About Bradford County
Bradford County is a small, mostly rural county in north-central Florida, between Jacksonville and Gainesville along U.S. Highway 301. Starke, the county seat, grew with the railroad, and the City of Starke says U.S. Highway 301 and the opening of nearby Camp Blanding brought another population boom in the late 1940s. Hampton, Lawtey and Brooker are the other municipalities. County boundary law names the New River, the Santa Fe River and Santa Fe Lake. Camp Blanding, the Florida National Guard's training center, sits about eleven miles east of Starke on State Road 16, just across the line in Clay County.
Water is the main risk story. Hurricane Irma in September 2017 set record flood stages at Alligator Creek, Hampton Lake, Lake Sampson and the New River in Bradford County, according to the National Hurricane Center, which makes lake and creek frontage a flood-history question as much as a view. Parts of the county are also named in the state's Santa Fe River plan, which aims to cut nitrogen reaching area springs and can affect septic rules on some lots.
Away from the towns, addresses are rural. The Census Bureau's 2020 to 2024 American Community Survey shows site-built houses and manufactured homes as the two main housing types. In USDA's 2022 Census of Agriculture, hay and other crops, aquaculture, and cattle were the largest reported farm sales categories. The county's building department takes permits through an online portal with a searchable archive, and when checked in October 2026, Community Development kept a SHIP waiting list.
Quick facts
- County seat
- Starke
- Region
- North Central Florida
- 2026 conforming loan limit
- $832,750
- One-unit home · FHFA
- 2026 FHA loan limit
- $541,287
- One-unit home · HUD
- Geography
- New River, Santa Fe River and Santa Fe Lake, named in the county's boundary law
- Hampton Lake, Lake Sampson and Alligator Creek, named in the National Hurricane Center's Irma report
- Santa Fe River springs plan area, which names Bradford County
- Camp Blanding Joint Training Center, about eleven miles east of Starke across the Clay County line
- Housing types
- Site-built single-family homes in Starke and the smaller towns
- Manufactured homes on individual lots
- Rural parcels and lake or creek frontage
- A modest supply of apartment buildings
Figures show their source and year. Confirm details with the county offices.
Housing in Bradford County
Bradford County's housing is mostly detached single-family houses and manufactured homes, which together make up the large majority of homes in the Census Bureau's 2020 to 2024 American Community Survey, with a modest number of apartment buildings. Starke has the most varied stock, with a historic downtown and older neighborhoods, while Hampton, Lawtey and Brooker are small town centers surrounded by rural land. Lake and creek frontage exists in parts of the county, and Irma's record flooding makes the elevation and flood history of a waterfront parcel worth a close look.
Permit history is easy to check here. The county's building department takes permits through an online portal that includes current and archived permit searches, so a buyer can compare a seller's description of renovations with what was actually permitted. Rural lots often depend on septic systems permitted by the Florida Department of Health in Bradford County, and new construction in a springs plan area can face added septic limits, so ask about both before closing on vacant land or a project home.
Financing in Bradford County
Conventional loans
Conventional loan appraisals look at whether a home has working water and sewage systems, which matters on Bradford County's rural lots. Parts of the county are named in DEP's Santa Fe River plan, and inside a plan area state law bars new septic systems where sewer is available and, on lots of one acre or less without sewer, allows only enhanced nutrient-reducing systems or others that meet the same nitrogen standard (Fla. Stat. 373.811). For vacant land or an addition, confirm with the Florida Department of Health in Bradford County first.
VA loans
VA home loan eligibility depends on a borrower's service record, not on where a home sits. Camp Blanding is across the county line in Clay County, but a Bradford County home can be considered when the borrower is eligible and the home meets VA property standards. National Guard and Reserve members should ask a loan officer how their service counts toward eligibility.
USDA loans
USDA publishes a property eligibility map, and some Bradford County addresses may sit inside mapped rural areas while others may not. Eligibility follows the address and the borrower's circumstances rather than the county as a whole, so check the exact property on the map and ask a loan officer how the program's income and property rules would apply.
First-time buyers
Florida's Department of Revenue publishes a property tax guide for first-time Florida buyers. It explains that the property appraiser reassesses a home after a sale, that the tax collector's bill arrives in late October or November, and that taxes are due by March 31 of the next year. Ask a loan officer how taxes and insurance would be handled through escrow, and expect the first full-year bill to differ from the seller's.
Flood zones and flood insurance
Irma's record stages at Hampton Lake, Lake Sampson, Alligator Creek and the New River show why lake and creek frontage deserves extra checking. Look up the address in FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, ask the seller about past water on the property, and review the county's permit archive for repairs. On a building in a high-risk flood zone, federal law requires flood insurance for most mortgages, and homeowners policies generally exclude flood.
