New Recording Witness Address Requirements

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Certain documents submitted for Recording will soon be required to include the postal address of each witness. These upcoming changes will affect recording requirements statewide for documents involving real estate beginning on January 1, 2024.

Due to recent legislative changes, certain documents recorded into the Official Record of St. Johns County will soon be required to include the postal address of each witness. These upcoming changes, which can be found in Fla. Statute 695.26, will affect recording requirements statewide. Beginning on January 1, 2024, the Clerk’s Office will not be able to accept affected documents submitted for recording without the required witness address information.

What are the changes beginning on January 1?

For affected document types (see list below), the post office address of each witness must be legibly printed, typewritten, or stamped on the documents underneath their signature. This address must be a physical address or PO Box. An email address is not sufficient. The changes to Fla. State 695.26 require the Clerk’s Office to reject documents that do not include this witness address information as of January 1, 2024.

What documents are affected?

The new requirements apply to any “any instrument by which the title to real property or any interest therein is conveyed, assigned, encumbered, or otherwise disposed of.” Generally, this means any document that affects the ownership of real estate in any way. If you are unsure if a document you are recording is affected, you may wish to seek legal advice from an attorney.