St. Petersburg · Codes Cases · Code Liens
How the City of St. Petersburg turns a violation into a fine and a lien, how to ask for more time or a reduction, and what a sale does with the balance.
The short answer
Yes. An open codes case or a recorded code lien doesn’t stop a sale: recorded liens show up in the title search and are paid or released from the proceeds at closing. Before a lien is certified you can ask a Special Magistrate for more time; after, the Code Enforcement Board hears reduction requests — but won’t grant one while violations are still open.
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The City’s Codes Compliance Assistance Department uses three tracks, depending on how serious the problem is:
Miss the board’s deadline and the case goes to a Special Magistrate lien certification hearing. That hearing is your chance to appear and ask for more time without penalty: the Special Magistrate can defer the lien so you can fix the problem, or certify it against the property.
For unsafe structures, overgrown vegetation and junk on vacant property, if an owner doesn’t respond to a notice in time, the City can secure, condemn or clear the property itself and then assess the property for the cost.
When: the CEB generally meets on the fourth Wednesday of the month and Special Magistrates on the fourth Tuesday, both at 8:30 a.m. at City Hall, 175 5th St. N. The City notes that November and December board dates can move earlier.
The Code Enforcement Board also hears lien reduction and release requests. Two rules on the City’s page matter most:
So the order of steps matters. If you can cure the violation, cure it, then apply. If the repair is more than you want to take on, a sale pays the recorded liens from the proceeds at closing, and the new owner takes over the cure.
After Hurricanes Helene and Milton, the City opened damage-assessment codes cases on many properties, inside and outside flood zones. The City’s own points: an active codes case does not prevent a property sale; an active case does not equal an active violation; violations only apply if work is done without permits; and owners get due process to correct a problem before any fines or liens. More on that: selling a storm-damaged house in St. Petersburg.
From the City’s code enforcement lien report as of October 1, 2026, which we requested under Florida’s public records law:
In the City’s report, many cases show a new lien recorded month after month while a board order goes unmet, so one case can carry several liens. Full tables and the CSV: Tampa Bay code enforcement liens by the numbers.
We buy St. Petersburg houses as-is, for our own account, from AL’s office at 433 Central Ave in downtown St. Petersburg. The lien payoffs we know about are shown in the offer math, and a licensed Florida title company settles them at closing. Closing is typically 7–21 days once the title work is clear, or on the date you pick. We’re not real estate agents and not attorneys, and this page is general information, not legal advice. If any foreclosure has been filed on the property, or the fines are disputed, talk to a Florida attorney first.
Yes. Recorded code liens are found in the title search and paid or released from the sale proceeds at closing. Writing about its post-storm damage-assessment cases, the City of St. Petersburg says outright that an active codes case does not prevent a property sale.
Open cases are on the City’s Active Codes Cases Map, and the Codes Compliance Assistance Department (727-893-7373) can give the history at an address. Recorded liens and payoffs come from a lien research request to the City’s Billing & Collections office, filed online.
The Code Enforcement Board hears lien reduction and release requests on a notarized application. It will not reduce or release liens on a property that still has active code violations.
If an owner misses the Code Enforcement Board’s compliance date, a Special Magistrate hears the case before a lien is certified. The owner can appear and ask for more time without penalty; the Special Magistrate can defer the lien or certify it.
No. HomeSellerCashOffer is not a real estate agent or broker. We buy houses directly, for our own account, as Tampete Homes LLC, and close through a licensed Florida title company.
AL Cakici · Owner, HomeSellerCashOffer (Tampete Homes LLC)
AL is the owner and manager of Tampete Homes LLC (Florida LLC L25000252906, d/b/a HomeSellerCashOffer) and buys houses in Pinellas, Hillsborough and Pasco for its own account. He has personally purchased and assisted with 100+ real estate transactions over 10+ years across the country. He is not an attorney or a real estate agent; this page is general information drawn from the sources listed above, not legal advice. Facts checked against those sources on October 16, 2026.
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Straight answers first. If selling isn’t your best move, he’ll say so.
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