Duval County Recorder: Search Deeds & Official Records
If you are searching for the Duval County Recorder, the office you actually need in Jacksonville is the Duval County Clerk of the Circuit and County Courts. Florida places the recording function with the Clerk, which maintains Duval County’s Official Records for deeds, mortgages, liens, satisfactions, judgments and other recordable instruments.
Use this guide to find a deed, identify a grantor or grantee, obtain a certified copy, research an older record, prepare a document for recording, estimate basic recording charges and avoid wasting time in the wrong county database.
Duval County Clerk of the Circuit and County Courts.
The Clerk states Official Records are searchable online from 1988 forward.
$10 first page and $8.50 for each additional page, before other applicable charges.
501 W. Adams St., Jacksonville, FL 32202.
(904) 255-2000.
Which Duval County property record do you actually need?
A common reason deed searches become frustrating is that three different public offices can show information about the same property but serve different purposes. A parcel page is not the deed itself, and a tax account is not the Official Record.
Use the Duval County Clerk Official Records. This is the controlling source for the recorded instrument.
Open Official RecordsUse the Duval County Property Appraiser. It is useful for finding the property before you move to the deed index.
Open Property AppraiserUse the Clerk’s separate Tax Deed system rather than treating an ordinary warranty deed search as a tax-deed search.
Open Tax Deed searchHow to search Duval County deeds and Official Records online
The Clerk’s Official Records system indexes recorded documents rather than ordinary real-estate listings. You will get better results if you think in terms of parties, instruments and recording references.
What each Duval County Official Records search option is for
| Search type | Best use | Practical tip |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Finding deeds, mortgages, liens or releases involving a known person or company. | Try spelling variations and fewer name components if the first search is too narrow. |
| Instrument # | Opening a specific recorded document when you already have its unique recording number. | Copy the number exactly from the source document. |
| Doc Type | Narrowing a broad name search to deeds, mortgages, satisfactions, liens or another category. | Combine the document type with a realistic date period whenever possible. |
| Record Date | Finding instruments recorded on or around a known closing or transaction date. | The recording date may be later than the date the parties signed the document. |
| Consideration | Researching conveyances within a price or consideration range. | Consideration is not always identical to the market value or an ordinary sales price. |
| Book / Page | Retrieving an older-style record reference quoted in another instrument. | This is particularly helpful when a document number search is uncertain. |
| Case # | Locating an Official Record connected to a known case reference. | Do not confuse the Official Records search with the Clerk’s separate court-case search. |
How to get a copy of a Duval County deed
Free informational copy from the online portal
The Clerk states that Official Records recorded since 1988 can be searched and viewed through its online system and that available uncertified copies may be downloaded or printed by the user. This is often all you need for ownership research, transaction history or personal files.
Certified electronic copy
If you need a record carrying the Clerk’s certification, use the Clerk’s Official Records and Research page. The Clerk currently offers electronic certified Official Records recorded since 1988.
The Clerk currently lists a $2 statutory certification fee plus a $6 processing charge from its eCertify vendor. Credit-card transactions are also subject to the Clerk’s published service fee.
The Clerk currently lists ordinary office-produced copies at $1 per page, with an additional $2 certification fee when certification is requested.
How to find Duval County records from before 1988
The online portal is not the endpoint for older deed research. The Clerk specifically directs users looking for Official Records that predate the online collection to contact Official Records and Research.
Duval County deed recording and copy fees
| Item | Published amount | Important detail |
|---|---|---|
| First recorded page | $10.00 | Per document. |
| Each additional recorded page | $8.50 | Added for every page after the first. |
| Extra-name indexing | $1.00 | For each name after the fourth. |
| Office-produced copy | $1.00/page | Online self-printed uncertified records may be available without this Clerk copy charge. |
| Certification | $2.00/instrument | Other vendor or payment-processing charges can apply to online ordering. |
How to record a deed or other document in Duval County
Recording is different from searching. The Clerk preserves and indexes recordable instruments, but the filer is responsible for submitting a document that satisfies the applicable legal and recording requirements.
Florida witness-address requirement
Florida’s current recording statute requires the printed name and post-office address of each witness on affected instruments. The Duval Clerk has specifically warned that affected documents lacking required witness-address information are subject to rejection. An email address does not substitute for the required postal address.
You can review the current statutory requirements in Florida Statute § 695.26.
Record in person
The Clerk’s Recording Department accepts documents at the Duval County Courthouse. The Clerk states that originals presented in person are scanned, recorded and returned while the customer waits when the submission can be processed.
Record by mail
Duval County Clerk of the Circuit Court
Attention: Recording Department 1054
501 West Adams Street
Jacksonville, FL 32202
eRecording
Duval County also accepts electronic recording through approved third-party submitters. The Clerk separates vendors generally used by high-volume direct submitters from services that may serve lower-volume customers. Because vendor charges and accepted document types differ, compare the current options on the Clerk’s eRecording section.
Not every document type can be eRecorded. The Clerk publishes a list of excluded document categories, so verify eligibility before paying a vendor or assuming electronic submission is available.
Why you cannot find a Duval County deed — and what to try next
The deed index is designed around recorded instruments and parties. Find the owner or deed reference through the Property Appraiser first, then search the Clerk by name or recording reference.
