Official Records
Broward County Official Records are the County’s recorded documents and land records. This article explains which County office maintains them, how to search the official system, what information to have ready, which older records the website covers, and where to turn for help with a search or document image.
The Office Behind Official Records
Broward County’s Records, Taxes, and Treasury Division is the statutory repository for the County’s Official Records. Its Recording Office records documents into the County’s official land records. The division also handles other County functions, but a person looking for a recorded document should focus on its Official Records search and Recording Office.
The Broward County Official Records search offers several ways to locate a document. You can search by a party’s name, book and page, document type, instrument number, case number, consideration amount, record date, or parcel number. A simple search also offers prompts for common needs, such as locating a deed or looking for a lien filed against a person.
Choose a search method based on the information you already have. A recorded document reference, such as an instrument number or book and page, calls for a different search than a person’s name. A case number and a parcel number also have separate search options. Keeping those identifiers distinct can save time when a search returns no result.
Information to Gather Before Searching
You do not need every detail shown below. Start with the most specific information available for the document you want, then try another supported search method if the first one does not locate it.
For a name search: Have the name of a person or other party associated with the recorded document. The system searches parties identified as grantors or grantees.
For a recorded document reference: Have its instrument number or its book and page information, if either appears on paperwork you already hold.
For a property-related search: Have the parcel number if you intend to use the Parcel ID option.
For a date search: Have the document’s record date. The Date Recorded option searches a single day.
For a narrower document search: Identify the document type, case number, or consideration range that matches the search option you plan to use.
Pay particular attention to the difference between a date on a document and its record date. The website describes its date search as a search of the day a document was recorded. If the only date you have comes from a document you have not yet matched to a County record, do not assume it will produce the same result.
Searching by Party Name
The party name search looks for a grantor or grantee on an Official Records document. This is a useful starting point when you know a party’s name but do not have an instrument number or book and page. The County advises users to search all possible spelling variations of proper names to maximize results.
A missing result under one spelling does not, by itself, establish that no document was recorded. Try reasonable variations of the proper name you are researching. If you also have a document reference, use the relevant number-based search to see whether it locates the record more directly. For records from part of the 1970s, name searching is limited by the website’s coverage rules, described below.
Finding a Deed or Lien
The County’s simple search presents generic search choices. Its examples include “I need a copy of my Deed” and “Are there any Liens filed against me?” Those prompts can help when you know the kind of record you are looking for but are unsure which search category to choose.
A simple search is a way to locate Official Records documents; the wording of a prompt is not a finding about a property or person. Review the records returned and their details to identify the document relevant to your question. If you already have its instrument number or book and page, searching that reference may be more useful than starting with a broad prompt.
For a property record, avoid treating every identifier as interchangeable. The system offers a Parcel ID search for a parcel number, a Name search for a recorded party, and separate searches for an instrument number and book and page. Choose the field that corresponds to the information in front of you.
Document Numbers and Book References
Instrument Number Search
An instrument number is one of the identifiers accepted by the instrument number search. Use this option when you have that number for an Official Records document. It is especially relevant to the older-record period for which the website allows instrument number searching but does not provide its full set of search methods.
Enter the identifier in the search option labeled for instrument numbers rather than the Case # or Parcel ID option. The labels refer to different ways of finding recorded documents. If an existing document gives you a book and page instead, use the search designed for that reference.
Book and Page Search
The book and page search is intended for an Official Records book and page reference. Keep any book type shown with an older reference: the County says records from a specified 1972–1977 period can be searched by book type and book/page range, among other limited methods.
Book and page information is different from a parcel number, case number, or record date. When you copy a reference from paperwork, identify what each part represents before selecting a search. This matters most when researching older material, because the website’s available search fields change with the record date.
Other Ways to Narrow Results
Document Type and Parcel ID
The document type search looks for specified types of Official Records documents. It may be useful when you know the type of document but lack its exact recorded reference. Because a document type can describe more than one record, use any other details you have to assess the results.
The Parcel ID search accepts a parcel number for Official Records documents. Select it when the parcel number is the identifier you have. The presence of a parcel search does not change the purpose of the system: it searches recorded documents, so review the document details returned rather than assuming a parcel number alone answers your records question.
Case Number and Consideration
The Official Records system also has a Case # search. Its description says it performs a case number search on Official Records documents. That wording matters: this option is part of the recorded-document system. If you are trying to identify a recorded document associated with a case number, select the Case # option; do not enter the number into the instrument or parcel field.
A separate Consideration Amount option searches an upper and lower bound price range on Official Records documents. It is a way to filter a records search when that information is relevant to the document you seek. A consideration range is not the same identifier as an instrument number, book and page, or parcel number.
Record Date Search
The Date Recorded option searches Official Records documents for a single day. Use it when you know the record date and can reasonably narrow your search to that day. If you only know an approximate period, the single-day design may make another search option more practical as a first attempt.
For older records, record date is also one of the limited search methods the County identifies. Check the date ranges below before relying on a name or document type search for a record from the 1970s.
Which Record Dates Are Searchable?
The County’s online coverage differs for plats and maps, newer Official Records documents, and older documents. These limits are useful to check before repeating a search that returns nothing.
