We Buy Houses Across Miami-Dade County

Miami-Dade has two layers of local government. Each city has its own building official, who handles permits, inspections and building recertification inside that city. Properties in unincorporated Miami-Dade are handled by the county, and you can spot them by a folio number that starts with 30 on the Property Appraiser’s site. Before you sell, find out which office has your file. A city permit will not appear in a county search, and a county violation will not show up at city hall.

For unincorporated properties, the county says sellers of residential property must disclose illegal construction and outstanding code violations. It also warns that many home inspections do not check for them. The county offers a lien search ($250 per folio, with a letter listing all violations) and an open-permit search ($43.75 per address or folio). Inside a city, ask that city for its own lien and permit letters. The City of Miami and Doral, for example, run their own recertification programs.

The county has required building recertification since 1975. It is still called “40-year recertification,” but under Section 8-11(f) of the county code, buildings built in 1993 or later now come due at 30 years and every 10 years after that. Coastal condo and co-op buildings of three or more stories built in 1998 or later come due at 25. Single-family homes and duplexes are exempt, so the program mostly affects condo owners and owners of triplexes and larger buildings.

Once the formal notice arrives, the reports are due within 90 days. A missed deadline brings a $510 citation, and penalties can build up to $10,000 per violation and become a lien. If you are selling a condo, the association’s recertification and milestone status, and any assessment tied to the repairs, will be among the first things a buyer asks about. Our recertification guide explains how the county program and Florida’s milestone law fit together.

Estates are handled by the Eleventh Judicial Circuit’s Probate Division at the Osvaldo N. Soto Miami-Dade Justice Center. Whoever holds the original will must deposit it with the Clerk within 10 days of learning of the death. The Clerk’s small-estate process is only for personal property worth $6,000 or less, no more than the funeral bill, and with no real property. An inherited house therefore needs a different probate proceeding, which a Florida probate attorney can explain.

Miami-Dade foreclosure auctions are held online through the Clerk’s official sale site, and bidders must register first. If a sale brings in more than the debt, the Clerk tells former owners to call its Foreclosure Unit within 10 days of the certificate of sale. You do not need a lawyer to claim surplus funds. This is general information, not legal advice; talk to a Florida attorney or a HUD-approved housing counselor about your case.