A Pinellas sale often starts with a few questions: which government covers the parcel, what is recorded against it, and which deadlines apply. The notes below summarize guidance published by the county, the Clerk, the Tax Collector, and the Property Appraiser as of October 2026. They are general information, not legal or tax advice, so confirm the details for your address with the office that handles it.
24 cities, unincorporated areas, and who handles permits
Pinellas has 24 incorporated cities and towns. Everything outside city limits is unincorporated, which the county describes as almost one-third of Pinellas, and the county provides services there directly. A mailing address will not tell you which applies: the county notes that Belleair residents have Clearwater addresses, while Palm Harbor and Ozona have their own post offices but are not cities. The county's Building and Development Review Services issues permits for unincorporated Pinellas and six partner towns: Belleair Beach, Belleair Shore, Indian Rocks Beach, Kenneth City, Oldsmar, and Safety Harbor. Larger cities, such as St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Largo, Pinellas Park, Dunedin, and Tarpon Springs, run their own building departments. County Code Enforcement covers the unincorporated areas, and code questions inside any of the 24 cities go to that city.
Code liens and the Special Magistrate
In unincorporated Pinellas, a Special Magistrate hears code cases and can assess fines, and a recorded fine order becomes a lien on the land (s. 162.09, Florida Statutes). That statute bars foreclosing a code lien on a homestead, but the county says the owner or a buyer must pay the debt before the lien is removed. To check a parcel, request a Lien/Violation Search in the county's Access Portal, then ask Code Enforcement for a Lien Payoff Statement. A current owner can ask for a reduction once the property is in compliance, and a potential new owner of a non-compliant property can also start the process. The request includes a letter, a deed copy, written confirmation that taxes are current with no other Pinellas County liens, confirmation that utilities are paid, and a $300 processing fee. If a reduction is accepted, you sign a Joint Motion for Reduction in Fine, the Special Magistrate issues the order, and the county releases the lien once it has the order, your payment, and confirmation of compliance.
The 49 percent rule and the Dec. 31, 2026 deadline
In flood hazard areas of unincorporated Pinellas, the county treats a home as substantially damaged when repairs would cost 49 percent or more of its pre-disaster market value, not counting the land, and each city makes its own determinations. As of October 2026, the county's FAQ tells owners with letters from Hurricanes Helene or Milton: "you have until Dec. 31, 2026, to comply with local codes and ordinances." The county lists four ways to comply: elevate and repair the existing home, replace it with an elevated home, relocate it outside the flood hazard area, or remove it. A rental must be brought into compliance or vacated by the same date. The county also says its decision is not final: owners can submit photos, an elevation certificate, a detailed repair estimate, and an independent actual cash value appraisal, and the Property Appraiser offers a free pre-storm building value reconsideration. For condos and townhomes with shared property, the county makes one determination for each building, based on the whole building's value.
Inherited homes: probate and official records
When a Pinellas homeowner dies, the estate case runs through the probate department of the Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller. The original will must be deposited with the Clerk within 10 days after the person holding it learns of the death. Formal administration is used when the estate, not counting exempt assets, is worth more than $150,000, or when a personal representative is needed. Summary administration may be available at $150,000 or less, or when the person died more than two years ago. Attorneys file probate cases electronically, Florida Probate Rule 5.030 requires an attorney for a personal representative in formal administration, and the Clerk's Self-Help Center cannot assist with probate. The Clerk is also the county recorder and keeps Official Records from 1912 to the present, so recorded deeds, mortgages, and liens for an inherited house can be searched online.
Foreclosure sales, redemption, and surplus
The Clerk holds Pinellas foreclosure sales online, Monday through Friday starting at 10 a.m. Eastern, on the dates set by the court's order or final judgment. Under s. 45.0315, Florida Statutes, the owner can redeem by paying the judgment amount any time before the Clerk files the certificate of sale, or the time set in the judgment, whichever is later. If the sale brings in more than the judgment requires, the extra is called surplus, and the Clerk's notice tells owners they may claim it themselves without a lawyer and should check with the Clerk within 10 days after the sale. The Clerk cannot pay out surplus without a court order, so an owner files the Owner's Claim for Mortgage Foreclosure Surplus with a General Motion form, and the Clerk charges $15 per disbursement. Under s. 45.032, Florida Statutes, surplus that has not been paid out one year after the sale is presumed unclaimed. If you are weighing a sale before an auction date, a foreclosure attorney can explain how it fits your case.
Property taxes, tax certificates, and homestead
The Pinellas County Tax Collector mails annual property tax notices by Nov. 1, with discounts for paying from November through February. Taxes not paid by March 31 become delinquent on April 1, when a 3 percent mandatory interest charge is added. The Tax Collector must hold an online tax certificate sale on or before June 1 each year; the 2026 sale was on Saturday, May 30, 2026. A certificate holder may apply for a tax deed two years after the date of delinquency, and the Tax Collector says it then takes 3 to 6 months for the property to go to auction. If a tax deed sale brings in more than is owed, a person who receives the Clerk's surplus notice has 120 days from the notice date to file a written claim (s. 197.582, Florida Statutes). If you sell a homestead after Jan. 1, your exemption stays on that year's bill and is removed on Dec. 31, and the buyer must file with the Property Appraiser by March 1 for the next year.
Older homes, condos, and the August 2026 market
The Census Bureau's 2020 to 2024 American Community Survey estimates that 58.8 percent of Pinellas housing units were built before 1980 and that 9.0 percent are mobile homes. Condos are common too: the Florida Department of Revenue's 2026 preliminary tax roll counts 104,508 condo parcels in Pinellas, the fourth most of any Florida county. As of August 2026, Florida Realtors data published by the Pinellas REALTOR Organization showed a single-family median sale price of $464,950, up 6.9 percent from a year earlier, with a median of 37 days to contract and 3.5 months of supply. Condos and townhouses had a median price of $275,000, a median of 74 days to contract, and 6.4 months of supply. Buyers paid cash in 261 of 854 single-family closings and 273 of 463 condo and townhouse closings that month. Countywide figures are only a starting point, since a specific house's condition, location, and records shape what it may sell for.
