How to Fill Out and Record the Pasco County Notice of Commencement

A Pasco County Notice of Commencement is a short, notarized document you record with the Pasco County Clerk and Comptroller before starting any construction project on your property that costs more than $2,500. Once recorded, a certified copy has to be posted at the job site before the first building inspection. The form is a free download from the Pasco County Building Construction department, and recording it takes a brief visit to the Clerk’s office, a mailed submission, or an electronic filing through an approved vendor.

When You Have to File One

Florida law requires a Notice of Commencement for any improvement to real property where the direct contract amount exceeds $2,500. There is one carve-out: contracts to repair or replace an existing heating or air-conditioning system are exempt when the contract amount is less than $15,000.¹ The notice has to be recorded before construction actually begins. If the project requires a building permit, a certified copy of the recorded notice (or a notarized statement that it has been filed for recording) must be submitted to the permitting authority before the first inspection.²

Skip it and you do more than delay inspections. The warning printed on every Florida building permit reads: “YOUR FAILURE TO RECORD A NOTICE OF COMMENCEMENT MAY RESULT IN YOUR PAYING TWICE FOR IMPROVEMENTS TO YOUR PROPERTY.” If a general contractor collects your payment but doesn’t pay a subcontractor or supplier, those unpaid parties can file liens against your property. The recorded notice creates the paper trail that helps you track who is owed what.³

Where to Get the Form

The Pasco County Building Construction department offers a downloadable Notice of Commencement form on its Permits and Forms page at pascocountyfl.gov.⁴ The City of New Port Richey also hosts a fillable PDF version of the same Pasco County form on its development resources page.⁵ Either works. Both follow the statutory format required by Florida Statute 713.13.

How to Fill Out Each Section

The form tracks the statutory requirements almost line by line.

Property description. Enter the legal description exactly as it appears on your deed. Include the street address and the Property Identification Number (tax folio number), which you can find on your property tax bill or by searching the Pasco County Property Appraiser’s website.
General description of improvement. A plain-language summary of the work, such as “new single-family residence,” “kitchen remodel,” or “roof replacement.”
Owner information. Your full legal name, mailing address, and your interest in the property (typically “fee simple” for homeowners). A lessee who contracted for the improvement lists themselves as owner and notes the interest as a leasehold; if the fee simple titleholder is someone else, include their name and address too.
Contractor information. The full legal name, address, and phone number of the general contractor who has a direct contract with you.
Surety information. If the contractor has a payment bond under Section 713.23, list the surety company’s name, address, phone number, and the bond amount. If there is no bond, write “N/A.”
Lender information. If you have a construction loan, provide the lender’s name, address, and phone number.
Designated agent for service. You may name a person in Florida (other than yourself) to receive legal notices on your behalf. This is optional.
Expiration date. The notice automatically expires one year from the recording date unless you specify a longer period. If your construction contract runs longer than a year, enter an expiration date that covers the full contract period.

Check the legal description against your deed carefully, since a mismatch there is the most common reason a notice causes problems later. The contractor’s name should match their license records exactly, including any “Inc.” or “LLC.”²

Getting the Form Notarized

After filling in every field, sign the form in front of a notary public. The notary verifies your identity, witnesses the signature, and completes the acknowledgment section at the bottom. Florida notaries work at banks, UPS stores, shipping centers, and many real estate and title offices across Pasco County. Some e-recording vendors facilitate remote online notarization if you’d rather not go in person. Don’t sign ahead of time. A pre-signed form cannot be notarized.

Recording With the Pasco County Clerk

In person

The Pasco County Clerk and Comptroller accepts documents for recording at offices in New Port Richey (West Pasco Judicial Center) and Dade City (Robert Sumner Judicial Center).⁶ Both handle recording during regular business hours, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Bring the original notarized form. The clerk stamps and indexes it, then returns a recorded copy showing the official records book and page number.

By mail

You can also mail the notarized original to the Clerk’s office. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope for the return of your recorded copy and a check or money order for the recording fee. Write the property folio number on the check memo line so the payment is matched to your document.

Electronically

The Clerk’s office works with several third-party e-recording vendors. Property owners filing a single Notice of Commencement have vendor options geared to that specific document type, including E-Recording USA, File and Go, and Record-Nation; higher-volume filers typically use CSC, EPN, Hopdox, or Simplifile.⁷ Each vendor sets its own per-document fee on top of the county charge, so compare before choosing.

What it costs

Florida sets a statewide fee structure for recording. The first page costs $10.00, and each additional page costs $8.50. If the document lists more than four names, add $1.00 per additional name.⁸ A standard one-page Notice of Commencement runs $10.00.

Posting the Notice at the Job Site

Once the notice is recorded, post a certified copy at the construction site before work begins and before the first inspection. The statute requires posting “in a conspicuous place on the site of the improvement.” Most contractors use a weather-protected plastic sleeve or a covered bulletin board near the front of the property, where inspectors and workers can read it without asking.²

Posting also helps the subcontractors and suppliers who aren’t in direct contract with you. They have 45 days from first furnishing labor or materials to serve a Notice to Owner, and the posted notice tells them who to serve and where.⁹

One-Year Expiration and Amendments

A Notice of Commencement expires one year after recording unless the form specifies a longer period. Once it expires, any payments you make to the contractor count as “improper payments” under the lien law, and those payments no longer protect you from lien claims by unpaid subcontractors.²

If the project is running past the original expiration date, record an amended Notice of Commencement to extend the effective period. The amendment must reference the official records book and page number of the original. After recording, serve a copy on the contractor and on every lienor who served a notice within 30 days of the amendment’s recording date. You cannot use an amendment to change contractors; swapping contractors requires a new notice of commencement or a notice of recommencement.¹⁰

Closing Out With a Notice of Termination

When the project is finished and all lienors are paid, you can record a Notice of Termination to formally end the notice of commencement’s effective period. Recording this is optional, but it closes the window during which new lien claims can attach, which makes it worth doing on larger projects.

The Notice of Termination has to include the same property and party information from the original notice plus the book, page, and recording date of that original; a stated termination date no earlier than 30 days after the Notice of Termination is recorded; a declaration that all lienors have been paid in full; and a contractor’s final payment affidavit identifying any unpaid lienors or confirming full payment. Before recording, serve a copy on every lienor with a direct contract with you and on every lienor who timely served a Notice to Owner. Lienors who already signed a waiver and release of lien upon final payment do not need to be served. The termination takes effect 30 days after recording.¹¹

1
Florida Senate. Florida Code 713.135 – Notice of Commencement and Applicability of Lien
2
The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 713.13 – Notice of Commencement
3
The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 713.135 – Notice of Commencement and Applicability of Lien
4
Pasco County. Permits And Forms
5
City of New Port Richey. Notice of Commencement Pasco County Form
6
Pasco County Clerk, FL. Office Locations and Directions
7
Pasco County Clerk, FL. e-Recording
8
The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 28.24 – Service Charges by Clerk of the Circuit Court
9
Florida Senate. Florida Code 713.06 – Liens of Persons Not in Privity; Proper Payments
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Florida Senate. Florida Code 713.13 – Notice of Commencement
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The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 713.132 – Notice of Termination