UPDATE: The City of Fort Lauderdale Code Enforcement Lien Amnesty Program website has been taken down by the City.
The City of Fort Lauderdale created a Code Enforcement Lien Amnesty Program that allows qualified property owners with code violations an opportunity to clear outstanding code enforcement liens at a reduced rate, once the violations are brought to compliance.
For qualified participants,the amount of the code enforcement lien will be reduced to 15% of the total amount owed on the lien, not to exceed 5% of the Just Market Value of the property, as determined by the Broward County Property Appraiser’s Office for 2012.
Code Enforcement liens result from fines imposed by the City of Fort Lauderdale Code Enforcement Board (CEB) or Special Magistrate (SM) for properties found to be in violation of the City’s Codes. If a property does not come into compliance with the CEB or SM’s order, a fine is recorded in the form of a lien against all property (real and personal) within Broward County that is owned by the property owner .
To find out if your property has a lien, visit the Broward County Clerk of Courts website. The official records are searchable by the name of the property owner at the time the lien was recorded.
In order to qualify for participation in the program, the following criteria must be met:
- The property with the lien, as well as all property within the City of Fort Lauderdale owned by the same property owner, must be in full compliance with all City Codes and Ordinances and Florida Building Codes.
- Any and all fees and costs associated with the code violation shall be paid prior to the expiration of the program.
- Any and all outstanding demolition, utility, lot clearing, or board-up liens shall be paid in full prior to the expiration of the program.
- The City will not release the code enforcement lien until the City processes full payment of the administrative fees and reduced lien amount.
The Code Enforcement Lien Amnesty Program ends September 30, 2013. To learn more about the program, visit the City of Fort Lauderdale Code Enforcement Lien Amnesty Program website.
