Brevard County Property Records Parcels, Taxes, Deeds, Maps

How to Look Up Land in Brevard County

Brevard County splits property records across three offices. The Property Appraiser (BCPAO) sets values and keeps the parcel record. The Tax Collector sends the bill and sells tax certificates when a bill goes unpaid. The Clerk of the Circuit Court records deeds. Each has its own website, and the links below go straight to the official pages.

This guide shows a landowner how to find a parcel, read the record and the tax bill, check for unpaid taxes, pull the deed and check flood zones and wetlands on the map. It also explains why the value on your record is not the price your land would sell for.

Step 1: Find your parcel number

Open the BCPAO property search and type the owner name, the site address or the parcel ID. Many vacant lots have no street address, so the owner name is often the fastest way in. If you have an old tax bill, the account number on it works too.

Brevard uses two numbers for each parcel: an account number and a parcel ID. BCPAO asks you to use the short form of the parcel ID. Write both numbers down. The Tax Collector, the Clerk and any buyer will ask for them.

• Search by last name first, then first name, if the search by full name fails.
• Lots inside Palm Bay, Malabar or another city still show up in the BCPAO search. Zoning for those lots comes from the city, not the county.
• If you own several lots, each one has its own account and its own bill.

Step 2: Read the parcel record

The record lists the owner and mailing address on the tax roll, the legal description, the land use code, the acreage or lot size, and three values: just value, assessed value and taxable value. It also lists past sales with the date, the price and the book and page or document number of each deed.

Check the mailing address first. Tax bills and legal notices go to that address. If it is old, update it so you do not miss a bill or a notice about a tax deed application. Then read the legal description and compare it with your deed. The lot and block numbers should match.

Step 3: Read the tax bill and check whether taxes are owed

The Tax Collector mails bills around November 1. The bill has two parts: property taxes based on taxable value and millage, and non-ad valorem assessments listed below them. These are flat charges for local services, so on a low-value vacant lot they can be a large share of the bill.

Search your account on the Tax Collector real property tax page. Look at every year, not only the current one. Florida taxes become delinquent on April 1. If a past year shows as unpaid, a tax certificate was likely sold on it, and the certificate holder earns interest until you pay. Ask the Tax Collector for a payoff amount good through a set date.

• Pay in November for a 4 percent discount, then 3, 2 and 1 percent in December, January and February.
• A certificate holder can apply for a tax deed two years after April 1 of the year the certificate was sold.
• Our Brevard County back taxes guide covers the full timeline and your options.

Step 4: Find the deed and confirm who owns the land

Deeds in Florida are recorded by the Clerk of the Circuit Court. Open the Clerk's official records search and search by name, or by the book and page or document number shown in the sales list on your BCPAO record. Searching and viewing are free.

Read the grantee line on the most recent deed. That person or company owns the land. If the owner died, the deed alone does not move title to heirs. You may also find mortgages, liens or a lis pendens in the same search, which tell you about claims against the land. For a certified copy, contact the Clerk's official records office.

Step 5: Use the maps for flood zones, wetlands and zoning

The BCPAO record includes a parcel map with aerial photos. For flood risk, use the county Floodplain Administration page or the FEMA Flood Map Service Center. A zone that starts with A or V is a special flood hazard area, which affects building rules and insurance.

For wetlands, the National Wetlands Inventory mapper gives a first look. It is a planning map, not a legal wetland line. For zoning and future land use in unincorporated Brevard, use the county zoning and future land use map. Lots inside a city follow that city's zoning map.

What the values on your record mean

Just value is the Property Appraiser's estimate of market value as of January 1. It comes from mass appraisal, not from a visit to your lot. Assessed value can be lower than just value. For vacant land, Florida limits the increase in assessed value to 10 percent a year for most taxes other than school taxes. Taxable value is assessed value minus any exemptions, and it is the number the tax rate is applied to.

None of these numbers is a sale price. A lot can sell for more or less than its just value, because buyers look at road access, flood zone, utilities, wetlands and recent nearby sales. If you think the just value is wrong, you can ask BCPAO for an informal review after the proposed tax notice arrives, and file a petition with the Value Adjustment Board within 25 days of that notice.

Selling your Brevard County land

If you are looking up your records because you want to sell, our Brevard County land guide covers the local market, and our back taxes guide covers selling when taxes are owed.

EasyLotBuyer makes a cash offer within 24 hours. We charge no fees or commissions, pay the closing costs and can close in as few as 7 days. We buy lots with back taxes, liens, title problems or no road access, and from heirs. Back taxes are paid at closing from the sale. This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. Confirm dates, amounts and rules with the county office.