Miami-Dade County, Florida: A Local Guide for Home Buyers and Homeowners
Miami-Dade County runs from the barrier islands of Miami Beach west into the Everglades, across 1,899.90 square miles of land, and about 2.8 million people live here. It’s also the only road connection to the Florida Keys, so every drive to the Keys starts here.
Think of this page as our first meeting about a Miami-Dade purchase or refinance: how the loan limits are set, the county and state money that can cover a down payment, how homestead and storm coverage change your payment, and which offices you’ll deal with once you own.
Every source for this guide is listed at the bottom of the page.
- County seatMiami
- Founded1836, as Dade County
- PopulationAbout 2.8 million
- Land area1,899.90 sq mi
- Homestead filing deadlineMarch 1
- FHA limit, 1 unit$667,000 in 2026
- Conventional limit, 1 unit$832,750 in 2026
- School districtMiami-Dade County Public Schools
- Cities and areas
- Homes and loan limits
- Down payment help
- Property taxes
- Storms and insurance
- Jobs, schools, commute
- Parks and local favorites
- Moving checklist
- Buying or refinancing
Cities and neighborhoods across Miami-Dade
Miami-Dade has 34 cities, towns and villages, from Miami and Hialeah to Homestead and Florida City. Some of the names people know best aren’t on that list. Kendall and Westchester are unincorporated, so the county, not a city hall, handles permits and local services there. Find out which side of that line a house sits on before you buy, because it decides who you call and whether a city tax rate lands on your bill.
The county was created on February 4, 1836 as Dade County and named for Maj. Francis L. Dade, who was killed in 1835 in the Second Seminole War. It came close to being named Pinckney County instead. Voters rejected a new name several times between 1958 and 1990, then approved Miami-Dade on November 13, 1997.
Miami
Miami has been the county seat since 1844 and is the largest city, built along Biscayne Bay, where PortMiami sits. Downtown, the Perez Art Museum Miami and the Frost Museum of Science look out over the water, and Brickell City Centre anchors the shopping in Brickell.
Calle Ocho is the main street of Little Havana, lined with walk-up cafe windows called ventanitas, and it hosts street festivals. Wynwood is covered in murals, the Wynwood Walls among them, with breweries and galleries in between, and Coconut Grove, known as Miami’s oldest neighborhood, has Vizcaya Museum & Gardens on the bayfront.
Miami Beach
Miami Beach is built on the barrier islands that separate Biscayne Bay from the Atlantic Ocean. On South Beach, Ocean Drive is lined with pastel Art Deco facades, and the New World Center and the Miami Beach Bandshell are both here.
Coral Gables
Coral Gables is home to the University of Miami’s main campus. It also has the spring-fed Venetian Pool, the landmark Biltmore Hotel and Miracle Mile, the city’s shopping and dining strip.
Kendall and Westchester
Westchester sits next to Florida International University’s main campus, and like Kendall it has no city hall, so a house in either one pulls permits through Miami-Dade County.
Homestead and Florida City
Homestead has Coral Castle, the sculpture garden, and Homestead-Miami Speedway, and Biscayne National Park keeps its headquarters at 9700 SW 328th Street. This is the end of the county Hurricane Andrew hit hardest in 1992.
Florida City sits at the south end of the county, on the only road route into the Florida Keys, most of which belong to Monroe County.
Cutler Bay
Cutler Bay is an incorporated town that used to be called Cutler Ridge. The Property Appraiser’s South Dade office is here, inside the South Dade Government Center at 10710 SW 211 Street, so south county owners don’t have to drive downtown to file homestead.
North Miami, Aventura, Sunny Isles Beach and Surfside
North Miami is home to the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) North Miami. Aventura has Aventura Mall, with Oleta River State Park nearby, and Sunny Isles Beach has the roughly 600-foot Newport Fishing Pier. Next door, Surfside has a mile-long beach with a bike and walking path.