Narrow by document type and date, then compare the legal description and other deed details rather than assuming every matching surname relates to the same parcel.
Execution, closing and recording are separate events. Confirm that the instrument has actually been submitted and recorded before expecting it in the public index.
Stop repeating the online search. Contact Official Records and Research for assistance with historical records outside the Clerk’s stated online coverage.
Florida law limits internet display of some record categories. An online-image restriction does not necessarily mean no official record exists. Ask the Clerk about lawful access or copy procedures.
For records dated January 1–20, 2004, try grantor/grantee or book/page because of the document-number correction noted by the Clerk’s system.
Use spelling variations
The Clerk’s search portal advises users to try possible spelling variations of proper names. This matters for middle initials, hyphenated surnames, trust names, corporate suffixes and historical indexing.
Do not confuse the Property Appraiser’s owner display with legal title research
The Property Appraiser is extremely useful for finding a parcel, RE number, current tax-roll owner and sales references, but a property-appraiser screen is not a substitute for reading the recorded deed and related instruments when legal ownership history matters.
What to verify after you find the recorded document
| Field | What it tells you | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Grantor | Party transferring the interest. | Helps connect the transaction to the previous owner or titleholder. |
| Grantee | Party receiving the interest. | Helps identify who received the estate or interest conveyed. |
| Instrument type | Whether the filing is a deed, mortgage, release, lien or another record. | Two records involving the same people can have completely different legal purposes. |
| Record date | When the Clerk officially recorded the instrument. | Do not confuse it with the execution, contract or closing date. |
| Instrument # / Book-Page | The permanent index reference for finding the filing. | Useful for future searches, certified-copy requests and cross-references. |
| Legal description | The land legally described by the instrument. | A mailing or street address alone may not establish that you have the correct parcel. |
Duval County Clerk Recording and Official Records contact information
501 West Adams Street
Jacksonville, FL 32202
Phone: (904) 255-2000
Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., excluding holidays.
Duval County Courthouse
501 West Adams Street
Jacksonville, FL 32202
Phone: (904) 255-2025
Use for: copies, certified records and pre-1988 Official Records research.
Recorded-document privacy and property fraud alerts
Florida public records can contain personal information, but state law also restricts online display of certain record categories and provides procedures for removing protected information from public internet access in qualifying situations.
If you discover a Social Security number, complete bank-account number or full payment-card number in an older online Official Record, the Clerk publishes procedures for requesting redaction. Protected occupational groups may also have separate confidentiality procedures.
Duval County Recorder FAQs
Who is the Duval County Recorder in Florida?
There is not a separate Duval County office formally titled Recorder. The Duval County Clerk of the Circuit and County Courts is the official recorder of written legal instruments authorized for recording in the county.
Where can I search Duval County deeds online?
Use the Clerk’s Official Records search. The system supports party name, instrument number, document type, recording date, consideration, book/page and case-number searches.
Can I search a Duval County deed by property address?
The Clerk’s deed index is better searched by party or recording reference. If you only have an address, find the parcel and owner through the Duval County Property Appraiser first, then use that owner or deed reference in Official Records.
How far back are Duval County deeds available online?
The Clerk states that its online Official Records portal provides access to Official Records recorded since 1988. Contact Official Records and Research for earlier records.
How much does it cost to record a deed in Duval County?
The Clerk currently lists $10 for the first page, $8.50 for each additional page and $1 for every indexed name after the fourth. A deed can also involve documentary stamp tax and other applicable charges, so these page fees should not be treated as the complete cost.
How much is a certified copy of a Duval County deed?
The Clerk lists a $2 certification charge per instrument. Paper copies produced by the office are generally $1 per page. Online eCertified ordering also carries the vendor processing charge and applicable card-service fee published by the Clerk.
Can I record a deed by mail?
Yes. Follow the Clerk’s mail-in recording instructions, submit the original recordable document, required fees, transmittal information and a prepaid return method. The Clerk states that ordinary copies cannot be recorded.
Why can I see a record entry but not the document image online?
Online viewing is subject to Florida law and privacy restrictions. Some records or images may not be publicly displayed on the internet even though the record exists. Contact Official Records and Research about lawful access.
Does a Duval County Property Appraiser record prove legal ownership?
The Property Appraiser’s tax-roll information is useful for identifying a parcel and displayed owner, but the recorded deed and other Official Records are the better source when researching conveyances and title history.
Can the Clerk prepare a deed for me?
The Clerk records qualifying instruments but does not substitute for an attorney in choosing a deed type, drafting conveyance language, deciding how ownership should be held or determining the legal consequences of a transfer.
Use the Clerk for the recorded document, not a third-party directory
For most people searching “Duval County Recorder,” the fastest path is simple: use the Duval County Clerk Official Records portal for the deed or recorded instrument, use the Property Appraiser only when you need help identifying the parcel or displayed owner, and contact Official Records and Research when you need certification or a pre-1988 document.
Before recording a new deed, verify the current statutory formatting, witness, address, notarization, tax and fee requirements. A rejected deed can delay a transaction, and an incorrectly prepared deed can create consequences that a recording clerk cannot fix after the fact.