Guide
How to Get the Most Out of Bach Atlas
Bach Atlas is built to answer Florida-first, property-specific questions using real ordinances, statutes, and, where available within your configured coverage, Florida case law rather than generic AI guesses. Current coverage is focused on Florida state, county, and municipal law, and is designed to expand to additional states over time as your account's configuration grows.
Quick principles
High-clarity questions tend to share four traits:
- Jurisdiction-specific – name the city, county, or Florida region.
- Action-specific – describe what the client is doing or facing, not just "a property."
- Trigger-based – mention what wakes government up: violations, liens, notices, registrations, permits, unsafe structures, impact fees, and so on.
- Lawyer-grade precise – ask it the way you would ask a colleague: exposure, options, and what to review first.
If in doubt, describe the property, the jurisdiction, and the exact problem you would explain to another lawyer—Bach Atlas will do the rest.
Universal question templates
Use these fill-in-the-blank patterns whenever you are not sure how to phrase a question.
Template A — Ordinance-focused
“For <property type> in <jurisdiction>, what rules govern <specific action or violation>, including <X>, <Y>, and <Z>?”
Example: “For a small multifamily in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, what rules govern exterior maintenance and minimum housing standards, including trash, overgrowth, broken windows, and unsafe balconies?”
Template B — Associate-grade memo
“In <jurisdiction> in Florida, if a client <what the client is doing or facing>, what <requirements / risks / procedures> apply around <specific topic>?”
Example: “In unincorporated Broward County, if a client buys a code-violating single-family home out of foreclosure, what requirements and risks apply around existing code enforcement liens, daily fines, and lien reduction programs?”
Template C — When you want case-law context
“Are there any Florida appellate decisions addressing <doctrine, cause of action, or enforcement strategy>, and how have the courts defined the elements and limits of that doctrine (optionally in the context of <property / lien / code setting>)?”
Examples: “What are the elements for a cause of action for breach of contract in Florida?” or “What is the economic loss rule in Florida, and how have Florida courts limited its application in real-estate or construction disputes?”
Template D — Multi-jurisdiction scan
“Across <list of jurisdictions Bach Atlas is configured for>, how do <requirements / enforcement tools / fees> compare for <property type and action>?”
Example (within Florida): “Across South Florida (Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach), how do local codes handle unsafe structure declarations and emergency demolition for aging multifamily buildings, and where do the procedures meaningfully differ?”
For accounts that later add additional states, a similar pattern can compare configured regions across those states as well.
Examples by category
These lanes map closely to how Bach Atlas is wired under the hood.
A. Code enforcement, nuisance, and unsafe structures
Use this lane when you care about what the city or county can actually do and what it takes to cure.
- “In Miami-Dade County, for a 40-year-old multifamily building with a history of water intrusion and spalling, what unsafe structure standards and demolition powers does the County have, and what notice and appeal rights does the owner have before demolition?”
- “In the City of Fort Myers, if a small multifamily has repeated nuisance and minimum-housing violations, what escalating enforcement tools can the city use—daily fines, boardings, special assessments—and when do those become liens?”
- “In Broward County, when a buyer acquires a single-family home out of foreclosure with long-standing code violations, what is their exposure to pre-existing fines and liens, and are there any county programs for lien reduction on rehab projects?”
B. Vacant, abandoned, and foreclosure-related programs
Use this when you are dealing with vacant property registration, abandoned homes, or lender obligations in foreclosure.
- “In unincorporated Broward County, when is a lender required to register a vacant single-family home in foreclosure under any abandoned or vacant real property program, and what penalties and liens apply for failing to register?”
- “Under Broward County foreclosure inspection requirements, what is the Certificate of Foreclosure Inspection, when must it be obtained, and what happens if a lender markets or transfers a foreclosed property without it?”
- “In Miami-Dade County, how do local ordinances distinguish between a temporarily vacant residence and an 'abandoned' property for purposes of maintenance and nuisance enforcement?”
C. Development, platting, concurrency, and impact fees
Use this for "can we redevelop and what hoops do we jump through" questions.
- “In Miami-Dade County, if a client wants to replat an older single-family subdivision into townhome lots, what subdivision and concurrency requirements apply, and which agencies must sign off before final plat approval?”
- “In Broward County, for conversion of an old office building into multifamily residential, how are transportation and park impact fees calculated, and what credits are available for the prior lawful use?”
- “In the City of Tampa, if a site-plan approval has sat dormant for several years, what deadlines and extension mechanisms control whether it is still valid or must be re-approved under current code?”
D. Liens, priority, foreclosure rights, and lender / NPL risk
Use this lane when you are thinking like a lender's lawyer or NPL investor. These questions typically pull together Florida statutes, local ordinances, and, where available within your configured coverage, relevant case law.
- “Under Florida law and Miami-Dade and Broward ordinances, how do code enforcement liens interact with prior-recorded mortgages in terms of priority, foreclosure rights, and practical risk to a lender acquiring a non-performing loan on a distressed single-family home?”
- “In Miami-Dade County, when a special assessment district places assessments on a multifamily property, how do those assessments rank against a pre-existing institutional mortgage, and what happens to the assessments in a mortgage foreclosure?”
- “For a residential property in Broward County that has gone through a tax deed sale, how are pre-existing code enforcement liens treated relative to the tax deed purchaser and any surviving mortgage interests?”
E. Region-level scans across Florida
Bach Atlas understands named Florida regions (for example, South Florida, Tampa Bay, Central Florida) and resolves them down to the underlying counties and cities. As additional states are added to your account's coverage over time, similar patterns can compare configured regions across those states as well.
- “Across South Florida (Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach), how do local codes handle unsafe structure declarations and emergency demolition for aging multifamily buildings, and where do the procedures meaningfully differ?”
- “In the Central Florida region, what vacant building and nuisance abatement programs exist for older commercial corridors, and how do fines, liens, and board-up requirements compare across Orlando, Orange County, and Seminole County?”
- “In the Tampa Bay region, what are the main stormwater retention and detention requirements for new multifamily developments, and how do city versus county standards interact for projects near jurisdictional boundaries?”
What Bach Atlas is not
- Not a full replacement for dedicated case-law research platforms for broad doctrinal surveys outside its configured coverage.
- Not a substitute for your own legal analysis, professional judgment, or client-specific advice.
- Best on Florida-first, property-centric questions. As additional states are added to your account's coverage, Atlas can answer and compare across those configured states; for all other jurisdictions, it may return explicit out-of-coverage messaging or incomplete results.
Bach Atlas is a research support tool for licensed professionals. Always verify authorities and apply your own judgment.