How to Find a Florida HOA's Governing Documents (and Which HOA a Property Is In)

A Florida HOA's declaration of covenants and its amendments are public records, kept in the official records of the county where the community is located. Anyone can search them through the county clerk. The association's articles of incorporation are on file with the Florida Division of Corporations (Sunbiz). The rules the board adopts usually aren't recorded, so you get those from the association.

Florida has no statewide HOA registry, so there's no single place to look up an HOA by address. This guide shows how to work it out: find the association's legal name, search the county records, and use the rights Florida law gives buyers. County links for all 67 counties are at the end.

Which documents are public, and where they live

Florida law defines an HOA's governing documents as the recorded declaration of covenants with all its recorded amendments, supplements and exhibits, plus the association's articles of incorporation and bylaws (§720.301). Where each one lives:

Owners of larger associations can get all of these online, but only behind a login. Associations with 100 or more parcels must post their governing documents and rules in a website section open only to owners and employees (§720.303(4)(b)). Condos with 25 or more units must do the same (§718.111(12)(g)). If you're not an owner yet, the county records are your route.

Step 1: Find the association's legal name

County records are indexed by the names of the parties to each document, not by community name or address. So start by finding the association's legal name, which is often longer than the name on the entrance sign. Places to look:

• The deed, title commitment or closing documents for the property, which usually reference the declaration by book and page or instrument number. That reference takes you straight to it.
• Your county property appraiser's record for the parcel, which usually shows the subdivision name and legal description. Search the subdivision name in step 2.
• Sunbiz (search.sunbiz.org): search the community name and look for an active non-profit corporation, often ending in "Homeowners Association, Inc.", "Property Owners Association, Inc." or "Community Association, Inc." The entry shows the legal name, status, filing date and filed documents.
• The listing or the seller. For buyers, Florida's required disclosure summary names the community (see below).

If none of these turn up an association, the property may have recorded deed restrictions without a mandatory HOA. Those restrictions still show up in the county records.

Step 2: Search the county's official records

Open your county's official records search from the county list and search the association's legal name as a party. If that comes up empty, try the developer's name or the subdivision name. Many declarations were recorded by the developer before the association took over.

Look for these document types:

• Declaration of covenants, conditions and restrictions (sometimes "CC&Rs" or "deed restrictions")
• Amendments, supplemental declarations and amended and restated declarations. There are often many. Sort by date and collect every one, because an amendment changes the declaration from the day it's recorded.
• Notice of preservation or notice of association information. This is the shortcut. Under §720.3032, an association can record a notice listing its legal name, its addresses, the affected plats, its management company, and every covenant it's preserving, with recording information. If you find one, it's effectively an index of the community's documents.

Each county's search works a little differently, and access and copy fees vary. Some let you view images free, others charge for copies or certified copies, so check the county's site before you order anything.

Why the age of the documents matters. Under Florida's Marketable Record Title Act, covenants more than 30 years old can be affected unless they were preserved. An association can preserve them by recording one of these notices or a qualifying amendment (§712.05(2)). If the declaration you find is old and you see no preservation notice, ask a real estate attorney or title company whether it's still in effect.

If you're an owner

• Ask for portal access. If your association has 100 or more parcels, it must give you a username and password to its document portal on written request (§720.303(4)(b)).
• Request official records. You have the right to inspect your association's official records, and the association has 10 business days to make them available. See how to request HOA records in Florida.

If you're a buyer

HOA (Chapter 720). Before you sign a contract, the seller must give you a disclosure summary for the community (§720.401(1)(a)). Its ninth item tells you where the documents are:

THESE DOCUMENTS ARE EITHER MATTERS OF PUBLIC RECORD AND CAN BE OBTAINED FROM THE RECORD OFFICE IN THE COUNTY WHERE THE PROPERTY IS LOCATED, OR ARE NOT RECORDED AND CAN BE OBTAINED FROM THE DEVELOPER.

If you didn't get the summary before signing, you can cancel the contract by written notice within 3 days of receiving it, or before closing, whichever comes first. That right can't be waived, and it ends at closing (§720.401(1)(b)–(c)). Use those days to read the declaration you pulled from the county.

Condo (Chapter 718). Once you're under contract to buy a resale condo, you're entitled to current copies at the seller's expense of the declaration of condominium, articles, bylaws and rules, the annual financial statement and budget, the milestone inspection summary if there is one, the most recent SIRS (or a statement that there isn't one), and the association's FAQ document (§718.503(2)(a)). See Chapter 718 vs. Chapter 720 if you're not sure which applies.

Before closing, order an estoppel certificate to confirm what's owed on the unit. See Florida estoppel certificates. For what to look for once you have the documents, see buying into a Florida HOA.

Florida county official records links

These links come from the Florida Court Clerks & Comptrollers' statewide official-records page and were each checked on October 4, 2026. Clerk systems change, so if one doesn't load, start from the county clerk's home page.

Frequently asked questions

Are HOA documents public record in Florida? The declaration of covenants and its amendments are, and they're recorded in the county's official records. The articles of incorporation are on file with Sunbiz. Rules adopted by the board usually aren't recorded. Most other association records are available to owners through a records request rather than to the public.

How do I find the HOA for an address in Florida? Florida has no statewide HOA lookup. Check the deed or title commitment for a reference to the declaration, look up the parcel's subdivision on the county property appraiser's site, then search that name in the county official records or on Sunbiz for the association.

Are HOA rules and regulations recorded? Usually not. Florida's definition of governing documents covers the declaration, articles and bylaws, not board-adopted rules. Owners can get the rules from the association, through its portal if it has 100 or more parcels. Buyers can ask the seller.

Do HOA covenants expire in Florida? Covenants more than 30 years old can be affected by Florida's Marketable Record Title Act unless they were preserved, and associations can record notices to preserve them. Whether a specific community's covenants are still in effect is a question for a real estate attorney or title company.

Can I get the documents before I make an offer? The recorded ones, yes. Anyone can search county records. The seller's disclosure duties apply at the contract stage, so the county search is how to read the declaration before you commit.

Learn more

• Buying into a Florida HOA
• Florida Estoppel Certificates
• How to Request HOA Records in Florida
• Chapter 718 vs. Chapter 720
• Florida Statute 720.401 — Buyer disclosure summary
• Florida Statute 720.3032 — Notice of association information
• MyFloridaCounty.com — Statewide official records portal
• Sunbiz — Search Florida corporations

Statutory content on this page was last verified against the 2026 Florida Statutes on 2026-10-04. Confirm current statute text at flsenate.gov before relying on it.