Florida · Fla. Stat. § 713.13
Florida requires a Notice of Commencement under Fla. Stat. § 713.13 for most direct contracts over $2,500. The NOC must be recorded with the Clerk of the Circuit Court in the county where the property is located, and a certified copy posted on the jobsite before the first inspection. Find your county below.
The trigger is a direct contract for an improvement worth more than $2,500. The owner records the NOC before work begins, and in practice the contractor prepares it and walks it through. Small repairs under the threshold are outside the requirement, and there is a narrower carve-out for certain direct-contract HVAC replacements.
The NOC is recorded with the Clerk of the Circuit Court in the county where the property is located — not where your business is registered, and not where the permit was pulled if that differs. Many Florida counties publish their own NOC form with their own layout and notary block, and a clerk can reject a filing submitted on the wrong one. Pick your county below for its clerk, county seat, and recording specifics.
Two failures dominate. The first is procedural: the inspection is refused because no certified copy is posted, and the crew loses days. The second is financial and falls on the owner — payments made without a properly recorded NOC can leave the owner exposed to paying twice for the same work when an unpaid subcontractor or supplier enforces a lien. Because the recorded NOC is also what tells subs and suppliers who to serve, an inaccurate one quietly breaks everyone else's notice chain.
All 67 counties, grouped by region. Each page covers that county's clerk, county seat, recording practice, and the cities it serves.
Alachua County · Bradford County · Columbia County · Dixie County · Gilchrist County · Hamilton County · Lafayette County · Levy County · Madison County · Putnam County · Suwannee County · Taylor County · Union County
Baker County · Clay County · Duval County · Flagler County · Nassau County · St. Johns County
Bay County · Calhoun County · Escambia County · Franklin County · Gadsden County · Gulf County · Holmes County · Jackson County · Jefferson County · Leon County · Liberty County · Okaloosa County · Santa Rosa County · Wakulla County · Walton County · Washington County
Brevard County · Citrus County · Hernando County · Lake County · Marion County · Orange County · Osceola County · Polk County · Seminole County · Sumter County · Volusia County
Broward County · Miami-Dade County · Monroe County · Palm Beach County
Charlotte County · Collier County · DeSoto County · Glades County · Hendry County · Highlands County · Lee County · Okeechobee County
Hardee County · Hillsborough County · Manatee County · Pasco County · Pinellas County · Sarasota County
Indian River County · Martin County · St. Lucie County
The NOC is the anchor of Florida's construction-lien scheme; these are the documents that hang off it.
Florida Notice to Owner · Florida Notice of Intent to Lien · Florida Lien Waiver · Florida Claim of Lien
Legally the owner records it, since the owner signs it. In practice the contractor almost always prepares the form, gets it notarized with the owner, and handles the recording, because the contractor is the one whose inspection is blocked if it is not done.
No. The NOC is tied to a specific property and its legal description. Separate properties need separate notices, even for the same owner and the same contractor.
Use the statewide § 713.13 form. It applies in every Florida county and clerks accept it; county-specific forms are a local convenience, not a separate legal standard.
Yes. The owner's signature must be notarized before the clerk will record it. Electronic signing handles the owner's signature; notarization and recording still follow.
General information about Florida Chapter 713, not legal advice. County practice varies and statutes change; consult a licensed Florida construction attorney about your project.