Notice to Owner software, built for Florida's Chapter 713
Add the job facts once, see the 45-day Notice to Owner date, and prepare the worksheet you need to review and serve. FL Permit Pay tracks the date and prepares the worksheet, but it does not file or serve the notice for you. This is not legal advice.
What you will do
- Add the job dates
- Review the Notice to Owner clock
- Keep the delivery record together
Why the Notice to Owner deadline decides whether you get paid
- A sub or supplier who does not serve a Notice to Owner within 45 days of first furnishing loses lien rights entirely: it is a complete defense to the lien (Fla. Stat. 713.06(2)(a))
- The 45-day clock runs from your FIRST day of furnishing labor or materials, not project start and not your last day, so it is easy to miscount
- These windows hide across dozens of jobs, each on its own calendar, with nothing left to do the day one expires
- The Notice to Owner is only step one: the Claim of Lien (90 days) and enforcement (1 year) clocks come next
In Florida, a lienor who is NOT in privity with the owner (subcontractors, sub-subs, and material suppliers) must serve a written Notice to Owner as a prerequisite to perfecting a lien. Laborers are exempt, and a prime contractor who contracts directly with the owner does not serve one at all (Fla. Stat. 713.06(2)(a)).
The window is short and unforgiving: serve before you start, or no later than 45 days after you begin to furnish labor, services, or materials. The statute counts from FIRST furnishing by that lienor, not from project start (Fla. Stat. 713.06(2)(a)).
Miss it and the statute is blunt: failure to serve, or to timely serve, the Notice to Owner is a complete defense to enforcement of a lien by any person. No matter how much you are owed, the lien is gone.
Florida also gives you a break on the clock: mailed service by registered or certified mail is effective as of the date of mailing, not receipt, and if the last day falls on a weekend or holiday it rolls to the next business day (Fla. Stat. 713.18 and 713.011).
How FL Permit Pay tracks your Florida Notice to Owner
- 1
Add your role and work dates
On the job, choose whether you are a sub, supplier, or prime contractor and enter your first and last day of work. FL Permit Pay uses those facts to show the dates that apply to your role.
- 2
Review the Notice to Owner date
FL Permit Pay calculates the 45-day Notice to Owner date from your first furnishing date (Fla. Stat. 713.06(2)(a)), applies Florida's next-business-day rule (Fla. Stat. 713.011) conservatively, and shows the days remaining.
- 3
Read the deadline status
Review the candidate date, its current status, and the rest of the Chapter 713 chain together before deciding what needs attention.
- 4
Prepare the filing worksheet
When it is time, generate a worksheet that maps your job data to the Notice to Owner elements, ready to transfer onto the official statutory form. Because mailing date controls under Fla. Stat. 713.18, treat the postmark as the satisfying event, not delivery.
- 5
Track the rest of the Chapter 713 chain
The Notice to Owner is step one. FL Permit Pay continues the chain in order for your role: Claim of Lien within 90 days of final furnishing (Fla. Stat. 713.08(5)), serve the owner a copy within 15 days of recording (Fla. Stat. 713.08(4)(c)), and file suit to enforce within 1 year, or 60 days if the owner records a Notice of Contest (Fla. Stat. 713.22).
Sourced to the statute, honest about its limits
- Every deadline traces to a section of the official 2025 Florida Statutes: 713.06(2)(a) for the Notice to Owner, 713.08 for the Claim of Lien, 713.22 for enforcement, 713.011 for the next-business-day roll. Each deadline links to the statute it came from so you can read the source yourself.
- FL Permit Pay tracks deadlines and prepares a worksheet. It does not file or serve your Notice to Owner for you, and it is not legal advice. Confirm every date against the statute or your attorney before you rely on it.
- The dates FL Permit Pay shows are candidate deadlines computed from the work dates you enter. Final furnishing and owner-occupied residential service have fact-specific edge cases, so FL Permit Pay does not auto-finalize a forfeiture-critical date without your confirmation.
- This lien-deadline tracking and Notice to Owner worksheet feature is live in FL Permit Pay today.
Common questions
How long do I have to serve a Notice to Owner in Florida?
A subcontractor, sub-subcontractor, or material supplier who is not in privity with the owner must serve the Notice to Owner before starting, or no later than 45 days after first furnishing labor, services, or materials on the job (Fla. Stat. 713.06(2)(a)). The clock runs from your first day of furnishing, not project start. If the 45th day lands on a weekend or holiday it rolls to the next business day (Fla. Stat. 713.011). This is general information, not legal advice; confirm your date against the statute or your attorney.
Does a general or prime contractor need to serve a Notice to Owner?
No. A contractor in privity with the owner (one who contracts directly with the owner) does not serve a Notice to Owner, because the owner already knows them. The 45-day Notice to Owner requirement applies to subs, sub-subs, and suppliers who contract with someone below the owner. Laborers are exempt (Fla. Stat. 713.06(2)(a)). FL Permit Pay uses the role you set on each job so a prime never gets a false Notice to Owner alarm.
What happens if I miss the 45-day Notice to Owner deadline?
Under Florida law, failure to serve, or to timely serve, the Notice to Owner is a complete defense to enforcement of a lien by any person (Fla. Stat. 713.06(2)(a)). In practice that means you lose your construction lien rights on that job entirely, regardless of the amount owed. That is why FL Permit Pay surfaces the 45-day clock with a status stamp before it expires.
When is a Florida Notice to Owner considered served: on mailing or on delivery?
When you serve by registered or certified mail with evidence of delivery, Florida treats service as effective on the date of mailing, not the date of receipt (Fla. Stat. 713.18). So the postmark or mailing date is what satisfies the 45-day window. FL Permit Pay's worksheet is built around that mailing-date rule. This is not legal advice; confirm the service method that fits your job.
Put the guide to work.
See how Lien Protection uses your job dates to surface supported Notice to Owner and Chapter 713 deadlines for review:.