OnlineRecords.US is an independent, privately operated records service. It is not a government website and is not affiliated with any county, clerk or agency.
All states

Northwest Florida and the Panhandle

Leon County property records and hazards

Leon County is home to about 300,500 people, and FEMA counts $52.6 billion in buildings there. FEMA's National Risk Index rates its overall natural-hazard risk "Relatively Moderate", higher than 93% of U.S. counties. For property, the costliest hazards here are inland flooding, hurricanes and tornadoes: together about $91.9 million of expected building damage a year. Its incorporated city or town is Tallahassee. 12 hurricanes have passed within 30 miles since 1851.1

What Leon County faces most

Ranked by FEMA's National Risk Index: the hazards expected to do the most damage to buildings in this county each year, with each hazard's FEMA risk rating. Sinkhole reports aren't part of FEMA's index; they're added from the Florida Geological Survey because they matter here.

  1. 1

    Inland flooding

    Relatively Moderate

    The local numbers

    • FEMA rates inland flooding risk in Leon County "Relatively Moderate" (score 91.5 of 100, compared with every U.S. county).1
    • Expected damage to buildings: about $46.5 million a year, the 19th-highest expected building loss from this hazard of 67 counties in the state.1
    • FEMA's index maps about 70 square miles of the county inside the 1%-annual-chance floodplain it uses for inland flooding.1
    • 47 inland flood events in FEMA's record, about 1.7 a year.1
    • 1 federal disaster declaration for flooding.2

    What it means for a buyer or owner

    Beyond the roughly 70 square miles of mapped floodplain in Leon County, rain-driven flooding follows rivers, lakes, wetlands and canals, and it doesn't stop at the mapped lines: FEMA says more than 20% of flood insurance claims come from outside high-risk areas.

    Ask whether the home has flooded or had a flood claim, and look at the lot's elevation in the report.

    In your report: the Flood & hazard sheet · Guide: How to read a Florida flood zone

  2. 2

    Hurricanes

    Relatively High

    The local numbers

    • FEMA rates hurricane risk in Leon County "Relatively High" (score 97.1 of 100, compared with every U.S. county).1
    • Expected damage to buildings: about $40.8 million a year, the 28th-highest expected building loss from this hazard of 67 counties in the state.1
    • 12 hurricanes passed within 30 miles of the county since 1851 (1 of them at Category 3 or stronger while nearby); counting tropical storms, 44 storms in all.3
    • Strongest storm on record nearby: Helene (2024), at Category 4 strength (about 138 mph sustained) as it passed.3
    • Most recent hurricanes nearby: Helene (2024), Category 4, Hermine (2016), Category 1 and Kate (1985), Category 1.3
    • 19 federal disaster declarations for hurricanes have included the county.2

    What it means for a buyer or owner

    Leon County is inland, so hurricanes reach it as wind and heavy rain rather than surge; Helene (2024) still crossed nearby at Category 4 strength. Roof condition and tree cover decide most of the damage.

    Ask for the roof's age and permit, any shutters or impact-rated windows, and a wind mitigation report.

    In your report: the Storm history & wind sheet · Guide: Hurricanes, roofs and insurance

  3. 3

    Tornadoes

    Relatively High

    The local numbers

    • FEMA rates tornado risk in Leon County "Relatively High" (score 97.1 of 100, compared with every U.S. county).1
    • Expected damage to buildings: about $4.6 million a year, the 15th-highest expected building loss from this hazard of 67 counties in the state.1
    • 24 tornadoes recorded in the county in FEMA's index (NOAA Storm Prediction Center records), about 0.4 a year.1
    • 1 federal disaster declaration for tornadoes.2

    What it means for a buyer or owner

    With roughly 0.4 tornadoes a year on record, Leon County sees mostly brief, narrow touchdowns, often spun up by tropical systems and spring squall lines, so damage is very local. The same roof-to-wall connections that resist hurricane wind help here.

    Check the roof covering, any hurricane straps or clips, and the insurer's windstorm deductible.

