Quick AnswerFirst figure out which government has jurisdiction: the city, if the property is inside city limits, or the county, if it is unincorporated. Many South Florida cities and all three counties have a free online code case search on their code compliance pages. A free case search shows code cases in that system. It does not always show recorded liens, unpaid fines or cases that are about to be opened. For a sale or refinance, order the government’s official lien search, which is usually a paid request.
Whether you are buying a house, selling one, closing a loan as a title agent, or just opened a letter from code enforcement, the first question is the same: what is open on this property? In South Florida there is no single place to check. Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties each have dozens of cities, and each city keeps its own code records.
This guide walks through how to check, city by city, using the governments’ own pages. We list fees only where the government publishes them, as of October 2026. Fees and portals change, so confirm with the city before you order anything.
Step one: city or county?
If the property is inside a city, the city enforces its code and keeps the records. If it is in an unincorporated area, the county does. The property appraiser’s record usually shows the municipality. If you have a notice, the letterhead tells you who issued it.
Free case search or paid lien search?
These are two different things, and people mix them up.
- A case search is usually free and online. It shows code cases in the government’s system, often with status and inspection history.
- A lien search (often called a municipal lien search) is a formal request to the government for liens, fines and open violations tied to a property. It is usually paid and can take days.
Under Florida law, a code enforcement fine order becomes a lien once a certified copy is recorded in the county’s public records. So an official records search by owner name may also turn up a recorded code lien. Neither a case search nor a records search will show fines that have run but have not been recorded yet. For a closing, the official lien search is the one that counts. Read more in our guide to municipal lien searches and code violations.
Miami-Dade County
Unincorporated Miami-Dade
The County’s Public Records – Building Plans and Permits page links several searches, including a Building Support Case Search (by case number, address, folio or owner), the Clerk’s Code Enforcement Online System, and a Neighborhood Code Case Search. The County notes that its citation search is not the official record of the Code Compliance Office.
City of Miami
The City’s Run a Lien or Violation Search page handles lien and violation searches for properties in the City of Miami (folio numbers beginning with 01). The page lists a $200 fee. For the status of a specific code case, the City’s code compliance materials point owners to the assigned inspector or the department’s main line, (305) 416-2087.
Miami Beach
The City’s Building Department Violations page links to its online portal, where you can search public records, including code cases. Older permit records are kept in a separate system, which the same page explains.
Hialeah
We did not find a free online code case search on the City’s site. The City’s Lien Search page lists a $500 fee for violation and lien research, $50 for each additional address on the same folio, and $600 for an expedited search. Turnaround questions go to the City Clerk.
Broward County
Fort Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale keeps code cases in LauderBuild, its online records portal. You can search by address or case number without an account. See our Fort Lauderdale page for tips on older case numbers. If you find a lien, the City is currently running a lien amnesty program.
Hollywood
The City’s Services page links to a Code Violation Search and explains how to order a lien search.
Pompano Beach
The City’s Search Code Compliance Cases page links to its online case search. Lien searches go through the City Clerk.
Coral Springs
The City’s Code Compliance page links to its online search. The City lists a lien search inquiry at $75, or $125 expedited.
Deerfield Beach
The City’s Code Compliance page has a Status of Violation link for case lookups. Lien searches go through Lien Library, linked from the same page.
Unincorporated Broward
For cases brought by Broward County itself, the County’s BCS case search looks up code cases by case number or address.
Found an open case or a lien?
Send us what you found. We review it free, tell you what it means for the sale or refinance, and quote one flat fee to deal with it.
Palm Beach County
West Palm Beach
The City’s Find a property’s code case page explains how to search code cases online by address and how lien searches are handled.
Boca Raton
We did not find a self-service code case search on the City’s site. Boca Raton’s Building Permit / Code Violation Search page lists a $200 fee per location, requested through the City’s records system or a form. The City notes that this search does not cover financial liens and lists a separate contact for those.
Unincorporated Palm Beach County
The County’s Code Compliance page links to a free code case search. For a formal search, the County’s lien and permit searches page lists an open violation search at $50 ($75 rush) and a fine and lien search at $65 ($97 rush), with registration required and a 7 to 10 business day turnaround. These County searches generally do not cover properties inside a city.
Other cities
For a city not listed here, start with its code compliance page. Most link a case search or explain how to request a lien search. If you cannot find either, call the city’s code compliance office and ask how they handle lien search requests.
What to do with what you find
- Buyers: an open code case or lien is a negotiating point and a closing issue. Read buying property with an existing code violation.
- Sellers: deal with it before the buyer’s title company finds it. Read can a code violation stop a closing.
- Title agents: see how we work with title companies on code lien clearance.
- Owners with a notice: the online record tells you where the case stands. It does not tell you whether the notice was served properly or how the case can be resolved. Read what to do after a notice of violation.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find out if a property has code violations in South Florida?
Find out whether the property is in a city or in an unincorporated part of the county, then use that government’s code case search, which many list on their code compliance pages. For a sale or refinance, order the government’s official lien search.
Is a code violation search free?
Many cities and counties offer a free online case search. Official lien searches are usually paid. For example, as of October 2026 the City of Miami lists $200, Boca Raton $200 per location, Coral Springs $75 and Hialeah $500.
Will an online case search show code liens?
Not always. A case search shows cases in that government’s system. A code lien is created when a certified copy of the fine order is recorded in the county’s public records, and fines that have accrued but have not been recorded may not appear anywhere online. An official lien search is the more complete check.
Does a county lien search cover properties inside a city?
Generally no. Palm Beach County, for example, states that its searches do not cover properties inside a city. Order the search from the city that has jurisdiction.
Found something on a property you are buying, selling or closing? Call The Code Clinic at (305) 396-1495. Attorney Ari Pregen will review what you found and tell you what it will take to resolve. Flat fee. No hourly billing.
Portals, fees and procedures in this article come from each government’s website as of October 27, 2026, and may change. This article is general information, not legal advice about a specific property.