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Lady Bird Deed in Ormond Beach, Florida

Your Ormond Beach home is likely the most valuable thing you own. A lady bird deed keeps it out of probate while you stay in full control for the rest of your life.

  • No probate on the home, recorded right here in Volusia County
  • Full control for life, so you can sell, refinance, or change it anytime
  • Keeps the step-up in basis, and avoids the Medicaid penalty that gifting the home would trigger
Book a free consultation Attorney-drafted, $399 flat + recording

Nobody travels. The consultation is by phone, you sign from home by online notarization, and the deed records in Volusia County.

Quick Overview

A lady bird deed lets your Ormond Beach home skip probate and pass straight to your family, with no Medicaid five-year penalty and the step-up in basis preserved. Attorney-drafted from $399 plus recording. The recording, the mistakes to avoid, and the cost are below.

Topics to Know HideShow

Below, we walk through the 4 issues that decide whether this is the right move for you. Jump to any one.

  1. Why Ormond Beach Homeowners Use a Lady Bird Deed The home passes to your family the moment you die, with no probate, while you keep full control to sell or change it for life. With Ormond Beach values near $354,800, keeping that out of court matters.
  2. How a Ormond Beach Deed Gets Recorded Your deed protects the family only once it is recorded with the Volusia County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller. We e-record it for you, so you never drive to a courthouse, and the cost is set by Florida law.
  3. The Mistakes We Fix for Volusia County Families A plain gift to the kids loses the step-up and can trigger a five-year Medicaid penalty. A do-it-yourself form often misses the homestead and spousal rules that quietly void it.
  4. What It Costs A flat $399 for an individual or $449 for a joint deed, the same price the form mills charge, with an attorney behind it. Only the government recording cost is added, at cost.

That’s the quick version. The details below are what decide your situation, and where the costly mistakes hide.

Why Ormond Beach Homeowners Use a Lady Bird Deed

Most families in Ormond Beach never think about how their home will pass until something forces the question. A lady bird deed (its formal name is an enhanced life estate deed) answers it quietly. The home passes to the people you name the moment you die, with no probate, and you keep complete control while you are alive. You can sell it, borrow against it, or change your mind, all without anyone's permission.

Ormond Beach is substantially older than the state average, with a median age of 54 and 34 percent over 65. Planning demand among the 43,976 residents is heavily retirement focused. Volusia County homes here have a median value of $354,800, making a lady bird deed essential for passing the home outside probate. With a median home value around $354,800, keeping that value out of probate and protecting the step-up in basis matters here. See exactly how a lady bird deed works → You do not need a lawyer with an office in Ormond Beach, because the deed records in Volusia County no matter where it is drafted. Here is how working with a Florida lady bird deed attorney runs, wherever you are.

How a Ormond Beach Deed Gets Recorded

A deed only protects your family once it is properly recorded, and in Volusia County that happens with the Volusia County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller. The Volusia County recording office sits at 101 North Alabama Avenue in DeLand, but we e-record your deed electronically, so you never make the trip. The cost to record is modest and set by Florida law, the same in every county, usually around $18 to $30. The Department of Revenue has ruled that an enhanced life estate deed is not subject to documentary stamp tax, and in practice the deed is recorded with a nominal recital and a seventy cent stamp. We pull your exact legal description from the last recorded deed, prepare the document, and e-record it for you, so nothing depends on you driving to a courthouse.

Notary Services in Ormond Beach

The firm prepares your deed or trust and most clients sign from home by online notarization, with the firm arranging the notary and the two witnesses by video. Some people prefer to sign on paper in person. A Florida deed must be signed in front of two witnesses and acknowledged before a notary, so you need to bring two adult witnesses who are not named in the deed. Do not count on the store to supply witnesses. Call the store first to confirm a notary is on duty that day.

The UPS Store locations in Ormond Beach that list notary services, with posted hours
StoreAddressPhoneHours
The UPS Store #4065W Granada Blvd & Nova Rd226 N Nova Rd, Ormond Beach 32174(386) 677-4448Mon to Fri 8:30 am to 6:30 pm · Sat 9 am to 5 pm · Sun 12 pm to 5 pm
The UPS Store #82131236 Ocean Shore Blvd, Ormond Beach 32176(386) 492-3500Mon to Fri 8:30 am to 7 pm · Sat 9:30 am to 3 pm · Sun 10 am to 3 pm

Hours read from each store’s own page on October 30, 2026. Confirm by phone before you go.