Plats and Maps
All plats and maps are searchable on the Official Records site regardless of record date. This is a specific exception to the date limits stated for other Official Records documents. If you are researching a plat or map, do not apply the older-document cutoff below to it.
Documents Recorded Since July 1977
Official Records documents other than plats and maps recorded from July 7, 1977, at 1:47 p.m. forward are fully searchable on the site. The available search choices include the methods described above. The County still advises checking spelling variations when searching proper names, and users remain responsible for assessing the information returned.
Documents From March 1972 to July 1977
Documents recorded from March 9, 1972, at 11:28 a.m. through July 7, 1977, at 1:46 p.m. have more limited online search options. The County states that this group can be searched by instrument number, book type, book/page range, and record date only. It identifies instrument numbers 72041445–77145342 and book/page range O 4794/1–7101/999 for this period.
If a name search fails for a document recorded during this period, switch to one of the methods the County identifies for it. An instrument number or book reference from existing paperwork is especially useful because those searches are available for the period. A single known record date is another supported route.
Earlier Documents
Documents recorded before March 9, 1972, at 11:28 a.m. are not currently available on the site. A failed online search for a document from before that cutoff should be read in light of this coverage limit. The County’s statement about plats and maps remains separate: it says those are searchable regardless of record date.
Reviewing Results and Document Images
Once a search produces results, compare the document details with the information you started with, such as the party name, instrument number, book and page, document type, parcel number, or record date. A result that shares one detail may still require a closer look to determine whether it is the document you meant to locate.
The County presents the electronic search as a public service and says it has tried to ensure its accuracy. It does not guarantee the accuracy or reliability of the content and places responsibility for assessing it on the user. This is a reason to read the document and its identifying details, especially when several results have similar names or when a decision depends on an exact recorded reference.
If you can locate a result but have trouble searching further or viewing its image, the website provides a search and image support page. The support material includes a guide to searching and viewing images and contact information for Records, Taxes and Treasury Search and Copy. The Official Records site also directs users experiencing problems to the Support link at the top left of its screen.
Public Information and Recording Options
The Official Records site includes an option concerning the removal or blocking of information from public records. Broward County also provides a County page for removal or blocking requests. Go to that County information when your concern is information appearing in a public record, rather than trying to resolve it through a different search field.
The site also points users to information about electronic recording vendors. Electronic recording concerns submitting documents for recording; searching the Official Records system concerns locating documents in the records. If your task is to submit a document, look for the electronic recording information on the County’s Official Records site or contact the Recording Office.
For people who need records data in bulk, the Records, Taxes and Treasury Division says it provides access to 10 continuous days of Official Records FTP files at no charge. The files contain quality-assured images and index data prepared by the Broward County Recording Office. The site directs users seeking details or more bulk data to its FTP access information or the division. That bulk-file service serves a different need from looking up an individual document through the search options.
Common Search Mistakes
A search is more useful when the selected field matches both the identifier you have and the record period you are researching. Before deciding that a document cannot be found, check these common points of confusion:
Searching only one spelling: The County recommends trying all possible spelling variations of proper names.
Using a name for a limited-period record: For documents recorded from March 9, 1972, at 11:28 a.m. through July 7, 1977, at 1:46 p.m., use the County’s stated instrument number, book type, book/page, or record date methods.
Mixing up numbers: Instrument number, case number, parcel number, and book and page each have their own search context.
Searching the wrong date: The Date Recorded option is for a single record date, which may differ from a date appearing on paperwork.
Overlooking the older-record cutoff: Documents recorded before March 9, 1972, at 11:28 a.m. are not currently available on this site, while plats and maps are searchable regardless of record date.
Treating a search result as conclusive: Compare the returned document and its identifying details with the record you intended to find.
When a search remains unresolved, note the exact information you used and which search options you tried before contacting the Recording Office. That gives the office a clearer description of the document and the difficulty you encountered. For a technical problem with searching or images, the site’s support information is the more direct starting point.
Relevant Office
Broward County Records, Taxes, and Treasury Division — Recording Office
115 S. Andrews Ave., Room 114, Broward County Governmental Center, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
954-831-4000
Official Records FAQs
Why won’t a document image open?
First, check whether your browser blocked a pop-up window when you selected the image. If it did, allow the window from Broward County’s Official Records site and try again. The County’s search and image support page also says JavaScript and cookies must be enabled. Its browser instructions include references to older software and another county, so use your browser’s current settings when checking those options.
How do I print document details?
Open the document details screen for the record you want. The County’s support instructions say that, in Chrome, you can right-click near the index information and select Print. In Firefox, use the browser’s Print command. Check the print preview before printing, especially if the document details extend beyond the visible part of the screen. These instructions concern the details page; if you need the recorded document image, open and review that image separately.
Can I make search results easier to read?
Yes. On the results page, the County says you can drag the right edge of a column to change its width. If the page appears too small or too large, adjust your browser’s zoom setting. For a printed search report, check the preview and consider landscape orientation if columns are being cut off. Resizing a column changes how the results appear on your screen; it does not change the underlying record.
How can I request that personal information be hidden?
Use Broward County’s removal or blocking information page to find the County’s request process. Identify the specific record and information that concerns you before submitting a request. Finding information in an online result does not mean it can automatically be removed; follow the County’s instructions for the type of information involved.