”

Now look at what that window leaves out. The duty runs only from service of the initial pleading to the hearing, so other stages of a code case can fall outside it. That gap is where buyers get surprised, and the fix is simple: you ask the government directly. Whether a seller owes you any other disclosure under Florida law or your contract is a question for a licensed Florida attorney.

Run the city search and the county search

The three cities below each publish how to request a lien search. The City of Pembroke Pines says “Interested parties, such as title companies and individuals, can request the City to check its records for outstanding liens against a property.” Prices, speed and method are local.

These are local practices, not state law. For unincorporated land, ask the county’s code enforcement office; the guide to city or county jurisdiction shows how to tell which government you are dealing with.

The city letter is only half the job. The City of Doral says its letter “does not include any information regarding liens, assessments or other charges imposed by Miami-Dade County or any other agency” and that it “shall not relieve the requesting party from the responsibility of searching the Public Records of Miami-Dade County, Florida, for all liens or other documents recorded by the City of Doral.” Pembroke Pines adds that “There may be other encumbrances against the property imposed by Broward County.” In Broward County, the Records, Taxes, and Treasury Division “is the statutory repository for the Official Records of the County.”

A buyer’s checklist for code liens before buying

1. Get the folio or parcel number. Doral, for one, will not run a search without it, and the city points requesters to the Miami-Dade County Property Appraiser’s website to find it.
2. Order the city’s lien search, or ask the county’s code enforcement office if the land is unincorporated.
3. Search the county’s official records for recorded code enforcement orders and liens, and ask your title professional what their search covers.
4. Ask code enforcement about open cases. Pembroke Pines separates its lien search from “outstanding code violations (including violations that have not yet reached the lien status).” An open case may not have reached lien status yet, and Tampa’s lien-search page warns that “failure to resolve the violations may result in a lien against the property after conveyance.”
5. Ask the building department about open permits. Pembroke Pines says to “contact the Building Department for open building permit searches.”
6. Keep every letter and printout, with its date. Tampa’s payoff letter, for one, is valid for 45 days.

What a hit means for your contract or closing is a legal question for a licensed Florida attorney.

How long a code lien lasts, and what homestead changes

A lien under the Local Government Code Enforcement Boards Act runs on a 20-year clock. Section 162.10, Florida Statutes, says no lien under the Local Government Code Enforcement Boards Act “shall continue for a period longer than 20 years after the certified copy of an order imposing a fine has been recorded, unless within that time an action is commenced” in court.

Inside that time, the government has tools. Under section 162.09, after 3 months the enforcement board may authorize the local government’s attorney to foreclose on an unpaid lien or sue for a money judgment, but “No lien created pursuant to the provisions of this part may be foreclosed on real property which is a homestead under s. 4, Art. X of the State Constitution.” The same subsection says “The money judgment provisions of this section shall not apply to real property or personal property which is covered under s. 4(a), Art. X of the State Constitution.” The board may also reduce a fine, and the local government may “execute a satisfaction or release of lien.”

A recorded lien is a public document with a date and a fine order behind it, and a payoff letter shows what the government says is owed. Read the paper before your name is on the deed.

Where SNITCH fits in

SNITCH is a Florida administrative filing service that prepares and submits municipal code-enforcement complaints for its clients. You send the property address, photos and a short description of the violation, and SNITCH identifies the ordinance and files with the city or county office that has jurisdiction over the address.

SNITCH files under its own name and business address as the complainant of record, and your name and contact information do not appear on the complaint it submits. The complaint states that SNITCH filed it on behalf of a client. That reduces your exposure; it doesn’t erase it. How much protection you get depends on the municipality and on Florida’s public-records law, and records a local government keeps that link you to the report can still be disclosable.

SNITCH complies with court orders and subpoenas, which can include disclosing the client’s name, and a property owner can sometimes work out who filed a single, specific complaint. Some jurisdictions do not accept a complaint filed by an agent, and SNITCH does not file there. SNITCH declines submissions that appear to come from personal disputes, legal feuds, retaliation or harassment, and you are responsible for the truthfulness of what you send.

SNITCH does not investigate violations, decide outcomes or promise that an agency will act, and it is not a law firm. The SB 60 page and the rights page cover what Florida’s complaint and public-records rules mean for the person who reports. To file a code complaint this way, start a filing here.

FAQ

Does a Florida seller have to tell me about code violations?

Florida’s code enforcement statute requires it in one narrow window. Section 162.06, Florida Statutes, requires written disclosure when the property is transferred between the time the initial pleading in a code enforcement proceeding was served and the time of the hearing, and skipping it creates a rebuttable presumption of fraud. The rule does not cover every stage of a case, so run your own search, and ask a licensed Florida attorney about any other disclosure duties.

How do I check for code enforcement liens on a house in Florida?

Order a lien search from the city, or ask the county’s code office if the land is unincorporated, then search the county’s official records. Doral says its city lien letter does not replace a search of the Public Records of Miami-Dade County. The city or county guide helps you find the right government.

Can the city foreclose on my home for a code lien?

Section 162.09, Florida Statutes, says no lien under that part “may be foreclosed on real property which is a homestead under s. 4, Art. X of the State Constitution.” Outside that bar, the enforcement board may authorize foreclosure or a suit for a money judgment after a lien has been unpaid for 3 months, and the statute says the money judgment provisions do not apply to property covered under s. 4(a), Art. X of the State Constitution. Whether a property qualifies as homestead is a question for a licensed Florida attorney.

Do code enforcement liens expire in Florida?

Liens under the Local Government Code Enforcement Boards Act do, after 20 years, unless a court action is started first. Section 162.10, Florida Statutes, limits those liens to 20 years after the fine order is recorded, unless an action is commenced within that time.

Sources

• Section 162.06, Florida Statutes: Enforcement procedure (The Florida Senate)
• Section 162.09, Florida Statutes: Administrative fines; costs of repair; liens (The Florida Senate)
• Section 162.10, Florida Statutes: Duration of lien (The Florida Senate)
• Search Code Enforcement Liens and Utility Balances (City of Tampa)
• Code Violation Lien Searches (City of Doral)
• Lien Search (City of Pembroke Pines)
• Records, Taxes, and Treasury (Broward County)

All sources retrieved October 19, 2026. This article is general information, not legal advice. Local procedures and fees change, so confirm details with your city or county.