Selling a Home in Fort Lauderdale, FL: Seawall Disclosures, Open Permits, Condo Inspections and City Liens

Aerial view of the Intracoastal Waterway and the Las Olas finger isles lined with seawalls and waterfront homes in Fort Lauderdale, Florida

By Jeremy Beckham, REALTOR®, SFR | Last updated: November 12, 2026

The short answer: When you’re selling a home in Fort Lauderdale, FL, start with the paperwork buyers can’t see in photos. Tidal waterfront contracts need the City’s seawall disclosure in bold capitals, and a seawall waiver ends at closing. Close open permits on LauderBuild, clear City code cases and liens, and in a condo, have the latest Broward Building Safety Inspection summary ready.

Fort Lauderdale sellers usually ask me about price first. The questions that slow a closing here come later, from the buyer’s attorney, lender and title company. Is the tidal disclosure in the contract? Why is an old roof permit still open? Did the condo building file its 25-year report? I’d rather answer those before the sign goes up. Start with my Fort Lauderdale neighborhood guide, then use the prep list below for a Fort Lauderdale listing.

Florida-wide items live in other posts. Roof age, the 4-point, wind mitigation and the state flood disclosure are in my Stuart seller prep checklist. HOA estoppels and the HOA disclosure summary are in my Tradition seller guide. Condo milestone and reserve study paperwork is in my Jensen Beach seller guide. Buying your next place here? See my Fort Lauderdale buyer checklist.

Key takeaways

  • For a Fort Lauderdale contract signed after March 23, 2023 on property in a tidally influenced area, the seller must include the City’s tidal flood barrier disclosure in at least 14-point, capitalized, bold type.
  • A City Engineer seawall waiver lasts no more than three years and becomes void when ownership transfers. Your buyer doesn’t inherit it.
  • Florida law keeps an unclosed permit the problem of the owner and contractor on it, not an arms-length buyer.
  • Broward’s Building Safety Inspection starts at 25 years, and condo associations must send every owner the inspector’s summary.

Fort Lauderdale seller checklist at a glance

What to check before listing Where to look Why a buyer cares
Inside City limits? Broward County Property Appraiser parcel record Sets which city permits, taxes and serves the home
Tidal seawall disclosure Ordinance C-23-05, ULDR 47-19.13 Required in the contract or a rider on tidal property
Seawall waiver or citation Your City Engineer letters and any citation A waiver ends at sale. A citation’s repair clock keeps running
Open or expired permits LauderBuild permit search Unclosed permits stay the owner’s responsibility
Code cases and City liens LauderBuild enforcement search and the City’s Lien Search The buyer’s title search will find them
Condo Building Safety Inspection Your association, under BORA Policy 05-05 Buyers and lenders ask about required repairs

Everything below assumes the BCPA parcel record shows the City of Fort Lauderdale.

What does the seawall rule mean for my Fort Lauderdale sale?

If your home is on a canal, the New River or the Intracoastal, the City’s seawall ordinance gives you a job. Any sale contract signed after March 23, 2023 for property in a tidally influenced area must carry a set disclosure. And if the City Engineer granted a waiver on your wall, it doesn’t pass to the buyer.

Ordinance C-23-05, adopted March 23, 2023, added Section 47-19.13 to the City’s land development code. The adopted text defines a tidally influenced area as real property next to, or affected by, a waterway whose level changes with the daily tide. For those properties, the seller must put this disclosure in the contract or a rider, in at least 14-point, capitalized, bold type:

THIS REAL ESTATE IS LOCATED IN A TIDALLY INFLUENCED AREA. THE OWNER MAY BE REQUIRED BY COUNTY OR MUNICIPAL ORDINANCE TO MEET MINIMUM TIDAL FLOOD BARRIER ELEVATION STANDARDS DURING CONSTRUCTION OR SUBSTANTIAL REPAIR OR SUBSTANTIAL REHABILITATION OF SEAWALLS, BANKS, BERMS, AND SIMILAR INFRASTRUCTURE OR WHEN REQUIRED TO ABATE NUISANCE FLOODING.

On my waterfront listings, I put that rider in the offer package before anyone signs. Your closing attorney should confirm the final wording.