The Mistakes We Fix for Volusia County Families

The cheap way usually costs the most. A plain gift of the home to the kids loses the step-up in basis (a tax break that can save the family tens of thousands when they sell) and can trigger Florida's five-year Medicaid penalty. A do-it-yourself form often misses the homestead and spousal rules, which can quietly void the deed for a married owner. We handle those checks as part of the flat fee, so the deed actually holds up. What a valid form must contain → · when a deed is the wrong tool →

Protect your Ormond Beach home before it ever reaches a courtroom.

A free consultation confirms a lady bird deed fits, by phone or video. If a trust is the better tool, we will tell you that too.

Book a free consultation

What It Costs

Our flat fee is $399 for an individual owner and $449 for a joint deed, the same price the form mills charge, with a real attorney behind it. On top of that you pay only the government recording cost and the documentary stamp, passed through with no markup. The fee is posted up front and honored for 90 days. See the full cost breakdown →

Lady bird deed
$399 · $449 joint
Passes the home to your family at death with no probate, and you keep full control and your homestead protection while you live. One owner $399, joint owners $449. Drafted with the homestead language Florida requires. A quitclaim, warranty or life-estate deed is $399.
Deed revocation or amendment
$250
Revoking or correcting a deed already on record.
Recording costs vary by county and start at $19.20 for a deed. Documentary stamp tax, court filing fees, publication and certified copies are additional and passed through at cost.

Communities We Serve Near Ormond Beach

We work with homeowners across Volusia County, and the surrounding area. StepUpLaw is a Miami firm serving Ormond Beach families wherever you are; this is not a Ormond Beach office, and we frame our work that way out of respect for Florida's advertising rules.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a Ormond Beach office to set up a lady bird deed?

No. StepUpLaw is a Miami firm that serves Ormond Beach and Volusia County homeowners by phone and video, with the deed signed by remote online notary and e-recorded in your county. Many of our clients are adult children handling a Florida parent's home from another state.

Where does a Ormond Beach lady bird deed get recorded?

With the Volusia County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller, in the county where the property sits. Recording fees are set by Florida law and are the same in every county, usually about $18 to $30 for a deed like this. The Department of Revenue has ruled that an enhanced life estate deed is not subject to documentary stamp tax, and in practice the deed is recorded with a nominal recital and a seventy cent stamp.

Will a lady bird deed help my Ormond Beach home avoid Medicaid estate recovery?

Yes. Florida only recovers Medicaid costs from the probate estate. Because a lady bird deed passes the home outside probate, it stays out of recovery's reach, while your homestead also stays exempt during your lifetime. It is one of the main reasons Volusia County families use it.

Can the notary be one of the two witnesses on my Ormond Beach deed?

Yes, when the notary watches you sign and also signs on a witness line with a mailing address. A notary who only completes the acknowledgment is not a second witness, and a deed with one witness and a notary is a witness short. Florida law cures a missing witness five years after the deed is recorded, absent fraud, so recording promptly with the Volusia County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller is also what starts that clock.

Can I still sell my Ormond Beach home after signing?

Yes, and that is the whole point of the "enhanced" part. You keep the right to sell, refinance, rent, or change your mind, all without asking the beneficiaries. If the home is your homestead and you are married, your spouse still joins the deed for a sale or mortgage.


Updated October 18, 2026. Reviewed by Kevin D. Klagge, Esq., Fla. Bar No. 99502. Attorney Kevin Klagge represents families, businesses, and international clients in estate and tax planning, business structuring, and international law, with a focus on Florida legal tools. He litigates estate and business issues in court. General information about Florida law, not legal advice, and no attorney-client relationship is created. We serve Ormond Beach and Volusia County residents wherever they are. Do not send confidential information until we have agreed to represent you.

Keep your Ormond Beach home out of probate

Book a free consultation with Attorney Kevin D. Klagge, Esq. We confirm the deed fits, draft it, and record it in Volusia County for a flat $399 (individual) / $449 (joint) plus recording.