A Florida Notice of Commencement is a one-page sworn form you record with the county clerk before construction starts, telling the public who owns the property, who the contractor is, and where the money is coming from. Florida’s Construction Lien Law requires it for most permitted improvements, and your building department will not approve the first inspection until a certified copy is on file with them and posted at the job site.
When You Need One
The notice is required for virtually every permitted improvement to real property in Florida. The practical trigger is the inspection rule: for any direct contract over $5,000, the building department cannot perform or approve inspections until a copy of the recorded notice has been filed with them.1The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 713.135 – Notice of Commencement and Applicability of Lien
Two boundaries are worth knowing. Improvements with a total direct contract price of $2,500 or less are exempt from the construction lien law entirely, which removes the notice requirement.2The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 713.02 – Liens for Improvements to Real Property And a direct contract to repair or replace an existing HVAC system does not trigger the inspection-filing requirement unless the contract reaches $15,000 or more.3The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes Chapter 713 – Liens, Generally
Where to Get the Form
The statutory form is written out word-for-word in Florida Statutes Section 713.13, so the template is the same statewide.4The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 713.13 – Notice of Commencement Blank copies are available from three places:
- The county clerk’s recording or official records page usually posts a fillable PDF.
- The local building department’s permit counter keeps blank forms on hand, and many counties also offer a download through their permits portal.
- Experienced general contractors carry blank forms and can help you complete the document, but the owner must sign it.
How to Fill It Out
Before you sit down with the form, pull your property deed (or a recent tax bill), your construction contract, and your lender’s information. Errors on the notice can undermine lien priority and cause payment disputes later, so accuracy matters more than speed.
Property Description
Use the full legal description from your deed or the county appraiser’s database, meaning the metes-and-bounds or lot-and-block language, not just the mailing address. Also include the street address and the tax folio number if one is available. If the parcel has no street address yet, describe the physical location in enough detail to identify it.
Description of Improvements
Write a general description of the work: “new single-family residence,” “kitchen and bathroom remodel,” “roof replacement.” Keep it broad enough to cover the whole scope but specific enough that a reader of the public record can tell what is happening on the property.
Owner and Contractor
List the name and address of every owner. If you are a lessee who contracted for the improvements, you qualify as the “owner” under the statute, but you must identify your interest as a leasehold and also list the fee simple titleholder’s name and address. Enter the contractor’s name and address in the separate field. Check spellings carefully. An incorrect contractor name can create problems for lien priority down the road.
Lender
If any part of the project is financed through a construction loan or mortgage, list the lender’s name and address. This tells subcontractors where construction funds originate, which becomes important if payments run into trouble. If you are paying out of pocket, mark the field “N/A.”
Surety and Payment Bond
If the job carries a payment bond under Section 713.23, fill in the surety’s name, address, phone number, and the bond amount, and attach a copy of the bond when you record. Failing to attach the bond negates a statutory exemption that would otherwise shield the property from certain lien claims. Most residential projects have no payment bond and simply mark this field “N/A.”
Designated Person to Receive Notices
There is an optional field to name someone, in addition to yourself, who should receive copies of the Notice to Owner documents that subcontractors and suppliers serve to preserve their lien rights. Owners often designate an attorney, the general contractor, or the construction lender. When a lender records the notice, it must designate itself as a recipient.5Florida Senate. Florida Code 713.13 – Notice of Commencement
Expiration Date
If you leave the expiration line blank, the notice automatically expires one year from recording. If your contract calls for a completion period longer than a year, write in an expiration date equal to one year plus the additional contract period. Payments made after the notice expires are treated as improper under the statute, and improper payment can leave you paying twice for the same work.
Signing and Notarization
The owner, or the owner’s authorized agent, must sign. No one else can sign on the owner’s behalf without proper authorization.6Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller, Palm Beach County. Notice of Commencement A notary public must acknowledge the signature, complete the acknowledgment block at the bottom, and affix a seal.7Town of Haverhill, Florida. Notice of Commencement and How to Complete Instructions Florida caps notary fees at $10 per notarial act.8The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 117.05 – Use of Notary Commission Banks, UPS stores, and title companies offer notary services, and some contractors arrange notarization as part of pulling the permit.
