Broward's Property Appraiser approves the Broward County homestead exemption, and the same office runs Owner Alert, a free warning when a deed changes who owns your home. A deed is the signed document that passes a home from one owner to the next. The deed links the two: as a rule, the exemption needs a recorded deed in your name1,5.
Part one covers filing for 2027 and what you save. Part two compares Owner Alert with the County's own recording alert.
How do you file for the Broward County homestead exemption?
File with the Broward County Property Appraiser, online or in person. You need to own and live in the home on January 1, hold a Florida driver's license or ID, and have a recorded deed.
A homestead is the home you own and live in as your permanent residence. The exemption lowers the value your taxes are based on1.
- Check that you qualify. You must own the home and make it your permanent home by January 1. You can't also hold a homestead, or a residency break like New York's STAR exemption, on another home1.
- Get your Florida papers. You need a Florida driver's license, or a Florida ID if you don't drive, plus a Florida voter card or a power or water bill for the home. Non-citizens also need proof of permanent residency or another listed status1.
- Collect the numbers. List Social Security numbers for each owner who files, and for a married spouse even if not on the deed. The form also asks for employers, the address on your last tax return and when you moved to Florida1.
- Check the deed. It must name the people applying, and you don't need a copy if it's already in Broward's Official Records. A trust needs a notarized certificate of trust or the trust agreement1.
- File online or in person. Start at bcpa.net/onlinehomestead.asp, visit 1801 NW 49 Street, Suite PA1, in Fort Lauderdale, or catch a Mobile Exemption Education Team event1,2,3.
- Add portability if you moved within Florida. If you had a Florida homestead in the last 3 tax years, file a portability form too. It carries over your old savings, not the exemption1.
Co-owners with separate shares who live there must all file to get the full exemption, while one spouse can qualify a married couple for all of it1.
What are the 2027 and 2028 filing dates?
For the 2027 tax year, file between March 3, 2026 and March 1, 2027, so if you bought and moved in during 2026, you can file now. Late applications are accepted only until September 20, 2027.
| 2027 tax year | 2028 tax year | |
|---|---|---|
| Own it and live there by | January 1, 2027 | January 1, 2028 |
| Filing opens | March 3, 2026 | March 2, 2027 |
| On-time deadline | March 1, 2027 | March 1, 2028 |
| Last day to file late | September 20, 2027 | September 18, 2028 |
Source: Broward County Property Appraiser, homestead page, checked October 25, 2026
Late filing is not automatic. The Property Appraiser can approve it if you show you couldn't file on time or had special circumstances. If not, you can petition the Value Adjustment Board, the county board that settles disputes with the Property Appraiser, for a $15 fee4,11.
Once approved, you don't refile each year. A renewal receipt comes in early January, and if none arrives by March 1, call the office or you could lose that year's exemption1.
Just bought a home? The seller's exemption ends after the year of the sale, so apply for your own1.
What is the Broward homestead exemption worth?
In 2025, the basic exemption cut a Broward owner's tax bill by $659 to $1,009, depending on the city. Its bigger long-run value is Save Our Homes, which limits how fast your assessed value can rise.
saved in 2025 on each Broward home valued at $75,000 or more, by the basic homestead exemption alone. The amount depends on your city's tax rate.
Source: Broward County Property Appraiser, checked October 25, 2026
Your assessed value is the value the Property Appraiser sets for taxes. The exemption takes $25,000 off it for all property taxes. A second $25,000, now adjusted each year for inflation, comes off non-school taxes on value above $50,0005.
Save Our Homes then caps the yearly rise in your assessed value at 3% or the inflation rate, whichever is lower6. If you move within Florida, portability can move up to $500,000 of that built-up benefit to your next homestead6. The office also handles extra exemptions for low-income seniors, widows and widowers, people with disabilities and veterans1.
Amendment 3 is on the November 3, 2026 ballot. It would raise the homestead exemption for non-school taxes to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028, then adjust it for inflation. People who are not Florida residents on December 31, 2026 would get the larger amount from their fifth year7.
It needs at least 60% of the vote. Property Appraiser Marty Kiar estimated average Broward savings of about $1,300 in year one and $2,300 in year two8. We will update this section after the vote.
Why does your deed decide your homestead?
The exemption follows the recorded deed. State law requires the deed to be recorded first, and the Property Appraiser updates owner names from the deeds the County records.
The statute says: "Before such exemption may be granted, the deed or instrument shall be recorded in the official records of the county"5. The Property Appraiser's records follow those deeds, and the office "has no legal authority to determine whether a deed is fraudulent"10.
