Resolve the Violation · Stop the Fines · Clear the Lien

A code enforcement lien is a legal claim recorded against your property in the public records of the county after unresolved code violations generate accumulated fines through the Special Magistrate process. It works like this: a code enforcement officer issues a violation notice, the property owner fails to resolve it by the compliance deadline, the case goes before the Special Magistrate who imposes daily fines, and once those fines accumulate to a threshold, the city or county records a lien against the property.

The lien attaches to the property title — not the owner — which means it transfers to every subsequent owner. If you purchased a property with an existing code enforcement lien, you now own a property with a lien on it regardless of whether you knew about it at closing.

Code enforcement liens are recorded in the public records of the county and appear in every title search. If you are planning to sell or refinance, the title company will find any existing code enforcement liens on your property. You can also search for liens yourself through the Miami-Dade County Clerk of Courts records or the Broward County records search — searching by property address or folio number.

Additionally, code enforcement violations that have not yet become liens are tracked in the city or county's code enforcement database. AGK Construction & Roofing checks both the lien records and the active violation records during our free property assessment — so you have a complete picture of everything that needs to be resolved before you list, sell, or refinance.

Yes — and this is critical information for South Florida property owners. Florida law (Section 162.09, Florida Statutes) gives local governments authority to reduce or waive code enforcement liens, and most municipalities in Miami-Dade and Broward County actively negotiate lien amounts — particularly when the underlying violation has been fully resolved. Lien reductions of 50% to 90% of the accumulated fine amount are common in South Florida.

The key to achieving a significant lien reduction is resolving the underlying violation completely before entering negotiations. A property with a fully resolved violation — permits closed, inspections passed, official clearance documented — is in a dramatically stronger negotiating position than a property where the violation is still open. This is why AGK focuses first on resolving the violation as quickly as possible — it stops the daily fine clock and creates the strongest possible foundation for lien reduction negotiations by your attorney.

Yes — a code enforcement lien is one of the most serious encumbrances on a property title. Unlike a mortgage, a code enforcement lien cannot simply be paid off at closing from the sale proceeds without the underlying violation first being resolved. The lien release process requires the violation to be resolved, the lien amount to be negotiated with the city or county, the agreed amount to be paid, and the lien release to be recorded in the public records — all before the title company can issue a clean title and the lender can fund the loan.

In practice, most South Florida closings with code enforcement liens are delayed significantly — sometimes by months — while the violation resolution and lien negotiation process is completed. The earlier you engage AGK to resolve the underlying violation, the better your chances of completing this process before your closing deadline.

Yes. Code enforcement liens attach to the property — not the previous owner — and transfer with every sale. As the current owner you are responsible for resolving the underlying violation and satisfying the lien, regardless of when the violation occurred or who caused it. If the lien was not disclosed during your purchase, you may have a legal claim against the seller — but that does not remove your immediate obligation to the city or county.

AGK Construction & Roofing handles inherited code enforcement lien situations regularly. We resolve the underlying violation, provide complete documentation for the lien negotiation, and work alongside your real estate attorney to clear the lien from your property title as efficiently as possible.

The roles are distinct and both are essential. AGK Construction & Roofing is the licensed contractor who resolves the underlying code violation — obtaining the required permits, performing any necessary corrections, passing the building department inspections, and providing official violation closure documentation. Without the violation being fully resolved, no other step in the lien removal process can proceed.

A real estate attorney handles the legal side — negotiating the lien amount with the city or county, processing the lien payoff, and ensuring the lien release is properly recorded in the public records. AGK and your attorney work in parallel: we resolve the violation as quickly as possible while your attorney prepares the lien negotiation. We provide your attorney with the complete violation closure documentation they need to make the strongest possible case for a lien reduction.

Timeline depends entirely on the type of violation and what corrections are required. For relatively straightforward violations — such as closing an open roofing permit where the work was done correctly — resolution can sometimes be achieved in 2 to 4 weeks from permit application. For more complex situations involving structural work, unpermitted additions, or multiple trade violations, the process typically takes 4 to 8 weeks from permit filing to final inspection and official closure.

AGK Construction & Roofing treats lien situations as urgent and begins the process the same week you call. We prepare complete permit applications upfront — including all required drawings, engineer letters, and product approval documentation — to avoid the revision cycles that add weeks to the process. Call (954) 807-3455 immediately — every day of delay increases both the lien amount and the complexity of the lien negotiation.