Pinellas County · 24 cities · Unincorporated areas
From Tarpon Springs to Tierra Verde: who handles code liens, permits and back taxes for your address, and how a direct sale to a local buyer works.
The short answer
Yes. We buy houses as-is, for cash, anywhere in Pinellas County: in its 24 cities and in the unincorporated areas that run from the Pasco County line to Tierra Verde. The first thing to check is whether the address is inside a city’s limits. About 280,000 people, or 36% of the county, live outside them, and there the County, not a city, handles code enforcement and building permits.
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Pinellas County has 24 cities: Belleair, Belleair Beach, Belleair Bluffs, Belleair Shore, Clearwater, Dunedin, Gulfport, Indian Rocks Beach, Indian Shores, Kenneth City, Largo, Madeira Beach, North Redington Beach, Oldsmar, Pinellas Park, Redington Beach, Redington Shores, Safety Harbor, St. Pete Beach, St. Petersburg, Seminole, South Pasadena, Tarpon Springs, Treasure Island. Everything outside their limits is unincorporated Pinellas, and there the Board of County Commissioners acts as the local government. Residents of those areas pay for a portion of the County budget, the Municipal Services Taxing Unit, which funds services a city would otherwise provide, including building permits, code enforcement and lot clearing.
Which side of the line a house is on decides who you call about a code case, a permit or a lien. The County’s advice is to check the address with its My Neighborhood lookup or on the Property Appraiser’s record. Don’t go by the city name in the mailing address.
In unincorporated Pinellas, code cases belong to Pinellas County Code Enforcement, a division of Building and Development Review Services (631 Chestnut St., Clearwater; 727-464-4761). Three County services matter when you sell:
Inside a city, the city’s own code office handles the case. We have local guides for St. Petersburg, Clearwater and Largo.
The County’s Building and Development Review Services issues permits and runs inspections for unincorporated Pinellas and for several small cities that use it: Belleair Beach, Belleair Shore, Indian Rocks Beach, Kenneth City, Oldsmar and Safety Harbor. (One sentence on the County’s FAQ also lists Belleair Bluffs; the next one doesn’t, so confirm with the County.) Every other city runs its own building department.
In the unincorporated county, a permit is required for any new building, addition, remodeling, demolition or other work that costs more than $500 or needs an inspection. Older work done without one is common in inherited and rental houses. It doesn’t stop a sale to us: we buy as-is and price the house as it stands, rather than asking you to permit or redo the work first.
The timeline is the same in every part of the county, because the Tax Collector and the Clerk run it countywide:
Until the auction, the Tax Collector’s FAQ says payment in full stops the sale, in cash or certified funds; Florida law doesn’t allow partial payments of delinquent real estate taxes. A sale before the auction pays the taxes and certificates from the proceeds at closing. More: behind on property taxes in Pinellas, the upcoming auction dates and auction numbers.
In a flood zone, if repairs would cost 49% or more of the building’s value (without the land), the house must be brought up to current flood rules, often by elevating or rebuilding it. Unincorporated Pinellas and St. Petersburg both use 49%; other cities apply their own determinations. You don’t have to do that work to sell. Details and the Hillsborough comparison: the 49% / 50% rule in Tampa Bay.
We buy Pinellas houses as-is, for our own account, from AL’s office at 433 Central Ave in downtown St. Petersburg. Liens and back taxes we know about are shown in the offer math, and a licensed Florida title company pays 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 a foreclosure has been filed, talk to a Florida attorney first.
Yes. We buy anywhere in Pinellas County, inside the 24 cities and in the unincorporated areas from the Pasco County line to Tierra Verde. Outside city limits the County handles code enforcement and building permits.
Check the address in the County’s My Neighborhood lookup or on the Pinellas County Property Appraiser’s record. The County recommends those two tools for verifying jurisdiction.
Pinellas County Code Enforcement, part of Building and Development Review Services (631 Chestnut St., Clearwater; 727-464-4761). It handles lien searches, payoff statements and lien reduction requests. A reduction can be available once the property is brought into compliance, or to a potential new owner of the non-compliant property.
Yes, as long as the closing happens before the tax deed auction. The sale pays the delinquent taxes and any tax certificates from the proceeds at closing. To stop an auction without selling, the Tax Collector requires payment in full, in cash or certified funds, before the sale.
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.
Across the bay, we buy houses in Tampa and Brandon; to the north, Pasco County.
AL Cakici · Owner, HomeSellerCashOffer (Tampete Homes LLC)
AL buys houses in Pinellas, Hillsborough and Pasco for his own account and has personally purchased and assisted with 100+ transactions over 10+ years across the country. He is not an attorney; this page is general information drawn from the sources listed above, not legal advice. Facts checked against those sources on the dates listed.
“I was skeptical at first when these guys approached me about my home, but they were very knowledgeable and straightforward. They did all the work. These guys know what it means to do good business, which is unfortunately rare nowadays.”
“Working with HomeSellerCashOffer has been nothing but a positive experience. Al is extremely professional, transparent, and always a pleasure to work with. He communicates clearly, keeps the process smooth, and goes above and beyond to make sure everything stays on track”
“As an investor myself, I get bombarded from people trying to buy my houses. AL and his team were miles above anybody else that’s approached me, super knowledgeable, professional and transparent. Recommend to anyone that wants top tier service.”
Straight answers first. If selling isn’t your best move, he’ll say so.
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