Title Insurance Palm Beach County, FL

Title insurance coverage across Palm Beach County

Palm Beach County is the third most populous county in Florida, with 39 incorporated municipalities and significant unincorporated areas. Title work varies meaningfully by city. Code enforcement enforcement intensity, HOA prevalence, condo concentration, historic district overlays, and waterfront permit complexity all differ. Boca Raton's transaction profile looks nothing like Belle Glade's. The Town of Palm Beach has different conventions than West Palm Beach.

For hyperlocal title insurance work in our highest-volume markets, we maintain dedicated pages:

How does Palm Beach County closing custom compare to other Florida counties?

Florida title insurance custom varies by county. Knowing the local default matters because the contract starts with assumptions about who pays what, and a buyer or seller relocating from another county can end up surprised at closing.

The contract always controls. Custom is the default in the absence of negotiation. Our breakdown by county is in whether the buyer or seller pays for title insurance in Florida.

What a Palm Beach County title examination covers

A proper PBC title search pulls from multiple county and municipal record systems. We don't rely on a single source.

• Palm Beach County Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller. The primary recording office for all deeds, mortgages, satisfactions, easements, and judgment liens in the county. Records go back to county formation.
• Palm Beach County Property Appraiser. Assessed values, homestead status, exemption history, ownership timeline, and parcel details.
• Palm Beach County Tax Collector. Unpaid property taxes, outstanding tax certificates, scheduled or completed tax deed sales.
• Municipal lien searches. A separate workflow per municipality. WPB code enforcement is active and cumulative. Boca's permitting is strict. Each city's open permits, utility liens, and code violations live in city databases, not the County Clerk.
• HOA and condo association estoppels. PBC has high HOA prevalence. Estoppel letters reveal current and special assessments, transfer fees, and any approval requirements affecting the sale.
• 15th Judicial Circuit Court records. Outstanding judgments, ongoing litigation affecting parties or property, lis pendens filings.
• UCC and fixture filings. Relevant for commercial property with significant equipment, signage, or trade fixtures.

Title insurance cost for Palm Beach County properties

Florida title insurance rates are set by state regulation. The premium scales with purchase price but the rate per dollar of coverage decreases at higher price points. The premium is paid once at closing and provides coverage for as long as you (or your heirs) own the property.

Reissue rates may apply if the property changed hands within the past few years with a prior title policy issued. Extended or enhanced coverage costs slightly more and is appropriate for higher-value or waterfront properties where survey issues, encroachments, and post-policy fraud risks matter more.

The Palm Beach County closing process

A typical PBC closing follows a predictable sequence. Total timeline depends on whether financing is involved and how clean the title work is.

1. Contract execution. The Florida Realtors / Florida Bar "as-is" residential contract is the most common form. Effective date triggers all subsequent deadlines.
2. Title order placed. We open the file, order the title search and municipal lien search, and request HOA or condo estoppels if applicable.
3. Title commitment review. We review the commitment for clouds (unpaid liens, missing satisfactions, easement issues, probate gaps) and identify any required curative work.
4. Curative work, if needed. We resolve title defects: post bonds for missing satisfactions, file curative probate, clear code enforcement liens, or escrow funds to handle pending issues at closing.
5. Inspection period. Buyer's inspection period runs 10 to 15 days from effective date. Buyer can terminate for any reason during this window.
6. Loan processing. For financed transactions, the lender processes the appraisal, underwriting, and loan documents in parallel.
7. Closing disclosure. Three-day disclosure period (TRID rule for federally regulated loans) before closing.
8. Closing. Documents signed at our office or via remote online notarization. Funds disbursed.
9. Recording. Deed and mortgage recorded with the Palm Beach County Clerk. Policy issued shortly after.

For the full closing cost picture in Palm Beach County (title premiums, doc stamps, recording fees, attorney fees, and lender charges), see our breakdown of what Palm Beach County buyers and sellers actually pay at closing.

Common title issues across Palm Beach County

Inherited property without proper probate. A surprising number of PBC properties have title clouds from prior owner deaths where the estate was never properly administered. Curative probate clears these. For estates managed from out of state, our probate practice handles ancillary administration in parallel.

Condo non-warrantable status. Following the Surfside collapse, an expanding list of South Florida condo buildings have been added to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac non-warrantable lists, dramatically affecting financing and resale. Our piece on South Florida's mortgage blacklist covers the implications. We check warrantability on every condo transaction.

Old mortgages never satisfied of record. Common in older PBC neighborhoods (El Cid, Flamingo Park, Northwood Hills, Old Boca, Pineapple Grove) where homes have changed hands repeatedly over decades. We chase down satisfaction documentation or post bonds when the original lender no longer exists.

Waterfront and Intracoastal permit issues. Properties along the Intracoastal Waterway, Loxahatchee River, and ocean often have dock permits, seawall maintenance obligations, and submerged land leases that need careful review. Standard owner's policies frequently exclude survey issues for these properties. Extended coverage often makes sense.

HOA estoppel surprises. Special assessments levied for upcoming roof replacements, structural reserves, or compliance with new condo safety legislation can add tens of thousands to a closing. Estoppel letters reveal them. We request estoppels early enough to negotiate or escrow.

Why work with Kelley, Grant & Tanis, P.A.

Jerron Kelley leads the firm's title insurance and closing practice. His work focuses on landlord-tenant, title insurance, closings, and general real estate representation. He's a member in good standing of the Florida Bar. Full attorney bios on our attorneys page.

The firm is a direct agent for The Fund (Attorneys' Title Fund Services) and Westcor Land Title Insurance Company. Policies are underwritten in-house. No separate title company in the transaction, no handoff between closing attorney and title insurer, no marked-up middleman fee.

The firm has two offices in Palm Beach County:

• West Palm Beach Office: 1645 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd, Suite #1200-3, West Palm Beach, FL 33401
• Boca Raton Office: 370 Camino Gardens Blvd., Suite #301, Boca Raton, FL 33432

Most PBC closings can be handled remotely via electronic notarization. In-person closings at either office available on request.

Title work integrates with the firm's real estate, association law, estate planning, and probate practices.

Frequently Asked Questions