West Palm Beach Property Records

West Palm Beach property records are maintained by the Palm Beach County Property Appraiser and the Palm Beach County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller. This guide covers how to find ownership data, assessed values, sales history, homestead exemptions, and recorded documents for any parcel inside West Palm Beach, the county seat and largest city in Palm Beach County.

How West Palm Beach Property Records Are Managed

West Palm Beach falls entirely within Palm Beach County, so all property records are managed through the Palm Beach County Property Appraiser's office. The Property Appraiser is Dorothy Jacks. Her main office is at 301 N Olive Avenue, Suite 2301, West Palm Beach, FL 33401. That address puts the appraiser's office right in the heart of the city itself.

You can reach the office by phone at (561) 355-2866 or by email at PACustomerService@pbcgov.org. The main website is pbcpao.gov. Palm Beach County is one of the largest counties in Florida, and the appraiser's office manages 659,119 real property parcels with a total market value of over $513 billion for the county as a whole.

Because Palm Beach County covers a large geographic area, the Property Appraiser operates four regional service centers. The North office serves Palm Beach Gardens. The South office is in Delray Beach. The Glades office covers Belle Glade. A West office handles Royal Palm Beach. West Palm Beach residents can use the main downtown office directly. The regional centers are useful if you live in another part of the county and want in-person help.

Florida law under Chapter 193 requires the Property Appraiser to assess all real property at just value each year. That process drives the values you see in the parcel search. The 3% homestead cap and the 10% cap for non-homesteaded properties apply to assessed value, not market value. That distinction matters when you are reviewing what a property's taxable value actually is.

How to Search West Palm Beach Property Records

The Palm Beach County Property Appraiser's online search tool at pbcpao.gov is free and open to the public. You can search any parcel in West Palm Beach by:

• Owner name
• Property address
• Parcel Control Number (PCN)
• Subdivision name
• Condo name

The PCN is the unique identifier used for every parcel in Palm Beach County. Once you find a parcel, the record shows current ownership, mailing address, legal description, property use code, land and building details, just value, assessed value, taxable value, and a full sales history. The site also includes a tax estimator tool at pbcpao.gov/calc-property-tax.htm so you can model what taxes would look like if ownership or exemption status changes.

The screenshot below shows the Palm Beach County Property Appraiser's website, the main portal for searching West Palm Beach parcel data.

The site gives access to ownership records, exemption information, sales comparables, and the interactive map. The map view is useful for identifying neighboring parcels and verifying lot boundaries before a purchase.

For recorded instruments like deeds and mortgages, you search through the Palm Beach County Clerk's Official Records system. The Clerk's public access portal is separate from the Property Appraiser and is available online at mypalmbeachclerk.com.

What West Palm Beach Property Records Show

When you pull a parcel record for a West Palm Beach property, the data you get is detailed. Florida law requires the Property Appraiser to maintain complete assessment records for every parcel. Here is what a typical record contains:

• Owner name and mailing address - who currently owns the parcel and where mail goes
• Parcel Control Number (PCN) - the unique parcel identifier for Palm Beach County
• Legal description - taken from the recorded deed
• Property use code - single family, condo, commercial, etc.
• Land area and building area
• Year built and construction details
• Just value - the annual market value estimate
• Assessed value - may be capped below just value for homesteads
• Taxable value - after all exemptions are subtracted
• Exemptions on file - homestead, senior, disability, veteran, etc.
• Sales history - dates, prices, and deed types going back years

One thing to watch in Palm Beach County is the gap between just value and assessed value on long-held homesteads. Because the Save Our Homes cap limits assessed value increases to 3% annually, a property owned for many years can have an assessed value far below its market value. When that property sells, the cap resets, so the new owner's tax bill will likely reflect a higher assessed value in the first year after purchase.

