What it is
A Notice of Commencement (NOC) is a one-page recorded document that announces a construction project on a specific property. It names the owner, the contractor, the lender and surety if there is one, and a person to receive lien notices. Under Florida’s Construction Lien Law (chapter 713, Florida Statutes) it fixes the date from which lien rights run and tells subcontractors and suppliers where to send their notices. It is not a permit and not a lien.
When you need one
- • The direct contract for the work is more than $2,500 (s. 713.02(5)).
- • Your city or county building department asks for a certified copy of the recorded NOC before the first inspection.
- • Owners who build for themselves file it too: a permit alone doesn’t satisfy the lien law.
How to complete it
- 1. Get your city’s form. Each city and county publishes the statutory form (s. 713.13(1)(d)); pick your city below.
- 2. Fill it in. Legal description and parcel number of the property, general description of the work, owner, contractor, surety and lender, the notice recipients, and an expiration date if you want something other than one year.
- 3. The owner signs — in front of a notary. Nobody may sign for the owner (s. 713.13(1)(g)). The certificate on the form can be completed by physical presence or by online notarization.
- 4. Record it with the Clerk of the Circuit Court of the county where the property is. Base fee: $5 for the first page, $4 per additional page (s. 28.24), plus county surcharges.
- 5. Post it. A certified copy, or a notarized statement that it was recorded, goes up at the job site (s. 713.13(1)(a)).
It expires one year after recording unless you state another date (s. 713.13(6)). To end it early, the owner records a sworn Notice of Termination (s. 713.132).
Notice of Commencement by county
The NOC is recorded with the county clerk, but each city publishes its own copy of the form. Pick your county to see its cities and the clerk that records it.
Alachua County
9 city forms
Baker County
1 city form
Bay County
6 city forms
Bradford County
3 city forms
Brevard County
10 city forms
Broward County
11 city forms
Calhoun County
1 city form
Charlotte County
1 city form
Citrus County
2 city forms
Clay County
4 city forms
Collier County
2 city forms
Columbia County
1 city form
DeSoto County
1 city form
Dixie County
2 city forms
Duval County
4 city forms
Escambia County
2 city forms
Flagler County
4 city forms
Franklin County
1 city form
Gadsden County
6 city forms
Gilchrist County
3 city forms
Glades County
Seat: Moore Haven
Gulf County
2 city forms
Hamilton County
3 city forms
Hardee County
Seat: Wauchula
Hendry County
2 city forms
Hernando County
1 city form
Highlands County
3 city forms
Hillsborough County
3 city forms
Holmes County
Seat: Bonifay
Indian River County
4 city forms
Jackson County
10 city forms
Jefferson County
Seat: Monticello
Lafayette County
1 city form
Lake County
13 city forms
Lee County
2 city forms
Leon County
Seat: Tallahassee
Levy County
5 city forms
Liberty County
1 city form
Madison County
3 city forms
Manatee County
4 city forms
Marion County
5 city forms
Martin County
3 city forms
Miami-Dade County
5 city forms
Monroe County
4 city forms
Nassau County
2 city forms
Okaloosa County
8 city forms
Okeechobee County
1 city form
Orange County
9 city forms
Osceola County
2 city forms
Palm Beach County
24 city forms
Pasco County
5 city forms
Pinellas County
16 city forms
Polk County
12 city forms
Putnam County
5 city forms
Santa Rosa County
3 city forms
Sarasota County
3 city forms
Seminole County
4 city forms
St. Johns County
3 city forms
St. Lucie County
1 city form
Sumter County
4 city forms
Suwannee County
1 city form
Taylor County
1 city form
Union County
3 city forms
Volusia County
11 city forms
Wakulla County
2 city forms
Walton County
2 city forms
Washington County
5 city forms
Frequently asked questions
- What is a Notice of Commencement?
- A Notice of Commencement (NOC) is a short recorded document that tells the world a construction project is starting on a property: who owns it, who the contractor is, the lender and surety if any, and where to send lien notices. In Florida it is governed by section 713.13 of the Florida Statutes and is recorded in the county's official records before work begins.
- When is a Notice of Commencement required in Florida?
- Whenever the direct contract for the improvement is more than $2,500 (section 713.02(5), Florida Statutes). Below that amount the lien law's notice provisions don't apply. Your building department will also ask for a certified copy of the recorded NOC before the first inspection on jobs that need one.
- Does a Notice of Commencement have to be notarized?
- Yes. The owner must sign it — section 713.13(1)(g) says no one may sign in the owner's place — and the statutory form ends with a notarial certificate that can be completed in person or, since 2020, by online notarization. A remote online notary session takes about 15 minutes.
- Where do I record a Notice of Commencement?
- With the Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller of the county where the property is located, in the official records. Most Florida clerks accept e-recording as well as walk-in and mail. The statutory base recording fee is $5 for the first page and $4 for each additional page (section 28.24), plus any county surcharges — check the clerk's fee schedule.
- How long is a Notice of Commencement good for?
- One year from the date of recording unless the notice states a different expiration date (section 713.13(6)). Pick a realistic date: if the job runs past the expiration, you record a new one.
- Do I have to post it at the job site?
- Yes. A certified copy of the recorded notice, or a notarized statement that it has been recorded, must be posted at the job site (section 713.13(1)(a)).
- How do I end a Notice of Commencement early?
- The owner records a sworn Notice of Termination under section 713.132, which must be served on every lienor with a direct contract or a timely notice to owner before it is recorded, and takes effect 30 days after recording. It also needs to be notarized.
- Can I get my Notice of Commencement notarized online?
- Yes. Florida recognizes remote online notarization, and the statutory NOC form itself offers the online-notarization checkbox in its certificate. Upload the completed form here, verify your ID, sign on a short video call, and record the notarized PDF with the clerk.
General information about Florida’s Construction Lien Law, not legal advice. Statute references: ss. 713.02, 713.13, 713.132 and 28.24, Florida Statutes. Terms like jurat and acknowledgment are explained in the glossary.