How to File a Notice of Commencement in Manatee County

To file a Notice of Commencement in Manatee County, complete the Clerk’s NOC form with the information required by Florida Statute 713.13, sign it in front of a notary, and record it with the Manatee County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller by e-recording, by mail, or in person at 1115 Manatee Avenue West in Bradenton.¹ Recording costs $10.00 for the first page and $8.50 for each additional page.² After recording, you post a copy at the job site and give a certified copy to the building department before the first inspection.

Florida law requires the notice before you begin any improvement to real property.³ When your direct contract exceeds $5,000, Section 713.135 also requires that a certified copy of the recorded NOC be filed with the building authority before the first inspection; without it, inspectors cannot perform or approve any subsequent inspection. A narrow carve-out exists for contracts to repair or replace an existing heating or air-conditioning system under $15,000, which are exempt from the inspection-filing requirement.⁴

What Information You Need Before You Start the Form

Download the official NOC form from the Manatee County Clerk’s website so the formatting matches what the recording office expects.⁵ Gather the following before you sit down to fill it out, because every field below is required by Section 713.13(1)(a) and missing information can get the document rejected or weaken your lien protections later.³

A legal description of the property sufficient to identify it, plus the street address and tax folio number if available. The legal description is not your mailing address; look it up through the Manatee County Property Appraiser’s search tool at manateepao.gov.
A general description of the improvement being made.
Your name, address, and interest in the property. A lessee contracting for the work is treated as the “owner” under the statute and must list the leasehold interest, along with the fee simple titleholder’s name and address.
The general contractor’s name and address.
If the project has a payment bond under Section 713.23, the surety’s name and the bond amount. This is a payment bond, not a performance bond.
The name and address of any construction lender.
The name and Florida address of a designated agent, someone other than yourself, to receive notices and legal documents on your behalf. Service on this person counts as service on you.
An expiration date. If you leave it blank, the NOC expires one year after recording. If your contract runs longer, state the longer period on the form.

You may also designate an additional person to receive copies of lien notices from subcontractors and suppliers. When a construction lender is required to record the NOC, the lender must be designated to receive those copies.⁶

Signing and Notarizing the Form

The owner or an authorized agent must sign the completed NOC in front of a notary. The form includes a sworn statement that the information is true, signed under penalty of perjury, followed by a notary acknowledgment block.⁶ An incomplete or improperly executed notarization is the most common reason the recording office kicks a document back. A rejection delays your inspections, so check the notary’s seal, date, and commission expiration before you submit.

Where and How to Submit in Manatee County

The Manatee County Clerk accepts NOC submissions three ways.¹

E-recording through a third-party vendor. This is typically the fastest option.⁷
Mail. Send the original notarized document to the Recording Department at P.O. Box 25400, Bradenton, FL 34206 for regular mail, or 1115 Manatee Avenue West, Bradenton, FL 34205 for overnight delivery.
In person. Bring the original to the Recording Department at 1115 Manatee Avenue West, Bradenton.

Recording Fees

The Clerk charges $10.00 for the first page and $8.50 for each additional page.² Most NOC filings run one or two pages, so expect to pay between $10.00 and $18.50. Once the Clerk records the document, it is assigned an Official Records book and page number and becomes part of the county’s searchable public records. Keep the recorded copy you receive back; you’ll need it twice more.

Posting at the Job Site and Delivering a Copy for Inspections

Recording alone doesn’t finish the job. Florida law requires you to post either a certified copy of the recorded NOC or a notarized statement that the NOC has been filed, along with a copy, at the construction site.⁶ The posting needs to happen before work begins or promptly after, and it should be visible to anyone entering the site. Subcontractors and suppliers use it to find your name, your designated agent, and the contractor’s information so they can serve the notices that preserve their own lien rights. A weatherproof sleeve on the permit board keeps the document legible for the duration of the project.

Before the first inspection, file a certified copy with the building authority as 713.135 requires. If it’s missing, the inspector cannot approve any further inspections until you provide it.⁴

Keeping the Notice Valid Through the Project

A NOC is effective for one year from the recording date unless the form specifies a different period.⁶ If your contract runs longer than a year, state the extended period on the original NOC. If you don’t, and the notice lapses mid-project, any payment you make to the contractor after the expiration date is treated as an “improper payment” under the statute, meaning subcontractors can lien your property for amounts you’ve already paid out.³ Watch the calendar.

You can record an amended NOC during the effective period to extend the expiration date, correct errors, or add missing information.⁶ The amendment must reference the Official Records book and page where the original was recorded, and you must serve a copy on the contractor and on every subcontractor or supplier who has served a Notice to Owner within 30 days of recording the amendment. One limit worth knowing: you cannot amend a NOC to swap out the contractor. Changing contractors requires a new notice of commencement or a notice of recommencement.

Why Getting This Right Matters

Florida building permit cards carry a bold warning that failing to record a Notice of Commencement may result in paying twice for improvements to your property.⁴ The mechanism is straightforward: your general contractor hires subcontractors and suppliers, you pay the contractor, the contractor fails to pay them, and under Chapter 713 those unpaid parties can lien your property for what the contractor owed them.⁸

A properly recorded and maintained NOC is the first step in protecting yourself. It gives subcontractors and suppliers the information they need to serve you with a Notice to Owner within 45 days of first providing labor or materials, so you learn who expects to be paid.⁸ From there, collecting lien releases before each progress payment and a final payment affidavit before the last check keeps your payments “proper” under the statute and caps your lien exposure at the contract price. File the NOC, keep it current, and track who you owe along the way.

1
Manatee County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller. Recording
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Manatee County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller. Recording Fees
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The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 713.13 – Notice of Commencement
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The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 713.135 – Notice of Commencement and Applicability of Lien
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Manatee County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller. Frequently Asked Questions
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Florida Senate. Florida Statutes 713.13 – Notice of Commencement
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Manatee County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller. E-Recording
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The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes Chapter 713 – Liens