Recording With the County Clerk
After notarization, submit the notice to the clerk of the circuit court in the county where the property is located. You can walk it in, mail it, or submit it through an approved e-recording vendor. Electronic recording is widely available and can turn a multi-day process into a same-day filing.
The statutory recording fee for a standard-size document is $10 for the first page and $8.50 for each additional page.9Flagler County Clerk & Comptroller. Recording Information and Fees Since the notice is typically a single page, most filers pay $10. Attached bond pages add to the total.
Once the clerk records it, ask for a certified copy. You will need one for the building department and another for the job site.
Posting the Notice at the Job Site
Recording alone is not enough. A certified copy of the recorded notice, or a notarized statement that it has been filed for recording along with a copy, must be posted at the construction site.4The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 713.13 – Notice of Commencement Put it somewhere visible: on a fence near the entrance, on a temporary post, or in a front window. Subcontractors read it to figure out where to send their Notice to Owner.
The building department is required to verify that the certified copy is posted before approving the first inspection after the permit issues. If the inspector arrives and cannot find it, the inspection fails.10Miami-Dade County. Construction Lien Law for Owners Missing or misplaced postings are the most common reason a first inspection gets blown, and the work itself has nothing to do with it.
Keeping the Notice Active
A recorded notice stays in effect for one year from recording unless you wrote in a longer period. There is a catch on the front end: if actual construction does not begin within 90 days after recording, the notice becomes void automatically and has no further legal effect.5Florida Senate. Florida Code 713.13 – Notice of Commencement A delayed project past that window needs a new notice.
For jobs longer than a year, the expiration you write in should match the contract’s timeline, meaning one year plus the additional time. If the notice is going to expire before work finishes, record an amendment during the active period to extend the expiration, fix errors, or add missing information. Changing contractors requires an entirely new notice or a notice of recommencement.
Letting the notice lapse while the job is still active creates a gap in your legal protection. Any payments you make after expiration are improper under the statute, and unpaid subcontractors can pursue liens against the property even if you have already paid your contractor in full.
Ending a Notice Early With a Notice of Termination
When a project finishes well before the notice would otherwise expire, you can shorten it by recording a Notice of Termination. That cuts off the window during which new subcontractor notices can hit you and lets you make final payments without waiting out the original expiration date.
The effective termination date on the form cannot be earlier than 30 days after the Notice of Termination is recorded.11Florida Senate. Florida Code 713.132 – Notice of Termination The owner must swear that all lienors have been paid in full, or that construction has ceased and all lienors have been paid in full or on a pro rata basis.12Florida Senate. Florida Code 713.132 – Notice of Termination
Why the Notice Matters
The notice is not only a permitting hurdle. It also sets up the payment protections that make Chapter 713 workable for owners and subcontractors alike.
Proper Payment Defense for Owners
When a valid notice is on file, the total of all construction liens on the property cannot exceed the direct contract price between the owner and the contractor.13The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 713.06 – Liens of Persons Not in Privity; Proper Payments Follow the payment procedures in Chapter 713, meaning pay only after you have the required affidavits and waivers, and you cannot be forced to pay more than your contract amount even if your contractor stiffs the subs downstream. The form itself carries a bold warning that payments made after expiration are improper and can result in paying twice.
Subcontractor Notice Rights
For subcontractors and suppliers with no direct contract with the owner, the notice is the starting point for their own lien rights. They must serve a Notice to Owner within 45 days of first furnishing labor or materials.14The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 713.06 – Liens of Persons Not in Privity; Proper Payments The posted Notice of Commencement tells them exactly where to send it, meaning the owner’s address and any designated recipient on the form. Failing to serve the Notice to Owner, or serving it late, is a complete defense to a lien claim.