Doral
Doral is a city on the county’s west side, and the CityPlace Doral fountain is its best-known landmark.
The other cities
The full list of municipalities runs from Bal Harbour, Bay Harbor Islands and Golden Beach on the water to Hialeah, Hialeah Gardens, Medley, Miami Lakes, Miami Springs, Opa-locka, Sweetwater, Virginia Gardens and West Miami inland, with Pinecrest, Palmetto Bay and South Miami to the south. Outside them, University Park and the Redland are unincorporated, like Kendall and Westchester.
Homes across Miami-Dade and how the loan limits work
Miami-Dade housing changes with every few miles. Coral Gables has the University of Miami’s main campus, Coconut Grove sits on the bayfront, Miami Beach and Surfside are on the barrier islands, Westchester sits by FIU’s main campus, Doral is out west, and Cutler Bay, Homestead and Florida City run south toward the Keys. With so many cities and unincorporated areas side by side, ask us for the sales on the street you like and we’ll pull them.
Close to half the households in the county rent. If that’s you, call or text us at 954-816-8820 and we’ll show you what your rent could buy.
Miami-Dade shares its FHA limits with Broward and Palm Beach, because HUD sets them for the whole metro. The figures in effect are in the table below, next to the Conventional limit; HUD and FHFA reset them every January and the table follows.
| Loan limits in Miami-Dade County for 2026 | Maximum loan |
|---|---|
| FHA, single-family home | $667,000 |
| FHA, two-unit home | $853,900 |
| FHA, three-unit home | $1,032,150 |
| FHA, four-unit home | $1,282,700 |
| Conventional, single-family home | $832,750 |
HUD sets the FHA limits and FHFA sets the Conventional limits for every county, and both change each January. This table refreshes itself from HUD's published figures.
Here’s the down payment math on a round example: on a $500,000 purchase, FHA’s 3.5% minimum down payment is $17,500, and the county’s down payment loan or a state second can cover much or all of it. Call or text us at 954-816-8820 with the folio number or the address, and we’ll run your cash to close on the real price.
Down payment help for Miami-Dade buyers
Miami-Dade buyers can pair a county second mortgage with county down payment money, and several cities keep their own state-funded housing plans on top of the statewide programs. The county’s programs run through its Public Housing and Community Development office (HCD), and each sets its own income limit.
Miami-Dade County Homebuyer Loan Program (HLP)
HCD’s Homebuyer Loan Program is a low-rate county second mortgage, repaid over a long term, that sits behind a first mortgage from an HCD-approved lender. Homes in the county’s designated vulnerability areas get a larger loan at a lower rate than homes elsewhere. It’s for a primary residence, can be used only once, and comes due if you sell, transfer, rent out or move out.
HCD sets the loan amounts, rates and income limits and can change them as county funding changes. Call us at 888-601-8344 with the address, and we’ll check whether it falls in a designated vulnerability area and what HCD is lending before you write an offer.
Miami-Dade County Down Payment Assistance
The county’s Down Payment Assistance Program is a 0% loan, deferred with no monthly payments, that comes due on sale, transfer or maturity. You can use it alone or alongside the Homebuyer Loan Program. HCD recommends homebuyer counseling for all its homeownership programs: 786-469-4100, Overtown Transit Village North, 701 NW 1st Court, 16th Floor, Miami.
The award and the income cap come from the county’s housing budget, which moves from year to year. Call 888-601-8344 before you sign a contract and we’ll confirm with HCD at Overtown Transit Village what the program pays and whether it’s funding new files.
Housing Finance Authority of Miami-Dade County
The county’s Housing Finance Authority runs its own homebuyer loans, securitized by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and reserved by lenders through the eHousingPlus portal (program administrator line 888-643-7974).
The HFA’s assistance amounts and limits follow its bond programs. Call or text us at 954-816-8820 and we’ll pull the HFA’s figures for the week you’re buying and set them beside the county’s.