Homestead Exemption for West Palm Beach Homeowners

Florida's homestead exemption gives qualified homeowners up to $50,000 off their taxable value. The first $25,000 covers all taxing authorities. The second $25,000 applies to property valued between $50,000 and $75,000 and is exempt from all taxes except school levies. Both portions add up to a meaningful reduction in your annual tax bill.

To qualify, you must own the property and use it as your permanent primary residence as of January 1. You also need to be a Florida resident. The filing deadline is March 1 each year. The Palm Beach County Property Appraiser offers an online e-file system for homestead applications at secure.co.palm-beach.fl.us. You can also apply in person at the main office in West Palm Beach or at any of the four regional service centers.

Once you have the homestead exemption, the Save Our Homes cap under Section 193.155 limits assessed value increases to 3% per year or the rate of inflation, whichever is less. Over time this creates a growing gap between just value and assessed value. That accumulated benefit is portable. When you sell and buy another Florida home, you can transfer the cap benefit to your new property. Portability must be applied for by the same March 1 deadline.

Other exemptions available to West Palm Beach homeowners include a senior low-income exemption, a $500 disability exemption, a widow or widower exemption, and several veteran exemptions. Contact the Property Appraiser at (561) 355-2866 or PACustomerService@pbcgov.org to ask about your specific situation.

West Palm Beach City Government Resources

The City of West Palm Beach handles development permits, zoning, and building inspections through its Development Services department. The screenshot below shows that city portal.

Development Services covers building permits, plan review, code compliance, and zoning. If you need permit history for a parcel, this is where to look. Permit records can show what construction was done legally, which is important due diligence before buying.

West Palm Beach City Hall is at 401 Clematis Street, West Palm Beach, FL 33401. The general city phone is 561-822-1200. The city website is wpb.org. Development Services is also reachable at 401 Clematis Street with the same main phone line. Their specific portal at wpb.org/departments/development-services gives access to permit searches, zoning maps, and code enforcement information.

West Palm Beach is the county seat of Palm Beach County and hosts many of the county's government offices. This means that for both city and county records, West Palm Beach is often the starting point. City permits are with the city. Assessment records are with the county. Recorded documents are with the county clerk. Knowing which office holds which record saves you time.

Official Records at the County Clerk

Property instruments that are legally recorded in Palm Beach County are held by the Palm Beach County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller. Under Chapter 28 of Florida Statutes, county clerks maintain the Official Records index. For West Palm Beach properties, this means all of the following are on file with the Clerk:

• Warranty deeds and quitclaim deeds
• Mortgages and satisfaction of mortgage documents
• Mechanic's liens and lien releases
• Lis pendens filings
• Judgment liens
• Easements
• Plats

The Palm Beach County Clerk's public access portal allows you to search by name, document type, and date range. Many documents can be viewed online at no cost. Certified copies carry a per-page fee set by Florida law under Chapter 119. The Clerk's main office is located in the Palm Beach County Courthouse, close to the Property Appraiser's office in downtown West Palm Beach.

TRIM Notice and Tax Calendar

Each August, Palm Beach County property owners receive a TRIM notice by mail. TRIM stands for Truth in Millage. The notice is not a bill. It shows your proposed assessed value for the upcoming tax year, any exemptions the Property Appraiser has on file for your parcel, and the proposed millage rates from each taxing authority that covers your property.

If you disagree with the assessed value or an exemption decision, you have about 25 days from the TRIM notice date to file a petition with the Value Adjustment Board. The VAB process gives property owners a chance to challenge values in front of an independent hearing officer. Filing fees are modest and the process does not require an attorney.

After TRIM, county commissioners and other taxing bodies hold public budget hearings in September and set final millage rates. Property tax bills go out in November. Early payment discounts run from 4% in November down to 1% in February. Taxes paid by March 31 are considered on time. After April 1, unpaid taxes become delinquent and the county begins tax certificate proceedings under Chapter 192 of Florida Statutes.

Nearby Cities

West Palm Beach is in the southern part of Palm Beach County. Two other qualifying cities are located nearby in the same county.