Florida Notice of Commencement starts the repair file

A Notice of Commencement can sound like a small form. On a Florida home job, it can matter from the first day to the last payment.

Florida law usually says the owner or the owner’s agent records this notice with the clerk before work starts. There is an exception for the small jobs described in section 713.02(5). The notice names the property, owner, contractor, lender if there is one, and the work. It also says where job notices can go.

The building office may need it too. When the direct contract is over $5,000, section 713.135 usually calls for a copy before the first inspection. A repair or replacement of an existing HVAC system under $15,000 has its own exception.

The notice usually ends after one year unless it gives a different date. It also becomes void if the work does not start within 90 days after it is recorded.

Before a roof, addition, major remodel, or storm repair starts, ask how the notice fits the contract and permit. Check with the contractor, clerk, and local building office. Ask the lender too if there is one. Keep the recorded copy with the permit, contract, payment plan, inspection notes, and final papers.

If you are buying a home with recent work, ask whether a Notice of Commencement is still tied to the job. That one question can make the repair history much easier to read.