On September 5, 2023, the City of Fort Lauderdale Commission passed a resolution reestablishing a Lien Amnesty Program that allows qualified property owners with code violations an opportunity to clear outstanding code enforcement liens at a reduced rate, once the violations are brought to compliance.

Code Enforcement liens result from fines imposed by the City of Fort Lauderdale Code Enforcement Board (CEB) or Special Magistrate (SM) for properties found to be in violation of the City's Codes or the Florida Building Code. If a property does not come into compliance with the CEB or SM’s order, a fine is recorded in the form of a lien against all property (real and personal) within Broward County that is owned by the property owner.

For qualified participants, the amount of the code enforcement lien will be reduced to 10% of the total amount owed on the lien.

In order to qualify for participation in the program, the property with the lien, as well as all property within the City of Fort Lauderdale owned by the same property owner, must be in full compliance with all City Codes and Ordinances and Florida Building Codes. Please review the Common Codes Diagram. 

To complete an application or register a property for any of the above programs, please follow the steps below:

• Visit LauderBuild and create an account or login to your existing account.
• Select New Application and Enforcement from the menu.
• Read and accept the Terms of Use
• Use the dropdown arrow next to Enforcement to expand the options and select Lien Amnesty and follow the prompts to complete the application. There is also a step-by-step guide at the bottom of this page. 

The following items are required to complete the application process:

• Attach date stamped photos (no older than 30 days) of the front, rear, left side, right side, and swale of the property.
• If the applicant is not the owner, a notarized power of attorney granting permission from the owner to the applicant must be attached with the application.
• The non-refundable fee of $175.00 must be paid by the applicant. If not paid, the processing administrator will not receive the application from the online system.

Applicants owning other properties within the City of Fort Lauderdale:

All applicants who own other properties within the City of Fort Lauderdale must ensure there are no fines owed or current violations, whether cited or not, on their additional properties. To verify compliance with this requirement, please send photos of the front of each additional property to LienAmnesty@fortlauderdale.gov. Failure to complete this step may delay application processing. 

Please note:

• Any and all fees and costs associated with the code violation shall be paid within ninety (90) days of the approval date of the lien amnesty application.

• All administrative fees, hard costs, and any liens including lot clearing charges, utility liens, board-up charges, demolition charges, civil penalties, vessel removal charges, condemnation costs, and legal fees are exempt from lien amnesty and will not be included in the calculation for the 90% reduction.

• The City will not release the code enforcement lien until the City processes full payment of the reduced lien amount and all applicable costs and fees.

The Code Enforcement Lien Amnesty Program begins October 1, 2023, and ends September 30, 2024. 

Please review our how-to video to assist in completing your application!!

Request an appointment for application assistance.