Your seawall waiver ends at closing

The City Engineer can grant a waiver to build a lower wall when the home’s habitable finished floor is below 4.0 feet NAVD88. The ordinance caps the waiver at three years. It becomes void when the term ends or when ownership transfers, whichever comes first. If you have one, tell your buyer up front. They’ll be pricing any future rebuild at the full height.

An open seawall citation keeps running

The City presumes a wall is in disrepair if tide water flows through it onto a neighbor’s lot or the street. After a citation, the owner has 60 days to show progress and 365 days to finish. If the repair is substantial, the wall has to meet the elevation standard within that same 365 days. Disclose any citation and get a marine contractor’s written quote before you list.

Fixing the wall before you list

Work along more than 50% of your shoreline, or work over 50% of the wall’s fair market replacement cost, counts as substantial repair. That triggers the 5-foot NAVD88 minimum, or 4 feet if the application is filed before January 1, 2035 and the wall is designed to reach 5 feet by January 1, 2050. A smaller permitted repair may help your sale more than a half-finished rebuild.

Will an open permit or code case hold up my Fort Lauderdale closing?

It can, and it’s cheaper to find it now than during the buyer’s inspection period. Search your address on LauderBuild for permits that were issued but never finaled, and search the enforcement records for open code cases. Then ask your title company for the City’s lien report, so you see what the buyer’s title search will see.

Anyone can search LauderBuild records without an account. Search by street number and street name.

Why an old permit is still your problem

Florida’s section 553.79 lets an owner close a permit someone else pulled, using the original contractor, a new licensed one, or as an owner-builder. If the building department finds an expired permit’s work substantially complete, it can be closed without a new permit under the original code. The same section bars the City from fining an arms-length buyer over a prior owner’s open permit, and keeps its remedies against the owner and contractor. That’s why buyers’ attorneys ask sellers to close permits first.

The City’s DSD Documents and Forms page has the Expired Permit Procedures and renewal request form.

Code liens and payoffs

The City’s Lien Search page says its lien reports come through Conduits, run by Net Assets Corporation, and title companies usually order them. Code Administrative Services handles lien research, payoffs and releases at 954-828-5207 or [email protected].

What should a Fort Lauderdale condo seller have from the building inspection?

Have the inspector’s summary of your building’s latest Broward Building Safety Inspection, and know whether repairs are still open. Broward starts these inspections 25 years after the certificate of occupancy, then every 10 years. That’s five years before the state’s 30-year milestone, and buyers and lenders ask early.

Here’s the cycle under Broward Board of Rules and Appeals Policy 05-05, effective August 9, 2024:

  1. From June through August, the building official notifies the association by certified mail.
  2. The association has 180 days to complete the inspection, with up to 60 more days to file by extension.
  3. Required repairs are due within 180 days of the report unless the building official sets another timeline.
  4. Missed deadlines can go to a Special Magistrate or Code Enforcement Board, and the building can be deemed unsafe.

Condo and co-op associations must send every unit owner the inspector’s summary, whatever it found, and post it on the property. So you should already have it. If not, ask your manager before you list. The Broward inspection also counts for both phases of the state milestone under section 553.899. Fee-simple townhouses and one- to four-family buildings of three habitable stories or less are exempt.

Which Fort Lauderdale tax bill lines will buyers ask me about?

Buyers will look at your tax bill, but their bill won’t match yours. Your Save Our Homes cap and exemptions stay with you, while the City’s flat stormwater and fire assessments don’t shrink with homestead. I put those lines, and any neighborhood district charge, in the listing notes so buyers can budget the next bill, not yours.

The current City figures, including the $451 stormwater and $444 fire assessments, are in my Fort Lauderdale buyer checklist. They come from the City’s property tax notice page and were adopted at the September 14, 2026 budget hearing. That hearing also adopted $15 per canal-front parcel in the Lauderdale Isles Water Management District, a 1.0000 Sunrise Key district millage and a utility undergrounding assessment in Commission District 2.

Your taxable value reflects your own exemptions and caps, not the buyer’s. My Broward County property taxes post covers Amendment 3 and Save Our Homes portability for your next home. Prorations and deed stamps are in what sellers pay at closing in Florida.

What pre-listing work in Sailboat Bend needs historic review?