City SHIP programs
Six cities keep SHIP housing plans with Florida Housing, separate from the county’s: Miami, Hialeah, Homestead, Miami Beach, Miami Gardens and North Miami. A home inside one of them may have a second source of purchase help.
Each city writes its own plan every few years and funds it on its own calendar. Buying in Hialeah, Homestead or Miami Gardens? Call 888-601-8344 and we’ll ask that city’s housing office whether it’s funding purchases and what it pays.
Florida Hometown Heroes (statewide)
Hometown Heroes is a Florida Housing program that pairs a 30-year fixed first mortgage with a 0% down payment and closing cost second. There’s no monthly payment on the second, and it isn’t forgiven: it’s repaid when you sell, refinance or pay off the home, or stop living in it. Any of FHA, VA, USDA or Conventional can be the first mortgage under it.
One buyer must hold a full-time job with a Florida-based employer in health care, K-12 schools, first response, public safety, the courts or licensed child care, so a hospital nurse or a Miami-Dade County Public Schools teacher can qualify. Active-duty members of the military qualify regardless of employer, and veterans, Reservists and Guard members qualify through full-time work for any Florida-based employer.
You can use Florida Housing assistance once in a lifetime, and only through a participating lender or broker, so line up the right lender before you line up the house. Call 888-601-8344 and we’ll check that Hometown Heroes can be reserved for the Miami-Dade home you want.
FL Assist, HFA Preferred and FL HLP (statewide)
FL Assist is a 0% deferred second with no monthly payment that goes with a Florida Housing FHA, VA, USDA or Conventional first mortgage, and it’s repaid when you sell, refinance, transfer or move out. Pick a Florida Housing Conventional first instead, and HFA Advantage PLUS adds a second that’s forgiven over 5 years while you live in the home. The FL HLP Second Mortgage carries a small fixed monthly payment over 30 years.
Florida Housing sets its own Miami-Dade income and price limits and reserves money loan by loan. Call us at 888-601-8344 and we’ll tell you which of these stacks with the county’s money on your address.
Our FHA 100% financing pairs a 96.5% FHA first mortgage with a down payment assistance second, so a Miami-Dade buyer can close without a down payment of their own. Between the county, the HFA, six city SHIP plans and the state, call 888-601-8344 before you write an offer and we’ll work out which seconds have money and stack on that address.
Property taxes and the homestead exemption
Make the home your permanent residence and you can file for the Florida homestead exemption with the Miami-Dade Property Appraiser. It’s worth up to $50,000 off your assessed value in two parts: the first $25,000 applies to every taxing authority, and the second $25,000 skips school taxes and applies to assessed value above $50,000. Homestead also puts your home under the Save Our Homes cap on assessment increases, and portability lets you carry some or all of that savings to your next Florida homestead.
You have to qualify on January 1, with title to the home, the home as your permanent residence, and U.S. citizenship or permanent residency, and the filing deadline is March 1 of the year after you buy. Bring proof the home is your permanent residence, such as a Florida driver license, vehicle registration or voter registration, and apply through the Property Appraiser’s Online Exemptions portal.
Bills come from the Miami-Dade Tax Collector and can be paid online through county-taxes.net, or out of your escrow account if your loan has one.
Miami-Dade County Property Appraiser
Stephen P. Clark Center, 111 NW 1 Street, Suite 710, Miami, FL 33128
Phone: 305-375-4712 (public service and residential exemptions)
South Dade office: South Dade Government Center, 10710 SW 211 Street, Suite 207, Cutler Bay, FL 33189, 305-232-3810
Homestead filing and property search: miamidadepa.gov
Tax bills and payments: Miami-Dade Tax Collector, 200 NW 2nd Ave, Miami, (305) 375-5448
Hurricane Andrew, storm surge and insurance
Hurricane Andrew’s eye crossed the north tip of Elliott Key at 4:40 AM on August 24, 1992, and came ashore at 5:05 AM at Fender Point, near SW 280 Street, just east-northeast of Homestead Air Force Base. It was a Category 5, with 165 mph sustained winds and a 922 mb pressure reading.
