Palm Beach County has 58,641 homes held for seasonal or occasional use, about 8% of all its homes1. Many sit empty for months at a time.
For empty homes, the county Clerk's office says "you should check often to make sure it is not occupied illegally"2. The free Palm Beach County property fraud alert watches the paperwork side while you're away. This guide covers the rest: what to set up before you leave, what to watch from up north and what to check when you get back.
How does the Palm Beach County property fraud alert work?
It's a free email from the Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller. It comes when a document recorded in the county's Official Records exactly matches a name, street address or parcel number you registered2.
The Official Records are the county's public file of deeds (the papers that pass a property to a new owner), mortgages and liens (claims for money against a property). Title means your legal ownership, which those recorded papers show. Each alert names the document type and its book and page, with a link to view it2.
The Clerk started the alert in 2015. By June 2026 it had nearly 130,000 subscribers, and the Clerk said the county "now leads the state in Property Fraud Alert registrations"3.
Two Palm Beach details matter:
- Email only. Broward and St. Lucie also offer texts. Palm Beach does not4.
- Street addresses count. Florida law only requires clerks to watch names and parcel numbers5. Palm Beach also watches addresses, a backup if a document spells your name differently.
What should you do before, during and after the months away?
Set up the alert before you leave, read it like mail while you're gone, and search the records yourself when you return. The Clerk's tips for empty homes and the county's tax calendar fit three stages2,6.
- Before you leaveRegister your names, address and parcel number. Make sure the Property Appraiser (the county's assessor) and the Tax Collector have a mailing address you will see. Ask someone you trust to look in on the house, and don't let mail pile up.
- While you're awayOpen every alert the day it arrives. In mid-August the Property Appraiser mails every owner a Notice of Proposed Taxes and Assessments, the TRIM (truth in millage) notice. If yours never reaches you, call the office.
- When you're backSearch the Official Records for your name and parcel, starting from the day you left. Watch for the tax bill, which the Tax Collector mails in November.
What goes on your take-along checklist?
Print this before you fly north. It holds what you need to act from far away.
- My 17-digit parcel control number (PCN), copied from the Property Appraiser's site
- Each version of my name registered for the alert, plus a separate sign-up for each co-owner
- My street address registered a few ways, such as "Street" and "St," or "West Palm Beach" and "WPB"
- The email address the alerts go to, set up on my phone
- Clerk's Recording Department: (561) 355-2991
- Property Appraiser: (561) 355-3230
- Tax Collector: (561) 355-2264
- Sheriff's Office, not for emergencies: (561) 688-3000
- The name and number of the person who checks the house
- Mail held or forwarded, so nothing piles up at the door
How do you sign up for the Palm Beach County Clerk's alert?
Sign up on the Clerk's website with an email address, then add each name, address and parcel number you want watched. Only a name and an email are required, and you don't have to own property in the county7.
- Find your parcel number. Search your address on the Property Appraiser's website. Your property page shows the 17-digit "Parcel Control Number." A parcel is one piece of land or one condo unit, and each has its own number8.
- Open the Clerk's sign-up page. Enter and confirm your email address. Then type the code the Clerk emails you and click "Confirm"7.
- Add what you want watched. Click "Add" for each name, street address and parcel number. Enter all 17 digits of the parcel number with the dashes, pick a language and click "Save"7.
- Send it and check your inbox. Click "Submit & Send Confirmation Email," then make sure the confirmation lists every item7.
Exact match means exact. No email comes if a document spells a name differently from what you typed2. So:
- Register your name with your middle name, with just the initial, and with neither.
- Leave out periods, commas and apostrophes.
- Register a trust as a business name ending in the word "trust."
Florida law keeps your sign-up details out of public records5.
What can't the alert see while you're gone?
It sees only documents recorded in Palm Beach County's Official Records7. A fake listing, a fake lease or a stranger moving in records nothing, so no email comes.
It also reports after the fact. The Clerk must record any document that is "properly executed and presented with payment"7. So the alert tells you a fake deed is on file; it can't keep one off.