Homestead exemption
Bradford County homestead applications go to the Bradford County Property Appraiser. To qualify for a given year, the owner must hold the home and live in it as a permanent residence by January 1, and the application is due by March 1. The exemption lowers the taxable value rather than the sale price, and the first year after a purchase may still carry the seller's reduced value.
Local homebuyer assistance
Bradford County's Community Development office on North Temple Avenue in Starke runs SHIP help for home repair and for buying a home. When its page was checked in October 2026, applicants signed a waiting list and were contacted when funds opened. The county requires homeownership classes and a pre-approval from a first mortgage lender before purchase help is approved, so a buyer can ask a loan officer how those steps fit the timeline. Funding is limited and not guaranteed.
Cities, towns and communities
- StarkeCityCounty seatCounty seat, founded in 1870 and tied to the railroad; U.S. Highway 301 runs through the city, according to the City of Starke.
- HamptonCityCity south of Starke by Census Bureau coordinates; the National Hurricane Center's Irma report names Hampton Lake among Bradford County waters that set record flood stages.
- LawteyCityCity northeast of Starke by Census Bureau coordinates, the northernmost of the county's four municipalities.
- BrookerTownTown west of Starke by Census Bureau coordinates and the smallest municipality by BEBR's 2025 estimate.
Official local resources
- Bradford County Property Appraiser
- Bradford County Tax Collector
- Bradford County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller (official records)
- Bradford County Sheriff's Office Emergency Management
- Bradford County Community Development (SHIP)
Links go to government offices, not to Mortgage by Ruben.
Bradford County: common questions
6 questions
Can I use VA benefits for a home near Camp Blanding?
VA home loan eligibility depends on a borrower's service record, not on where the home sits. Camp Blanding is in Clay County, about eleven miles east of Starke. A home in Bradford, Clay or any other county can be considered. National Guard members should ask a loan officer how their service counts.
Did Hurricane Irma flood areas around Hampton Lake and Lake Sampson?
The National Hurricane Center says Irma set record flood stages at Hampton Lake, Lake Sampson, Alligator Creek and the New River in Bradford County in September 2017. Ask the seller about water on the property then. Check the FEMA flood zone for the address.
How does Bradford County's SHIP waiting list work for a home purchase?
When its page was checked in October 2026, Community Development, at 925 North Temple Avenue in Starke, kept a waiting list for SHIP help and contacted applicants when funds opened. The county's page says homeownership classes and a pre-approval from a first mortgage lender are required before purchase help is approved. Repair help is a separate track. Because funding is limited and timing is uncertain, call the office before making plans that depend on it.
How can I check what work a seller had permitted on a Bradford County home?
Bradford County's building department uses an iWorQ permit portal with current and archived permit searches. A buyer can look up an address to see whether work the seller mentions, such as a roof, an addition or an electrical upgrade, was permitted and closed. If a record seems to be missing, ask the building department before assuming the work was done without a permit.
Does the Santa Fe River springs plan limit septic systems on Bradford County lots?
Bradford is one of the counties DEP names in its Santa Fe River plan, which aims to cut nitrogen reaching area springs. Inside a plan area, Florida law restricts new septic systems where sewer is available and limits small lots without sewer to enhanced nutrient-reducing systems. Whether a given lot is inside a plan area is a lot-level question for the Florida Department of Health in Bradford County or DEP.
Who runs emergency management in Bradford County?
The Bradford County Sheriff's Office runs the county's emergency management division and posts alerts and shelter information on its emergency management page. Bradford has no coastline, so water risk comes from lakes, creeks and rivers rather than storm surge, and Irma's record stages at Hampton Lake and Lake Sampson show how high those waters can rise. Check the page for shelters before storm season.
Loan programs to explore
- USDA LoansRural Development loans for eligible areas and incomes.
- VA LoansFor eligible veterans and service members. No monthly mortgage insurance.
- Manufactured Home LoansFHA, VA, USDA and conventional options for manufactured homes.
- First-Time Homebuyer OptionsOptions and assistance programs for your first home.
Not sure which program fits? Try the program finder or run your own numbers in the calculators.
Browse all loan programsNeighboring counties
All 67 countiesLocal information on this page is general, comes from public sources and can change. Loan programs and eligibility do not depend on the county alone, and this page does not determine them. For current facts about a property, check official sources such as the county property appraiser or assessor and FEMA flood maps. This is not a commitment to lend, and program availability varies by lender.