The Sarasota County Recorder is a function of the Clerk of the Circuit Court and County Comptroller, the office that accepts deeds, mortgages, liens, and other legal instruments for the Official Records and makes them searchable to the public. You can file in person at the downtown courthouse at 2000 Main Street in Sarasota or the South County Courthouse at 4004 South Tamiami Trail in Venice, by mail to either location, or electronically through an authorized e-recording vendor.1Sarasota Clerk of the Circuit Court and County Comptroller. Office Locations and Hours Documents recorded since January 1990 are available to search for free at secure.sarasotaclerk.com.2Sarasota Clerk of the Circuit Court and County Comptroller. Official Records Search
What Gets Recorded
Florida Statute 28.222 sets the categories the Clerk must accept for recording when a document is properly prepared and the fees are paid.3The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 28.222 – Clerk to Be County Recorder In Sarasota County, that means:
- Property instruments including deeds, mortgages, bills of sale, easements, assignments, releases, and satisfactions of mortgages or liens.
- Certified copies of judgments from Florida courts or federal courts with jurisdiction in the state, and notices of lis pendens showing that litigation is pending against a property.
- Tax liens, notices of levy, and other claims that attach a financial obligation to real or personal property.
- Certified death certificates authorized by the Florida Department of Health.
- The service portion of a veteran’s DD-214, recorded at no cost to the veteran.
- Marriage licenses and other personal-status documents authorized by law.
The office records what is submitted; it does not decide whether a document is accurate, fair, or advisable. That is why the alphabetical index of parties matters: it lets title companies, lenders, and ordinary buyers trace ownership and spot outstanding claims against a property.
Recording Fees and Transfer Taxes
The Clerk charges $10.00 for the first page of a recorded document and $8.50 for each additional page, provided the paper is no larger than 8½ by 14 inches. Plats cost $30.00 for the first page and $15.00 for each additional page.4Sarasota Clerk of the Circuit Court and County Comptroller. Recording Fees and Taxes Required Those fees pay for recording, indexing, and filing only.
Transfers of real property carry a separate documentary stamp tax of $0.70 per $100 of consideration. On a $400,000 sale, that comes to $2,800 in doc stamps on the deed.5Florida Department of Revenue. Documentary Stamp Tax Promissory notes and other written obligations to pay money are taxed at $0.35 per $100 of the debt, capped at $2,450 per note.6The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 201.08 – Tax on Promissory or Nonnegotiable Notes and Written Obligations to Pay Money
A few common transfers are exempt from doc stamps. Deeds between spouses or former spouses conveying the marital home as part of a divorce do not trigger the tax, and neither do transfers of homestead property between spouses where the only consideration is the existing mortgage balance.7The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 201.02 – Tax on Deeds and Other Instruments Relating to Real Property
When a mortgage or other lien on Florida real property is recorded, a one-time nonrecurring intangible tax of 2 mills per dollar also applies. That works out to $2.00 for every $1,000 of the mortgage, or 0.2%. A $300,000 mortgage carries $600 in intangible tax, collected at recording.8The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 199.133 – Levy of Nonrecurring Tax On a refinance, the tax generally applies only to new money borrowed above the existing balance.
How to Submit a Document
Walk-in filing is the fastest option for most individuals. Bring the original document and payment to either the Sarasota or Venice counter; the clerk stamps the original and returns it to you the same day.
Mail submissions go to either office. Include the original document, full payment for recording fees and any applicable taxes, and a self-addressed stamped envelope for the return of the recorded original. Mail filings are processed in the order received.
Title companies, law firms, and other high-volume filers submit through authorized third-party e-recording vendors. Scanned documents and electronic payment travel to the Clerk, and the recorded image comes back in the same session.
Formatting Rules That Keep Documents from Being Rejected
Florida Statute 695.26 sets the formatting standards for any instrument affecting real property, and the Clerk can refuse to record a document that fails to meet them.9The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 695.26 – Requirements for Recording Instruments Affecting Real Property The requirements to check before you file:
- A 3-inch by 3-inch blank space in the upper-right corner of the first page and a 1-inch by 3-inch blank space in the same corner of every additional page, reserved for the recording stamp.
- A “Prepared by” statement showing the name and mailing address of the person who drafted the document.
- The name of each signer, witness, and notary legibly printed or typed directly beneath every signature.
- For instruments other than mortgages, the name and mailing address of every grantee.
Deeds and other instruments transferring an interest in real property must also be signed in the presence of two subscribing witnesses under Florida Statute 689.01. Those witnesses may be physically present or, under Florida’s remote online notarization law, present through audio-video technology.10The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 689.01 – How Real Property Transferred A notary acknowledgment is standard for most real property recordings.
Searching Records and Ordering Certified Copies
The Clerk’s free online search at secure.sarasotaclerk.com covers documents recorded from January 1990 forward. You can search by party name, by instrument number, or by book and page reference, and view or print non-certified images at no charge.2Sarasota Clerk of the Circuit Court and County Comptroller. Official Records Search
If a court, lender, or agency requires a certified copy, the Clerk will produce one for a fee. Certified copies carry an official seal confirming the document is a true reproduction of the record. Requests can be made online through the Official Records portal or in person at either office.11Sarasota Clerk of the Circuit Court and County Comptroller. Records
Fixing an Error in a Recorded Document
A typo in a recorded deed can cloud title for years, so Florida provides a specific curative procedure for a “scrivener’s error,” meaning a single mistake in the legal description of the property. A transposed lot number, a wrong condo unit, or an incorrect directional reference can be fixed through this streamlined route.12The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 689.041 – Curative Procedure for Scrivener’s Errors in Deeds
Several conditions must be true to qualify. The grantor on the original deed must have held title to the intended property at signing and must not have owned other property in the same subdivision, condo development, or section within the five years before the deed was recorded. The property cannot be described solely by metes and bounds. When those conditions are met, you record a curative notice in the Official Records that identifies the error, states the correct description, and references the original deed’s recording information.
Documents with more than one error do not qualify. Those generally require a corrective deed signed by the original grantor or their successors and recorded as a new instrument, or a quiet title action if the grantor is unavailable or uncooperative.
Removing Social Security and Account Numbers from Public Images
Because Official Records are public by default, older documents sometimes expose Social Security numbers, bank account numbers, or credit card numbers online. Florida Statute 119.0714 gives you two protections. Since October 2002, anyone preparing a document for recording has been prohibited from including a Social Security or financial account number unless a specific law requires it.13The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 119.0714 – Court Records and Official Records
If your number already appears in an existing recorded image, you can request free redaction. Send the Sarasota County Clerk a signed written request identifying the specific document and page where the number appears, in person, by mail, by fax, or electronically. The Clerk cannot charge a fee for this service, and the redaction request itself is kept confidential.
Penalties for Filing a False Document
Recording a document that contains materially false information with intent to defraud is a third-degree felony under Florida Statute 817.535, punishable by up to five years in prison. A second or subsequent offense is a second-degree felony.14The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 817.535 – Unlawful Filing of False Documents or Records Against Real or Personal Property15The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 775.082 – Penalties, Applicability of Sentencing Structures, Notification to Department of Corrections The statute reaches fraudulent liens, fabricated deeds, and forged satisfactions of mortgage. Because the Clerk records what is submitted without verifying its accuracy, the legal consequences for fraud fall on the filer.