Separation Affidavit – Alachua County, FL

The Separation Affidavit is the Alachua County Property Appraiser's sworn statement, titled Affidavit of Separation on the form, in which a married person affirms that he or she and the spouse are separated, live apart and keep separate family and economic units.

The form is built around a checklist. Under the instruction "Please check all that apply. A check means yes," you answer twelve questions about ties you and your spouse may still share: shared residences, vacations, a joint tax return, joint bank or brokerage accounts, life insurance, retirement, annuity or mutual fund accounts, shared credit cards or credit lines, paying each other's utility bills or mortgage payments, children and child support, cars, boats or aircraft titled in both names, property in another county or state, a divorce filing, and a separation. The form notes that copies of documents may be requested for review.

You then identify the parcel number, name your spouse, give the spouse's address and Social Security number, and sign a statement that you have read the affidavit and that it is true and correct. A notary public section follows, in which an officer records that you personally appeared and were sworn.

The form warns that the statements are made under penalty of perjury and cites Section 196.131(2), Florida Statutes, on false information given to claim Homestead Exemption.

A married person who is separated from his or her spouse and who is asked by the Alachua County Property Appraiser to document that separation completes this affidavit. The form is written in the first person: the signer states that he or she is married to a named spouse who lives at a different address, and that the two have established separate family/economic units and do not contribute to each other financially.

The form ties the affidavit to Homestead Exemption only through its penalty notice, which covers anyone who knowingly and willfully gives false information to claim that exemption. It does not say who is required to file it, so confirm with the Property Appraiser whether your situation calls for it.

Points that follow from the form itself:

• You need the parcel number of the property concerned.
• You need your spouse's name, current address and Social Security number.
• The signer is the person who appears before the notary; the form has no line for a representative to sign on someone's behalf.

The form prints no address, portal or appointment rule, so the channel for returning it is set by the Alachua County Property Appraiser, not by the form. Contact that office through its website, acpafl.org, to confirm how it accepts the completed affidavit.

Before you deliver it, the affidavit must be signed and dated by you and the notary public section must be completed by the notary. The Property Appraiser may also ask to review copies of documents that support the statements you checked. FillingPDF lets you fill out and download the PDF; submission follows the Property Appraiser's channels.