Selling a House With Code Violations or Code Liens in Broward County

Code enforcement in every Florida city and county runs under Chapter 162 of the Florida Statutes. A code inspector sends a notice, and if the violation is not fixed, the case goes to a code enforcement board or a special magistrate. Under section 162.09, the board can set a fine for each day the violation continues past its deadline: up to $250 a day for a first violation, $500 a day for a repeat violation, and up to $5,000 per violation for one that is irreparable or irreversible. Cities and counties with 50,000 or more residents can adopt higher caps by ordinance, up to $1,000 a day for a first violation and $5,000 a day for a repeat violation.

A certified copy of the fine order can be recorded in the public records. From then on it is a lien on the land where the violation exists and on any other real or personal property the violator owns. After a lien has gone unpaid for three months, the statute lets the local government foreclose it or sue for a money judgment, but it cannot foreclose on a homestead. The lien still stays on record and has to be dealt with when the house is sold.

In the City of Hollywood, for example, the City says uncorrected code cases go before a Special Magistrate, who can set a fine that accrues daily, and the City records it as a lien in the Broward County public records. Hollywood also lists other lien types that often show up on older houses: property maintenance liens for mowing, junk removal or pool cleaning the City did itself, unsafe structure liens for boarding up or demolition, and liens for unpaid water, sewer, stormwater and garbage charges.

Start with the folio number (Broward calls it the property ID) on the Broward County Property Appraiser’s site, bcpa.net. The record shows which city the property is in. If it is inside a city, that city’s code compliance office and special magistrate handle the case, and that city’s finance or treasury office runs its lien searches.

If the property is in unincorporated Broward, which the County calls the Broward Municipal Services District (BMSD) and which includes areas such as Franklin Park and Washington Park, Broward County handles code and building issues. The County’s Building Code Division says BMSD code violations can be reported through 311 or by calling 954-765-4400.

The City of Hollywood sells a Lien Search Report through its Treasury Services division. When this guide was updated, the fee for a residential property was $163 for standard service (8 to 10 business days) or $248 for expedited service (1 to 2 business days), with higher fees for non-residential property and possible extra charges per water meter. You need a separate request for each parcel, with the property ID, address and owner of record. The report lists liens in the City’s records, open code or building violations and open permits, and the accrued interest and fees needed to release recorded liens. The City notes that its report does not replace a search of the Broward County public records. If you are thinking about selling a house in Hollywood, this report is the first thing to order.

The City of Fort Lauderdale provides its lien search reports through Conduits, a system run by Net Assets Corporation. The City says these reports are usually requested by title companies, search agencies, escrow agents and other real estate professionals, though one-time access can be arranged. In practice, the title company handling your sale in Fort Lauderdale will order it.

Every other Broward city, including Pembroke Pines, Miramar, Davie and Coral Springs, has its own lien search request. A city search does not show liens recorded by other agencies, so title companies also check the county records.

Section 162.09 lets an enforcement board reduce a fine it has imposed, and most Broward cities have a written process for asking. Nearly all of them require the violation to be fixed first.

Fort Lauderdale runs a Lien Amnesty program. For fiscal year 2027, the City lists it as running from October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2027, with a standard 50% reduction for eligible residential properties and 25% for non-residential properties. The liened property and every other Fort Lauderdale property with the same owner must be in full compliance, there is a non-refundable $175 application fee, and the remaining fees and costs must be paid within 90 days of approval. Administrative fees, hard costs, demolition costs, utility liens and recording fees cannot be reduced. Applications go through the City’s LauderBuild portal.

Hollywood offers Lien Settlements for owners asking for a reduction or release. The City asks for documents showing the property complies with code, building and fire requirements, and applications go by email to its lien settlement office. When a Hollywood lien is paid, the City adds accrued interest (except on code enforcement fines, which are daily fines) and a $40 fee to remove the lien from the county records.

No reduction is guaranteed. The result depends on the city’s rules and the facts of the case. If the fines are large, a Florida attorney who handles code cases can tell you whether a reduction request is worth making before you set a price.

Section 162.06(5) of the Florida Statutes has a specific rule for owners who sell while a code case is pending. If you transfer the property after the initial pleading in the code case was served and before the hearing, you must, before the transfer, tell the buyer in writing that the case exists and what it is about, give the buyer copies of the notices and papers you received, and state in writing that the new owner will be responsible for fixing the violation and following any orders. Within 5 days after the transfer, you must file a notice with the code enforcement official with the new owner’s name and address and copies of those disclosures.

The statute says that skipping the written disclosures creates a rebuttable presumption of fraud. The case is not dismissed when the house changes hands; the new owner gets a reasonable time to fix the violation before the hearing. Even when no hearing is pending, telling the buyer in writing about every open violation and lien you know of is the safest course.

At closing, the title company asks each city for a payoff figure and pays recorded liens from your sale proceeds, the same way it pays a mortgage, and then records the releases. If fines are still running or a reduction request is pending, the closing agent may need a final figure, or may hold back money, before it can close.

An open violation is different from a lien. It is about the condition of the property and generally stays with it after the sale. Buyers with a loan often want violations fixed before closing. Cash buyers who buy as-is may take the property with the open cases and fix them after closing, and the price reflects that work.

Florida Cash For Home buys houses in Hollywood, Fort Lauderdale and across Broward County as-is, including houses with open code cases, liens or unpermitted work. We make a written cash offer, there are no commissions, and we pay the normal closing costs. Liens are paid or negotiated from the sale proceeds through the title company at closing, so you do not need cash up front to clear them.