Anything that changes the outside of a designated historic property needs a Certificate of Appropriateness, so plan the timing before you book contractors. The City’s Historic Preservation Planner can review maintenance, repair and in-kind replacement. Additions, new construction, demolition and other exterior changes go to the Historic Preservation Board at its monthly meeting.

Fort Lauderdale has three local historic districts. Sailboat Bend is the largest, with more than 550 buildings. The other two are the Himmarshee Street/SW 2nd Avenue district and the Stranahan House district. Historic review comes before the Building Division sees your permit. A Board application needs a narrative, drawings, photos, a survey and proof of ownership, and you or your agent must attend.

Before a sale, I point Sailboat Bend sellers toward in-kind repairs over redesigns, and I gather copies of past approvals for buyers.

What happens to my Fort Lauderdale water account when I sell?

Call Utility Billing at 954-828-5150 to schedule the disconnect or final bill for your closing date. Since March 1, 2026, only property owners can open new City utility accounts, so your buyer opens their own with the signed settlement statement or deed. If you rent the house out, keep the tenant’s account active until closing.

The City’s Establish New Utility Service page says existing tenant accounts stay as they are unless service is disconnected, and only the owner can reestablish it. Billing questions go to the Utility Billing help line.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to add a seawall disclosure to my Fort Lauderdale sale contract?

Yes, if the property is in a tidally influenced area and the contract was signed after March 23, 2023. Ordinance C-23-05 requires the seller to include the City’s tidal flood barrier disclosure in the contract or a rider, in at least 14-point, capitalized, bold type. Have your closing attorney confirm the wording.

Does my Fort Lauderdale seawall waiver transfer to the buyer?

No. A City Engineer waiver for a lower tidal flood barrier lasts no more than three years and becomes void at the end of its term or when the property changes hands, whichever comes first. If your buyer later builds or substantially repairs the wall, they’d need their own waiver or must meet the minimum elevation. Tell them early.

Should I repair my seawall before I list my Fort Lauderdale home?

Not always. Work along more than half the shoreline, or costing more than half the wall’s replacement value, counts as substantial and triggers the 5-foot NAVD88 standard. A smaller permitted repair with photos and a contractor’s report often helps more. If the City has cited the wall, the 365-day repair clock keeps running.

Can I sell my Fort Lauderdale house with an open permit?

You can, but expect the buyer’s attorney to ask you to close it. Florida law lets an owner close a permit someone else pulled, and an expired permit with substantially complete work can be closed without a new one. The City can’t fine an arms-length buyer, and it keeps its remedies against the owner and contractor on the permit.

How do I check for City code liens on my Fort Lauderdale home before listing?

Search the address on LauderBuild’s enforcement records for open code cases. The City provides its lien reports through Conduits, usually ordered by your title company, with one-time access available. For payoffs and lien releases, call Code Compliance Administrative Services at 954-828-5207 or email [email protected].

Where do I get my condo building’s Broward safety inspection summary to give buyers?

From your association. Under BORA Policy 05-05, a condo or co-op association must send every unit owner the inspector-prepared summary, whatever it found, and post a copy on the property. If the association must keep a website, the full report goes there too. Ask your manager for any repair schedule or permit.

Who closes the City water account when I sell my Fort Lauderdale home?

You do. Call Utility Billing at 954-828-5150 and set the disconnect or final bill for your closing date. Your buyer opens a new account in their own name with a signed settlement statement or deed, photo ID and a deposit, because new City accounts have been owner-only since March 1, 2026.

Talk to me before you list

I’ll confirm your parcel is in the City, search your permits and code records, check the seawall paperwork or the building’s inspection status, and price the fixes before the first showing. Call or text me at 772.475.5371.

About the author

Jeremy Beckham, REALTOR®, SFR, NextHome Treasure Coast, 414 S Colorado Ave, Stuart FL 34994. 772.475.5371 | [email protected]. Jeremy has spent 17 years helping buyers and sellers from Fort Pierce south through Boca Raton and Fort Lauderdale. See how I source my numbers, my seller services or my contact page.

This post is general information, not legal, tax or insurance advice. Ordinances, assessments and inspection rules change. Confirm details with the City of Fort Lauderdale, the Broward County Property Appraiser, your condo association and a Florida real estate attorney.

Sources

Featured photo: “Fort Lauderdale Intracoastal Waterway Aerial” by formulanone on Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY-SA 2.0. Cropped and resized from the original.