Steps to take to petition the BOCC to vacate the County's interest in certain property rights
Petition to Vacate
For more information on a vacating project in your area, contact Facilities Management & Real Estate Services.
These rights include rights-of-way, easements, and subdivision plats, in part or in whole.
How it works
All petitions to vacate must go through a formal review and acceptance process conducted by the Real Estate staff. Please follow the steps listed below.
Fees
The total fee to process a vacating petition is $664.10
- Initial filing fee of $414.10 requested once your petition is reviewed by real estate and deemed complete
- Remaining balance of $250 due prior to scheduling of public hearing
- All fees are nonrefundable and shall be tendered by check made payable to the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC)
Pre-application to vacate
- While a pre-application to vacate from is not mandatory, all petitioners are strongly encouraged to complete the pre-application process
- During the pre-application review process, real estate staff will review administrative records to verify the County’s interest in the proposed vacate area and research prior vacating before you pay any fees required to file a vacating application
- There is no charge for this pre-application review
- Download and complete the Pre-Application to Vacate Form
- Email completed Pre-Application form to rp-vacating@hcfl.gov
Steps to Petition to Vacate
- Download and follow the Vacating Instructions
- For right-of-way vacates, download and complete the Requirements for Right of Way Vacates
- For easement and plat vacates, download and complete the Requirements for Plat and Easement Vacates
- Download and complete the Petition to Vacate
- Download and give a copy of the Surveyor Checklist to your surveyor
- Download and give a copy of the Title Company Checklist to your title company
- Submit the completed petition along with all required documents via email to rp-vacating@hcfl.gov
- Upon determination that the vacating application is complete and sufficient, the petition is circulated to internal and external reviewing agencies for review and comment
- The petitioner will be notified of any reviewer objections or conditions placed upon the vacating request
- It is the petitioner’s responsibility to address and/or resolve all objections prior to the petition being scheduled for public hearing
- A public hearing is held at a Land Use meeting where the BOCC will consider adopting a Resolution to vacate County’s interest in the property
- If approved, the vacate resolution is recorded in the Official Records of Hillsborough County, Florida
This process typically takes approximately 6 months to 1 year to complete; however, it is highly dependent upon the quality of the package submitted and whether there are objections to the vacate request.
Contact
If you have any questions, please contact real estate staff by email at rp-vacating@hcfl.gov or by calling (813) 307-1021.