Walton County Property Records

Walton County property records are maintained by the county property appraiser and the clerk of court, giving anyone access to ownership data, assessed values, exemption status, and deed history for parcels across this northwest Florida county. The county seat is DeFuniak Springs, and property in Walton County ranges from high-value beachfront lots along 30A and Destin's eastern edge to large rural tracts in the northern part of the county. Records for all of these are public under Florida law and open to any person who wants to search them.

Walton County Property Appraiser

The Walton County Property Appraiser office is located at 571 U.S. Highway 90 E, DeFuniak Springs, FL 32433. The office phone number is 850-892-8123. The website is waltonpa.org, where you can search property records, review exemption information, and contact staff. The property appraiser values all real and tangible personal property in the county each year and certifies the tax roll to the state in line with requirements under Florida Statutes Chapter 193.

Walton County presents a particularly wide range of property types for any appraiser's office to handle. The south end of the county along the Gulf is home to some of the highest-value real estate in Florida, with beachfront and near-beach lots in communities like Seacrest, Rosemary Beach, WaterColor, and Grayton Beach. The north end of the county, above Interstate 10, is mostly rural, with timberland, agricultural tracts, and smaller residential developments around DeFuniak Springs and other small communities. Both ends of the county appear in the same property appraiser's database, but the range of values and property types is dramatic.

Agricultural and timber classifications are available in the northern part of the county for qualifying parcels. These classifications reduce the assessed value well below market value as long as the qualifying use continues. The appraiser's office handles applications for those each year and reviews them periodically to confirm continued use.

The Walton County Property Appraiser site at waltonpa.org provides the online property search tool, exemption forms, and contact information for the DeFuniak Springs office.

How to Search Walton County Property Records

The online search tool at waltonpa.org is the main way to find a property record. You can search by owner name, property address, or parcel identification number. Results include the legal description, current and prior owners, the assessed and just values, any exemptions on record, and a sales history showing prior transactions with deed references. The database covers all parcels in the county, whether a beachfront condo in South Walton or a hundred-acre tract near Freeport.

For older records, complex legal descriptions, or properties with layered ownership histories, a visit to the DeFuniak Springs office is often the most useful approach. Staff can search historical files and help with questions that the online system does not fully resolve. Bring whatever you have: an address, a plat name, a prior owner's name, or a parcel number is enough to start. For south Walton beach communities, the neighborhood or development name is also useful since addresses can be less consistent there.

Recorded documents such as deeds, mortgages, and liens are held by the Walton County Clerk of the Circuit Court, not the property appraiser. The two systems are separate but linked through parcel numbers and legal descriptions. Under Florida Statutes Chapter 28, the clerk records and indexes all real estate instruments in the county. A full picture of any parcel requires reviewing both the appraiser's assessment records and the clerk's recorded documents, especially for investment or vacation properties that may have multiple liens, HOA encumbrances, or short-term rental covenants attached to the title.

What Walton County Property Records Show

A property record from the Walton County Property Appraiser includes the current owner's name and mailing address, the property's physical location, the parcel identification number, and the legal description. The value section shows the just value (which reflects the appraiser's estimate of market value), the assessed value after any caps or classifications, and the taxable value after all exemptions are applied. For beachfront and Gulf-view properties in South Walton, just values can be substantial and may reflect rapid changes in the coastal real estate market. For rural parcels in north Walton, values are lower and may reflect agricultural classification benefits.

Sales history lists each prior transaction by date, recorded price, and deed book reference. Florida Statutes Chapter 192 requires every parcel in the county to be on the tax roll, so every piece of real property in Walton County has an official record. Improvement data shows structure size, year built, construction type, and condition. For beachfront or near-beach properties with elevated construction, the record may include specific structural details relevant to flood zone compliance and insurance.

Land data lists the acreage, land use classification, and any special designations. For south Walton beach communities with deed-restricted or planned development overlays, the record may reference plat data or community-specific information that affects how the parcel is classified and valued. Reviewing this alongside the clerk's recorded plat and declaration documents gives the most complete picture.

Homestead Exemption in Walton County

Florida's homestead exemption reduces the taxable value of a primary residence by up to $50,000. The first $25,000 applies to all taxing authorities, and the second $25,000 applies only to non-school taxes on the portion of assessed value between $50,000 and $75,000. To qualify, the owner must occupy the property as a permanent Florida residence and file an application with the Walton County Property Appraiser by March 1. Applications are available at waltonpa.org or at the DeFuniak Springs office.