    In your report: the Hazards (FEMA National Risk Index) sheet

  4. 4

    Wildfire

    Relatively Moderate

    The local numbers

    • FEMA rates wildfire risk in Leon County "Relatively Moderate" (score 90.0 of 100, compared with every U.S. county).1
    • Expected damage to buildings: about $1.3 million a year, the 20th-highest expected building loss from this hazard of 67 counties in the state.1
    • FEMA's wildfire model gives an average yearly burn likelihood of about 0.14% for exposed land here.1
    • 22.8% of the county's building value is in areas FEMA treats as exposed to wildfire.1
    • 3 federal fire declarations (including fire-management grants) have covered the county.2

    What it means for a buyer or owner

    22.8% of the building value in Leon County is near burnable land; risk is highest where homes back onto pine flatwoods, scrub, prairie or other wild land, especially in the dry late-winter and spring months.

    Look at the vegetation around the lot, keep a clear zone around the house, and check for burn bans and prescribed-burn areas nearby.

    In your report: the Hazards (FEMA National Risk Index) sheet

  5. 5

    Sinkholes and ground subsidence

    Not in FEMA's index

    The local numbers

    • 155 subsidence incident reports filed with the Florida Geological Survey from 1967 to 2026; 7 of them confirmed as true sinkholes.4
    • Most reports list Tallahassee (94), Woodville (17) and Lake Jackson (3) as the nearest town.4
    • That is 21.9 reports per 100 square miles, the 9th-highest report density of 67 counties in the state.4
    • 18 of the reports were filed in 2015 or later.4

    What it means for a buyer or owner

    Parts of Leon County sit on limestone, where dissolving rock can open sinkholes or cause slow settling; 155 reports have been filed here. FGS reports come from the public and most aren't field-checked, so they show where to look, not where it's safe.

    Ask about prior sinkhole claims or repairs, look for cracks in walls and floors, and consider a geotechnical inspection for an older home.

    In your report: the Earthquakes, faults & ground sheet

Rules that apply in every Florida county, from the building code and wind-mitigation discounts to flood insurance, seller flood disclosure and sinkhole coverage: Florida rules for buyers and owners.

Hurricanes near Leon County

12 hurricanes have come within 30 miles of Leon County since 1851; the busiest decade was the 1890s, with 2. The 12 most recent are listed, with the strength NOAA recorded as each passed.3

YearStormStrength nearbyClosest approach
2024HeleneCategory 425 mi
2016HermineCategory 14 mi
1985KateCategory 19 mi
1966AlmaCategory 11 mi
1941UnnamedCategory 10 mi
1899UnnamedCategory 122 mi
1894UnnamedCategory 215 mi
1886UnnamedCategory 1inside the county
1886UnnamedCategory 24 mi
1877UnnamedCategory 210 mi
1873UnnamedCategory 17 mi
1852UnnamedCategory 21 mi

Federal disaster declarations

36 federal declarations have included Leon County since 1973, 23 of them major disasters. By type: 19 hurricane, 6 severe storm, 4 tropical storm, 3 fire, 2 biological, 1 flood and 1 tornado.2

Most recent

All FEMA hazards for Leon County

Every hazard FEMA scores here, costliest for buildings first.1

HazardFEMA risk ratingRisk score (0-100)Expected building loss a yearRank in the state
Inland floodingRelatively Moderate91.5$46.5 million19 of 67
HurricanesRelatively High97.1$40.8 million28 of 67
TornadoesRelatively High97.1$4.6 million15 of 67
WildfireRelatively Moderate90.0$1.3 million20 of 67
Strong windRelatively High91.8$513,00015 of 67
EarthquakesRelatively Low67.4$461,0007 of 67
LightningRelatively Moderate74.9$168,00013 of 67
HailRelatively Low45.2$74,00010 of 67
Cold wavesRelatively High98.3$55,00016 of 67
Winter weatherRelatively Low53.5$42,0001 of 67
LandslidesRelatively Low62.9$3,0006 of 67
Coastal flooding and storm surgeVery Low23.4$99844 of 67
Heat wavesRelatively Moderate91.9$2347 of 67
DroughtVery Low28.6$0n/a

Local property economy

Leon County had about 300,488 residents in 2024. Its largest groups of self-employed businesses are professional, scientific, and technical services (4,060), other services (except public administration) (3,253) and transportation and warehousing (3,128). The table counts businesses with no employees, the sole proprietors behind much of the local real estate and building trade.5

Businesses with no employeesLeonPer 1,000 residentsFlorida per 1,000
All self-employed businesses26,67688.8146.6
Real estate, rental and leasing2,6398.815.4
Real estate (agents, brokers, landlords, managers)2,5808.614.8
Construction1,8556.214.5
Residential building construction5381.84.7

Area profile

Census figures for Leon County next to Florida and the U.S. (ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates; ± is the margin of error). Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (opens in a new tab).