When the owner on record changes, a new homestead application is required. Florida also resets the assessed value to full market value after a change in ownership1,2. So you want to know the moment the name on your record changes, whether you signed anything or not.
In Broward, the County records deeds, not the Clerk of Courts. Recording means filing a signed document in the public Official Records. Broward County's Records, Taxes and Treasury Division does it at 115 South Andrews Avenue, Room 114, in Fort Lauderdale11.
The Clerk of Courts' website links to that County division under "Records Division"12. You can view and print recorded deeds for free on the County's site13. Our guide to finding the deed to your house explains what each part means.
Mailers that offer to sell owners a "certified deed" charge for what is mostly free, the Property Appraiser has warned25.
Owner Alert or the County's recording alert: which do you need?
Sign up for both. They're free and run by different offices. Owner Alert flags a new owner, while the County's Recording Notification Service (RNS) also flags mortgages and liens under a name you list.
A lien is a legal claim for money owed that is attached to a property. Your Property ID is Broward's folio or parcel number, listed on the Property Appraiser's website13.
| Owner Alert | Recording Notification Service (RNS) | |
|---|---|---|
| Run by | Broward County Property Appraiser | Broward County Recording Office |
| Alerts you to | A deed that changes the owner of your property | Documents that transfer property or put a claim on it, such as deeds and mortgages |
| You enter | Your name, Property ID and email | Up to 40 names and Property IDs per email address |
| Sent by | Email, plus text if you add it | |
| Deadline in state law | 24 hours after the deed shows on the tax roll | 24 hours after recording |
| Sign up | web.bcpa.net/owneralert | County RNS page |
| Questions | 954-357-5579 | 954-831-4000 or 311 |
Sources: Broward County Property Appraiser10,14; Broward County13; Florida Statutes s. 28.4715.
Timing is the quiet difference. Florida gives property appraisers that ran an alert before July 1, 2023, as Broward's did, 24 hours from when the deed shows on the tax roll15. RNS runs from the recording date, so it can reach you first.
Either way, state law keeps your sign-up details confidential15. Three tips from the County's RNS questions page13:
- Sign up by name, not only Property ID. Property ID subscribers "will not be notified of recorded encumbrance documents," meaning claims such as mortgages and liens.
- Expect some extra emails. A common name can bring alerts about other people's papers.
- Know where it starts. RNS covers only documents recorded after you sign up.
To join Owner Alert, look up your Property ID in the Property Appraiser's property search. Enter it with your name and email; texts use a separate link on the same page14.
Have fake deeds hit Broward homes?
Yes, but it is rare for any one owner. Nationally, people who live in their homes are among the least often targeted, as our look at the numbers explains. In Broward, the Property Appraiser has said victims are usually seniors and low-income owners21.
In two 2023 cases, suspects even tried to sign up for Owner Alert on homes that were not theirs.
- Sept. 2019A Broward judge sentences the leader of a family ring that took dozens of homes, some from estates of owners who had died, to life in prison17.
- March 2021Owner Alert starts. In its first 24 hours, four alerts flag homes whose titles had changed hands, Local 10 reports16.
- March 2023Deputies arrest three men accused of a $12 million theft ring that used sham lawsuits, one against a 76-year-old Dania Beach widow. One suspect tried to sign up for Owner Alert. Charged, not convicted18.
- Oct. 2023Local 10 reports a fourth arrest, and a judge's ruling that one Dania Beach home belongs to U.S. Bank and the deed a couple offered was fraudulent19.
- March 2024SB 526, a Broward pilot to warn registered owners about a pending sale before closing, dies in a Senate committee20.
Who do you call about a Broward homestead or deed problem?
Call the Property Appraiser about homestead and Owner Alert, and the County Recording Office about deeds and RNS. Report a deed you didn't sign to the police in your city.
Broward County Property Appraiser
1801 NW 49 Street, Suite PA1, Fort Lauderdale. Call 954-357-6830, or 954-357-5579 for filing help and Owner Alert. Report a suspicious deed to deedfraud@bcpa.net2,10.
Broward County Recording Office
115 South Andrews Avenue, Room 114, Fort Lauderdale, open 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call 954-831-4000 or 311, or email Records@broward.org11.
The police for your city
The Property Appraiser tells owners to contact the law enforcement agency for the city where the property is, and to see a lawyer10,14.