It stops at the county line, too. If you also own a home up north, find that county's program on our map of free county alerts.
Two recent cases here show both gaps9,10.
property fraud prosecutions in Palm Beach County in 2025, up from 4 in 2023, according to State Attorney's Office data.
Source: WPTV, January 12, 2026
Keep that number in proportion. The county has 662,126 real property parcels, so a fake deed on any one of them is still uncommon11.
What should you check when you get back?
Search the Clerk's Official Records for anything filed on your name or parcel since the day you left. It's free, and it can catch what an alert misses, like a name spelled a new way12.
- Open the Official Records Search. Choose "Name Search" or "Parcel ID Search," then accept the disclaimer.
- Set the Begin Date to the day you left. Leave the End Date as today, tick "I'm not a robot" and click "Submit."
- Open anything you don't recognize. You can view and print uncertified copies for free12. Look for a deed, mortgage or lien you never signed.
- Check your Property Appraiser page. Make sure the owner and the mailing address are still yours.
- Read your mail and walk the house. Look for signs that someone stayed. Mail about a loan or sale you never started is on the Clerk's list of warning signs2.
What if a fake deed or a squatter turns up?
Report it to the police and the Clerk's Recording Department, then talk to a lawyer. The county's record offices can't reverse it for you. The Clerk, Property Appraiser and Tax Collector cannot "take legal action on your behalf to reverse the fraudulent activity"2.
A squatter is someone living in a home without the owner's permission. A quiet title action is a lawsuit asking a judge to declare who owns a property.
| What you find | Florida law | What it says |
|---|---|---|
| A deed or lien you never signed | s. 817.535 | Filing a false document to defraud an owner is a third-degree felony. A second offense is a second-degree felony. |
| A fake deed still on your record | s. 65.091 | A quiet title case over a faked transfer gets a faster court procedure, and the judge must restore the title you had. Clerks must offer a simple complaint form. |
| Strangers living in the house | s. 82.036 | You or your authorized agent can ask the Sheriff to remove them with a sworn complaint, if they were never your tenants, aren't family, no lawsuit is pending and the other conditions in the law are met. |
| Your home listed for sale or rent by someone else | s. 817.0311 | Listing a home without title, or renting it out without owning it, is a first-degree felony. |
| A renter who moved in on fake papers | s. 817.537, new on Oct. 1, 2026 | Using a false identity or forged documents to move in is a third-degree felony. |
Sources: Florida Statutes13,14,15,16 and CS/HB 129317, read October 25, 2026.
"It will cost you significant legal fees even if you are able to get it back."
Our guide to the first steps after a fraudulent deed puts the calls in order, and our quiet title action explainer covers the court side.
Who do you call in Palm Beach County?
Call the Clerk's Recording Department about any alert, and the police about a crime. Don't confuse the county Clerk with the Town of Palm Beach's Town Clerk, which runs town elections, meeting minutes and the town code18. Since August 18, 2026, Shannon Ramsey-Chessman has led the county Clerk's office as Clerk Ad Interim19.
| Office | Call about | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller, Recording Department | An alert, a document you don't recognize, copies | (561) 355-2991, PropertyFraudAlerts@mypalmbeachclerk.com, 205 N. Dixie Highway, Room 4.2500, West Palm Beach |
| Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office | A police report, or removing people living in your home | (561) 688-3000, not for emergencies (call 911). Inside a city, you can also call its police |
| State Attorney, 15th Judicial Circuit | Criminal charges | 561-355-7100, 401 North Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach |
| Property Appraiser | Owner name, mailing address, parcel number, TRIM notice | (561) 355-3230, 301 North Olive Avenue, West Palm Beach |
| Tax Collector | A tax bill that never came | (561) 355-2264 |
| Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County | Free legal help if you qualify | 561-655-8944, 423 Fern Street, Suite 200, West Palm Beach |
Every phone number and address in this table was checked against the offices' own websites on October 25, 202620,21,22,23,24,25.
Frequently asked questions
How can I get a property fraud alert in Palm Beach County?