MeasureLeon CountyFloridaU.S.
Population297,54222,416,077334,922,499
Median household income$66,287 ±$1,595$74,568$80,734
Per-capita income$39,955 ±$1,033$42,609$44,673
People below the poverty level18.7% ±0.9%12.6%12.5%
Adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher48.9% ±1.3%34.1%35.7%
Median home value (owner-occupied)$301,800 ±$5,943$359,000$332,700
Median gross rent$1,291 ±$26$1,669$1,413
Homes that are owner-occupied52.6% ±0.9%67.6%65.2%
Housing units vacant11.0% ±0.8%14.7%10.1%
Median year built1989 ±119881980
Median age32 ±0.242.638.9
Average household size2.3 ±0.02.52.5
Mean travel time to work (minutes)21.1 ±0.82826.4
Race and Hispanic origin (Census table B03002)
GroupLeon CountyFloridaU.S.
Not Hispanic or Latino: White alone53.2%50.4%57.4%
Not Hispanic or Latino: Black or African American alone30.2%14.6%11.9%
Not Hispanic or Latino: American Indian and Alaska Native alone0.0%0.1%0.5%
Not Hispanic or Latino: Asian alone3.5%2.9%5.9%
Not Hispanic or Latino: Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone0.0%0.1%0.2%
Not Hispanic or Latino: Some other race alone0.5%0.7%0.6%
Not Hispanic or Latino: Two or more races4.4%3.8%4.3%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race)8.2%27.4%19.3%

These figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau. OnlineRecords.US doesn't rate, rank or recommend areas by who lives there, and none of these figures are used in any ranking on this page. This product uses Census Bureau data but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

What our free report covers in Leon County

Statewide data works for every Leon County address: (verified on test reports ). Parcel, owner and legal description, assessed and just values, FEMA flood zone and ground elevation, evacuation zone and FEMA hazard ratings, storm history and estimated wind, storm surge and high-water marks, earthquakes, faults and sinkhole reports, environmental sites nearby and condo and HOA records link to the official source for now. For the county's own records, the report links to each office's search; none is automated and verified here yet unless marked.7

County recordsStatusWhere to check
Recorded deeds, mortgages and liens (clerk)Link to the official source Official records search (opens in a new tab)
Property tax bill (tax collector)Link to the official source Leon County Tax Collector (opens in a new tab)
Building permitsLink to the official sourceLink-out to Leon County Development Support & Environmental Management (Accela Citizen Access). Leon County Development Support & Environmental Management (opens in a new tab)

Neighboring counties

Leon County borders Gadsden County, Jefferson County, Liberty County and Wakulla County. Leon County has the highest expected inland flooding losses to buildings among its neighbors.8

CountyCostliest hazard for buildingsOverall FEMA ratingExpected building loss a year
Gadsden CountyInland floodingRelatively Low$11.2 million
Jefferson CountyHurricanesVery Low$4.6 million
Liberty CountyHurricanesVery Low$3.5 million
Wakulla CountyInland floodingRelatively Low$11.0 million

Sources of information

  1. FEMA National Risk Index (county level) (opens in a new tab). release: December 2025; retrieved 2026-10-05.
  2. OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (opens in a new tab). retrieved 2026-10-05.
  3. NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2 (Atlantic) (opens in a new tab). storms through 2025; track within 30 miles of the county boundary while at tropical-storm strength or stronger; landfall points within 6 miles assigned to the nearest county; retrieved 2026-10-05.
  4. Florida Geological Survey subsidence incident reports (opens in a new tab). retrieved 2026-10-05.
  5. U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Nonemployer Statistics and Vintage 2024 population estimates (opens in a new tab). retrieved 2026-10-05.
  6. onlinerecords.us county registry (official office links). retrieved 2026-10-05.
  7. onlinerecords.us coverage checks on test reports. retrieved 2026-10-05.
  8. U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file (2024) (opens in a new tab). retrieved 2026-10-05.

Figures describe the county as a whole, not any one property. A free report shows the parcel's own flood zone, elevation, storm history and records.