Lawyer referral and legal aid
The Florida Bar Lawyer Referral Service: 800-342-801122. FloridaLawHelp.org lists free legal aid groups23. A quiet title action is the lawsuit that asks a judge to undo a fake deed, and Florida puts these cases on a fast track24.
Phone numbers, emails and sign-up links on this page were checked on October 25, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
How much is the homestead exemption in Broward County, Florida?
It removes $25,000 of assessed value from all property taxes and a second, inflation-adjusted $25,000 from non-school taxes on value above $50,000. In 2025, that saved Broward owners $659 to $1,009, depending on the city.
What is the deadline to file for a Broward County homestead exemption?
For the 2027 tax year, it is March 1, 2027. Late applications are accepted until September 20, 2027, and none after that.
What happens if I file my homestead exemption late?
The Property Appraiser can still approve it if you show you couldn't file on time or had special circumstances. If not, you can petition the Value Adjustment Board for a $15 fee. After the September deadline, you wait for the next tax year.
How do I check if my homestead exemption was approved?
Use the Exemption Status tool under Online Tools on the Property Appraiser's website, and enter your folio number, which is Broward's Property ID. Your property record in the office's property search also lists the exemptions on your home.
Is a property fraud alert legitimate, and is it free?
Both Broward alerts come from county offices and cost nothing. Of Owner Alert, Property Appraiser Marty Kiar told Local 10 in 2021: "It is absolutely legit. It is a free service."
How do I look up a deed in Broward County, Florida?
Search the County's Official Records site by name. Or find your home in the Property Appraiser's property search and click the "Book/Page or CIN" number under the sales history. Viewing and printing are free, and certified copies cost extra.
Two free sign-ups after you file
File for 2027 by March 1, 2027. Then add Owner Alert with your Property ID and RNS with your name, so a new deed or mortgage on your home reaches your inbox.
Open the Owner Alert formWhat a recorded notice addsOwn property in another county too? Our state-by-state map of free county alerts shows who runs each one.
Sources
- Filing for Homestead and Other Exemptions, Broward County Property Appraiser, checked October 25, 2026
- Home page: Owner Alert, home buyer and filing information, Broward County Property Appraiser, checked October 25, 2026
- Online Exemption Portal, Broward County Property Appraiser, checked October 25, 2026
- Florida Statutes s. 196.011, annual application required for exemption, Florida Legislature, 2026 statutes
- Florida Statutes s. 196.031, exemption of homesteads, Florida Legislature, 2026 statutes
- Florida Statutes s. 193.155, homestead assessments, Florida Legislature, 2026 statutes
- Increased Homestead Exemption; Lower Cap on Increases in Non-Homestead Property Assessments, Florida Division of Elections, ballot summary, checked October 25, 2026
- How much could Amendment 3 save homeowners?, Sasha Jones, NBC 6 South Florida, October 5, 2026
- Florida Statutes s. 196.161, homestead exemptions and liens, Florida Legislature, 2026 statutes
- Owner Alert sign-up page and legal disclaimer, Broward County Property Appraiser, checked October 25, 2026
- Records, Taxes, and Treasury, Broward County, checked October 25, 2026
- Broward County Clerk of Courts home page, related links, checked October 25, 2026
- Recording Notification Service (RNS) and FAQ, Broward County, FAQ updated September 2026, checked October 25, 2026
- Owner Alert Frequently Asked Questions, Broward County Property Appraiser, checked October 25, 2026
- Florida Statutes s. 28.47, recording notification service, Florida Legislature, 2026 statutes
- Broward property appraiser offers free new program to prevent title fraud, Local 10 News, March 5, 2021
- Broward family of 3 sentenced in real estate scheme, WSVN 7News, September 20, 2019
- 3 Ringleaders of $12 Million Real Estate Theft Ring in Broward Arrested: BSO, Brian Hamacher, NBC 6 South Florida, March 14, 2023
- Fourth arrest made in Broward real estate scheme, Local 10 News, October 25, 2023
- SB 526 (2024), Title Fraud Prevention: bill history and Judiciary Committee staff analysis, The Florida Senate, February 2 to March 8, 2024
- Man faces charges for 'stealing' homes in Broward with deed scam, Local 10 News, September 21, 2022
- Lawyer Referral Service, The Florida Bar, checked October 25, 2026
- Florida Law Help, checked October 25, 2026
- Florida Statutes s. 65.091, quieting title; fraudulent conveyances, Florida Legislature, 2026 statutes
- Copies of Deeds are Public Records and Free (e-newsletter), Broward County Property Appraiser, May 2021