One thing that matters a lot in Walton County is that many south Walton properties are investment or vacation homes, not primary residences. Homestead exemption does not apply to those. Only a property used as the owner's permanent Florida home qualifies. Owners who claim homestead on a vacation rental or second home can face back taxes, interest, and penalties if the exemption is removed after an audit. The property appraiser's office reviews exemption claims and does require proof of Florida residency and permanent occupancy.

For homesteaded properties, Florida Statutes Section 193.155 caps annual increases in assessed value at 3% or the rate of inflation, whichever is lower. This Save Our Homes benefit can be significant for long-term owners in a county where coastal market values have increased considerably over time. Portability lets you carry part of that accumulated cap benefit to a new Florida home. Contact the appraiser's office when you apply for exemption on the new property to start the portability process. Additional exemptions for veterans, seniors, and people with disabilities are also available with proper documentation filed before March 1.

Property Tax Calendar in Walton County

The Walton County Property Appraiser sends a Truth in Millage (TRIM) notice to every property owner in August. The TRIM notice is not a bill. It shows the proposed assessed value, exemptions on file, and proposed millage rates from the county, school board, and applicable special taxing districts. Dates for public budget hearings are also listed so owners can attend and speak before rates are finalized.

If you disagree with your proposed value, contact the property appraiser's office after receiving the TRIM notice. Walton County handles a high volume of vacation property and investment real estate, so the office has experience with valuation questions related to rental income, comparable sales in beach communities, and market fluctuations. An informal review resolves many disputes. If that does not work, you can file a petition with the Value Adjustment Board before the deadline shown on the TRIM notice. The VAB schedules a hearing and can reduce the value if the evidence supports it.

Tax bills go out from the Walton County Tax Collector in November. Discounts apply to early payment: 4% in November, 3% in December, 2% in January, and 1% in February. Full payment without discount is due by March 31. The Florida Department of Revenue provides detailed guidance for property owners on the taxpayer information page at floridarevenue.com/property/Pages/Taxpayers.aspx, covering the full tax cycle from assessment to payment.

The DOR taxpayer information page explains how Florida's property tax system works, including deadlines, discounts, and the appeal process that applies to Walton County property owners.

Official Records at the Walton County Clerk

Deeds, mortgages, liens, satisfaction of mortgage releases, and other instruments affecting real estate in Walton County are recorded by the Clerk of the Circuit Court. Recording creates a public record that gives legal notice of ownership and claims to anyone who searches the index afterward. Florida's public records law, Chapter 119, makes virtually all of these documents available to the public for inspection or copy. You can review them at the courthouse or request copies for title work, legal research, or personal records.

For Walton County in particular, reviewing the clerk's recorded documents is important for vacation and investment properties. Short-term rental restrictions, HOA declarations, deed restrictions specific to south Walton beach communities, and easements can all appear as recorded instruments in the clerk's index. None of these show up in the property appraiser's assessment records, but they can significantly affect how a property can be used. Certified copies of recorded instruments are available for a per-page fee set by state law. A thorough review of both the appraiser's file and the clerk's records is the standard approach before any real estate transaction in this county.

Florida Department of Revenue Oversight

The Florida Department of Revenue's Property Tax Oversight program reviews Walton County's annual tax roll to verify that assessments follow state law and are consistent with requirements applied statewide. The DOR can require corrections if it finds that a county has systematically assessed properties above or below the required level of value. Walton County's dramatic range of property values, from high-end coastal real estate to rural north-county tracts, means the DOR review process touches on several very different market segments within a single county.

The DOR site at floridarevenue.com/property provides resources that are useful for Walton County property owners. Exemption guides, VAB appeal instructions, TRIM notice explanations, and the annual tax calendar are all published there. The site also has links to county-level data, contact directories for local officials, and Florida statutes governing the assessment process. For owners with vacation or investment properties who want to understand how the county values rental income or calculates the homestead ban on second homes, the DOR site is a good place to start.

Cities in Walton County

No incorporated city in Walton County meets the population threshold for a dedicated city page on this site. DeFuniak Springs is the county seat and largest incorporated city, but it remains well under the threshold. The unincorporated communities of South Walton, including areas around 30A and Santa Rosa Beach, have large numbers of vacation properties but are not incorporated cities and fall well short of the population threshold. All property records for parcels in Walton County are managed at the county level through the appraiser and clerk offices in DeFuniak Springs.

Nearby Counties

Walton County is in the Florida Panhandle and borders several other northwest Florida counties, each with its own property records system.