Andrew destroyed about 49,000 homes and damaged about 108,000 more, mostly in south Dade, and caused an estimated 26 billion dollars in U.S. damage. It stood as the costliest U.S. natural disaster until Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The county’s average elevation is about 6 feet above sea level, on oolite limestone in the east, which is why flood zones and storm surge zones matter as much as wind here.
- With the county averaging about 6 feet above sea level, pull every address up on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center before you offer. An FHA, VA or Conventional loan on a home in a high-risk zone comes with required flood insurance.
- Check the address in the county’s storm surge planning zone lookup. Your zone decides when you’re told to evacuate.
- Get your homeowners quote during the inspection period, not at the closing table. Carriers price on the roof’s age, and a wind mitigation report can earn credits.
- Sign up for Miami-Dade Alerts. The county’s Emergency & Evacuation Assistance Program (EEAP) helps residents with medical needs evacuate.
Work, schools and getting around
PortMiami on Biscayne Bay and Miami International Airport are both here, so cruise ships and international flights are part of the everyday scenery. Lennar, Ryder, Norwegian Cruise Line and Burger King keep their headquarters in the county. Miami-Dade County Public Schools and the county government are big employers in their own right.
Schools and colleges
Public schools are run by Miami-Dade County Public Schools, one of the largest school districts in the country.
Colleges include the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida International University, whose main campus is near Westchester, and Miami Dade College.
Getting around
Metrorail runs about 25 miles of dual track on two lines. The Green Line goes from Palmetto to Dadeland South and connects to Tri-Rail, the Orange Line serves Miami International Airport, and Brightline meets Metrorail at Historic Overtown/Lyric Theatre. The gates take contactless cards, an EASY Card or the GO Miami-Dade Transit app, but not cash, and Metromover and Metrobus round out the county system.
Miami is about 30 miles from Fort Lauderdale and 68 miles from West Palm Beach.
Two national parks, the bay and local favorites
Biscayne National Park
Biscayne National Park protects aquamarine water, islands and coral reefs within sight of downtown Miami. More than 500 species of fish live there, and the park holds 10,000 years of human history. Everglades National Park reaches into the western side of the county.
Key Biscayne beaches
Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park has the Cape Florida Lighthouse, and Crandon Park gives you about two miles of beach on the same island.
Oleta River and Vizcaya
Oleta River State Park is the outdoor recreation spot near Aventura. Down in Coconut Grove, Vizcaya Museum & Gardens sits right on the bayfront.
Coconut Grove Arts Festival
The Coconut Grove Arts Festival fills the Grove every Presidents Day weekend in February, one of the oldest fixtures on the county’s calendar.
Miami-Dade County Youth Fair
The Youth Fair sets up each spring at its grounds at 10901 Coral Way, running from March into April.
Coral Castle and Venetian Pool
Two of the county’s best-known landmarks sit at opposite ends of it: the Coral Castle sculpture garden in Homestead and the spring-fed Venetian Pool in Coral Gables.
Juan Ponce de León sailed into Biscayne Bay in 1513, and the Tequesta were living here when he arrived. Centuries later the county was nearly named Pinckney County, and voters rejected a new name several times before choosing Miami-Dade in 1997.
Moving to Miami-Dade: your first-month checklist
- Driver license and tag: the Miami-Dade Tax Collector issues and renews driver licenses and ID cards, and also handles auto tags, titles and boat registrations. The main office is at 200 NW 2nd Ave, Miami, (305) 375-5448.
- Homestead: file with the Property Appraiser by March 1 of the year after you buy, online or at the downtown or Cutler Bay office.
- County questions: dial 311 (305-468-5900 from outside the county) or use the 311 Direct app; it handles county and City of Miami non-emergency services.