Sign up free on the Clerk's website, mypalmbeachclerk.com, with your name and email. Add your street address and 17-digit parcel number to catch more. Help is at (561) 355-2991.
Is property fraud alert free?
Yes. Palm Beach County's alert has been free since 2015, and Florida law has required a free alert in every county since July 1, 2024.
Who owns property fraud alert?
In Palm Beach County, the Clerk's office runs it. A separate site, propertyfraudalert.com, is owned by Fidlar Technologies and serves its partner counties, but Palm Beach owners sign up on the Clerk's own site.
How do I get a copy of my deed in Palm Beach County?
Search the Clerk's Official Records online by name or parcel ID, then view and print an uncertified copy for free. Images go back to January 1, 1968, and certified copies can be bought online.
Can someone legally sell your house without you knowing?
No. Filing a fake deed to defraud an owner is a felony in Florida, and a judge who finds a faked transfer must give the title back. Still, the Clerk records documents that look properly executed, so a fake can sit on your record until you act.
Sign up before your next trip north
Registration is free and needs only your name and an email to start. Keep your 17-digit parcel number at hand, then see what a notice on title adds for the months you're away.
Open the Clerk's sign-up pageSee how Still My Home worksSources
- Table B25004, vacancy status, and B25001, housing units, Palm Beach County, Florida, U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 1-year estimates, via Census Reporter, checked October 25, 2026
- Property Fraud Alert, Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller, Palm Beach County, checked October 25, 2026
- June is National Homeowner Month. Have You Registered Your Home Yet for Property Fraud Alert?, Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller, Palm Beach County (release posted by the Chamber of Commerce of the Palm Beaches), June 11, 2026
- Statewide Property Alert Services, Florida Court Clerks & Comptrollers, checked October 25, 2026
- Section 28.47, Florida Statutes: recording notification service, The Florida Legislature, 2026 statutes
- Important Dates, Palm Beach County Property Appraiser, checked October 25, 2026
- Property Fraud Alert FAQ, Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller, Palm Beach County, checked October 25, 2026
- Understanding the PCN, Palm Beach County Property Appraiser, checked October 25, 2026
- Land scams are on the rise. Here's what to do to prevent yourself from falling victim, Sooji Nam, WPBF, April 25, 2024
- Deed theft cases surge 4,500% in Palm Beach County as fraudsters target seniors, WPTV, January 12, 2026
- Property Appraiser Public Access, home page figures, Palm Beach County Property Appraiser, 2026 numbers, checked October 25, 2026
- Official Records Search and its disclaimer, Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller, Palm Beach County, checked October 25, 2026
- Section 817.535, Florida Statutes: unlawful filing of false documents or records against real or personal property, The Florida Legislature, 2026 statutes
- Section 65.091, Florida Statutes: quieting title; fraudulent conveyances, The Florida Legislature, 2026 statutes
- Section 82.036, Florida Statutes: removing unauthorized persons from residential real property, The Florida Legislature, 2026 statutes
- Section 817.0311, Florida Statutes: fraudulent sale or lease of real property, The Florida Legislature, 2026 statutes
- CS/HB 1293 (2026), fraudulent entry of residential dwellings, chapter 2026-143, The Florida Senate, approved June 12, 2026, effective October 1, 2026
- Town Clerk, Town of Palm Beach, checked October 25, 2026
- Clerk Report, September 2026: Shannon Ramsey-Chessman Appointed Clerk Ad Interim, Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller, Palm Beach County, September 2026
- Recording, Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller, Palm Beach County, checked October 25, 2026
- Contact Us, Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, checked October 25, 2026
- Office locations, Office of the State Attorney, 15th Judicial Circuit, checked October 25, 2026
- Contact Us, Palm Beach County Property Appraiser, checked October 25, 2026
- Contact Us, Palm Beach County Tax Collector, checked October 25, 2026
- Heirs' Property Project and contact details, Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County, checked October 25, 2026
- Property Fraud Alert, Fidlar Technologies, checked October 25, 2026
