deedplatState guides / Florida / Polk County
Polk County property data
Where Polk County's property records live, how its tax and foreclosure sales work, and what Deedplat puts on one map, including Lakeland.
- 17Cities and towns
Where the records are
The county offices an investor deals with in Polk County, and what each one puts online.
Deeds and mortgages
Polk County Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller (County Recorder). Official records from 1957 to today and historical deeds from 1861 to 1956 can be searched online, including deeds, mortgages, liens and plats; older records and certified copies are requested online.
Owners and values
Polk County Property Appraiser. Each parcel's detail page shows owners, sales history with deed book and page, sale prices and values for the last four tax years; appraisal and GIS data files are updated daily for download.
Tax sales
Polk County Tax Collector. The yearly tax certificate sale is held online at polkfl.realtaxlien.com for pre-registered bidders, and leftover certificates can be bought online at 18% interest; tax deed applications are filed online at realtda.com.
Foreclosure sales
Polk County Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller. All mortgage foreclosure sales and tax deed sales are held online through RealAuction, and foreclosure case files can be searched in the Clerk's court records search.
Parcel maps
Polk County Property Appraiser Interactive Map. The free interactive map lets you search a parcel and open its sales, values and property record card.
How property is sold here
Polk County follows Florida's rules, with its own calendar and offices. Read the Florida guide for how the state works.
Tax sales
Florida sells tax certificates (liens), not the property, and the certificate holder can later force a tax deed sale. The Polk County Tax Collector holds the certificate sale online by June 1 each year after advertising it for three weeks in a local paper, with bidding starting at 18% interest and going down. After two years a certificate holder can apply for a tax deed, and the Clerk auctions the property online on the third Thursday of each month at 9:30 a.m.
Foreclosure sales
Polk County mortgage foreclosure sales are clerk's online auctions held through RealAuction after a court judgment. Sale lists are posted on the RealAuction site linked from the Clerk's Foreclosure Sales page, and foreclosure cases can be looked up in the Clerk's court records search.
Assessed values
The Polk County Property Appraiser sets values every year as of January 1, with homestead values capped by Florida's Save Our Homes limit.
Transfer tax
Florida's documentary stamp tax on deeds is $0.70 per $100 of the sale price, and Polk County has no added surtax.
Worth knowing
The Clerk records documents at three offices: Bartow, Lakeland and the Northeast Government Center in Lake Alfred.
Worth knowing
Tax deed buyers pay a nonrefundable deposit of 5% or $200, whichever is more, right after the auction, and the balance is due by 11 a.m. the next business day.
Worth knowing
Lakeland is the county's largest city, but the county seat and main courthouse are in Bartow.
Every town in Polk County
The cities, towns and townships inside the county line.
- Auburndale city
- Bartow city
- Davenport city
- Dundee town
- Eagle Lake city
- Fort Meade city
- Frostproof city
- Haines City city
- Highland Park village
- Hillcrest Heights town
- Lake Alfred city
- Lake Hamilton town
- Lake Wales city
- Lakeland city
- Mulberry city
- Polk City town
- Winter Haven city
Questions
Where are deeds recorded in Polk County?
Deeds are recorded by the Polk County Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller at offices in Bartow, Lakeland and Lake Alfred. Records from 1957 on, plus historical deeds back to 1861, can be searched online.
When is the Polk County tax sale?
The Tax Collector sells tax certificates online each year by June 1. Tax deed auctions of the property itself are held online by the Clerk on the third Thursday of each month at 9:30 a.m.
How do I find who owns a property in Polk County?
Search the parcel on the Polk County Property Appraiser's website or interactive map, which shows owner names, sales and values. Deeds can also be searched in the Clerk's official records.
Are Polk County property records online?
Yes. Deeds, mortgages, owner and value data, tax certificate and tax deed sales, and foreclosure auctions are all online.
Sources for this guide
Office hours, fees and sale dates change. We checked these sources in October 2026; confirm with the county before you act.
- polkclerkfl.gov/
- polkclerkfl.gov/184/Official-Records
- polkclerkfl.gov/292/Real-Estate-Resources
- polkclerkfl.gov/189
- polkclerkfl.gov/169
- polktaxes.com/services/delinquency-and-tax-sale-information/
- polkflpa.gov/Downloads/DataFiles.aspx
- polkflpa.gov/help/html/ParcelDetails.html
- map.polkflpa.gov/help/ExploreParcelInformationPopup.html
Every parcel in Polk County, on one map
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