- Hurricane season: sign up for Miami-Dade Alerts, look up your storm surge planning zone, and bookmark the county’s Weather Ready page.
Buying or refinancing in Miami-Dade with AAA Capital Funding
Buying a home
FHA is the loan most of our Miami-Dade buyers use, at 3.5% down, and it pairs with the county and state programs above. We also close VA loans with no down payment for eligible veterans, Conventional loans, Hometown Heroes, FHA 100% financing and DSCR loans for investors buying rentals.
We’ve been a licensed Florida mortgage broker since 1997, working from Aventura to Florida City and in all 67 counties statewide. We shop your loan across multiple wholesale lenders and give you a pre-approval you can put next to a cash offer.
Refinancing the home you have
Lower your monthly payment, take cash out for a new roof or hurricane upgrades, pay off higher-interest debt, or buy a co-owner off the title. The equity you’ve built here can go to work.
Call 888-601-8344 and we’ll lay out your new payment, the cash you’d clear and the closing costs against the Miami-Dade loan you have now.
Miami-Dade questions we hear a lot
What is the FHA loan limit in Miami-Dade County?
Miami-Dade shares the tri-county FHA limits with Broward and Palm Beach. The loan limit table on this page shows the FHA limits for one to four units and the Conventional limit for a single-family home, and it updates itself every January when HUD and FHFA reset them.
Is there down payment assistance in Miami-Dade County?
Yes. The county offers a 0% deferred down payment loan and a low-rate Homebuyer Loan Program second, with better terms in designated vulnerability areas. Six cities have their own SHIP money, and statewide programs work here too. County and city money moves in funding cycles, so confirm it’s available before you write it into an offer.
When do I file for homestead in Miami-Dade?
By March 1 of the year after you buy, with the Miami-Dade Property Appraiser. File online or at the downtown office in the Stephen P. Clark Center or the South Dade office in Cutler Bay. You qualify based on who owns and lives in the home on January 1.
Is Kendall a city?
No. Kendall is an unincorporated part of Miami-Dade County, and so is Westchester. The county handles permits and local services there.
Do I need flood insurance in Miami-Dade?
An FHA, VA or Conventional lender will require it on any house FEMA maps in a high-risk zone. The county averages about 6 feet above sea level, so look up both the flood zone and the storm surge planning zone before you make an offer.
Sources for this guide (22)
- U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Miami-Dade County, FL
- Miami-Dade County (Wikipedia, history, municipalities and geography)
- Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau: Neighborhoods
- National Park Service: Biscayne National Park
- Miami-Dade HCD: Homeownership programs
- Miami-Dade HCD: Homebuyer Loan Program
- Miami-Dade HCD: Down Payment Assistance
- Housing Finance Authority of Miami-Dade County
- Florida Housing: Local government housing plans (SHIP)
- Florida Housing: Homebuyer programs
- Florida Housing: Hometown Heroes
- Miami-Dade Property Appraiser: Homestead exemption
- Miami-Dade Property Appraiser: Contact and offices
- Miami-Dade Tax Collector
- National Weather Service Miami: Hurricane Andrew
- FEMA Flood Map Service Center
- Miami-Dade Emergency Management
- Miami-Dade Transit: Metrorail
- Miami-Dade County Public Schools
- Coconut Grove Arts Festival
- Miami-Dade County Youth Fair
- Miami-Dade 311 Contact Center
AAA Capital Funding, Inc. NMLS #374739. Jason J. Sarji, NMLS #374700. Licensed Florida mortgage broker serving Miami-Dade County and all 67 Florida counties since 1997. Equal Housing Opportunity.
You work with the same person from start to finish, in every county in Florida.
We've been closing Florida loans since 1997, in all 67 counties. If you want to know what's possible in Miami-Dade County, call 888-601-8344 or text 954-816-8820. One call, under ten minutes. No application needed to start.
AAA Capital Funding, Inc. · NMLS #374739 · Jason J. Sarji, NMLS #374700