A Notice of Commencement (NOC) is a one-page form the property owner records in the county's official records before an improvement starts. It tells subcontractors and suppliers who owns the property, who the contractor is and who is lending on the job, and it sets the priority date for construction liens. For an electrical contractor it also matters for a simpler reason: when the NOC is required and the building department has not received a copy, inspections stop. This guide explains what the statutes say, where the dollar thresholds come from, how recording works at the Miami-Dade Clerk and Broward Records, and what a GC or owner should have in hand before the first electrical inspection.
What the statute requires
Florida's Construction Lien Law puts the NOC in section 713.13, Florida Statutes. Except for improvements exempt under section 713.02(5), an owner or the owner's authorized agent must, before actually starting to improve real property, record a notice of commencement in the clerk's office and post at the job site either a certified copy of it or a notarized statement that it has been filed for recording, along with a copy. The notice must include:
- a description of the property, including the legal description, street address and tax folio number if available (section 713.13(1)(a));
- a general description of the improvement;
- the owner's name, address and interest in the property, and the fee simple titleholder if different (a lessee who contracts for the work is listed as the owner, with a statement that the interest is a leasehold);
- the contractor's name and address;
- the surety and amount of any payment bond under section 713.23, with a copy of the bond attached (section 713.13(1)(e));
- the construction lender, if any, and any person the owner designates to receive notices.
The statute prints the form in section 713.13(1)(d), and the building department must accept a recorded NOC in that form.
Who signs it
The owner. Section 713.13(1)(g) says the owner must sign the notice of commencement and no one else may be permitted to sign in his or her stead. The form's signature line allows the owner or lessee, or the owner's or lessee's authorized officer, director, partner or manager, and the signature is notarized. Miami-Dade's Notice of Commencement page puts it plainly: the NOC must be signed by the owner contracting the improvements, not the owner's agent. The electrical contractor does not sign the NOC, and neither does the GC unless the GC is also the owner.
The dollar thresholds, and why Miami-Dade shows two
Three different numbers get quoted, and each comes from a different sentence of the statute. Section 713.02(5) says any improvement with a direct contract price of $2,500 or less is exempt from the lien law except section 713.05. Section 713.135(1)(e) requires the permit applicant to file a copy of the NOC with the issuing authority before the first inspection if the direct contract is greater than $5,000. And section 713.135(1)(f) says that subsection does not apply to a direct contract to repair or replace an existing heating or air-conditioning system for less than $15,000.
Miami-Dade County publishes two versions. Its Notice of Commencement page says the lien law requires recording an NOC for real property improvements greater than $5,000, and that it does not apply to repair or replacement of an existing heating or air conditioning system under $15,000 in value. Its owner-builder permits page says an owner-builder must record an NOC before inspections if the value of work on the application exceeds $2,500, with an air conditioning exception under $7,500. The county's electrical permits page does not state a threshold.
Our advice: for the permit, follow the requirement of the building department that issued it, and ask when the job sits between the figures. Whether the lien law protects the owner on a given contract is a question for the owner's attorney.
What "a copy" means to the permit office
Under section 713.135(1)(e), the copy filed with the issuing authority can be a certified copy of the recorded NOC, a notarized statement that the NOC has been filed for recording along with a copy, or the clerk's official records identifying information, such as the instrument number or book and page. Without it, the issuing authority or a private provider performing inspections may not perform or approve subsequent inspections until the copy is filed. The office checks that the owner, contractor and property match the permit application, so a typo can hold a job up.
Two details matter to electrical work in particular. First, the same paragraph says it does not require recording before a permit is issued, and that where a local government requires a separate permit or inspection for temporary electrical service or other temporary utility service, land clearing or preliminary site work, those permits and inspections may proceed without the NOC copy (section 713.135(1)(e)4). Second, Miami-Dade's NOC page notes that a separate Notice of Commencement must be filed for each individual permit issued. If the electrical work is a sub-permit under a master, ask the department whether it wants the master's NOC referenced or a separate one.
Recording in Miami-Dade and Broward
| Miami-Dade | Broward | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | Clerk of the Court and Comptroller, Office of County Recorder: in person at the Osvaldo N. Soto Miami-Dade Justice Center, by mail to 20 NW 1st Avenue, Suite 5.246, Miami, or eRecording through an approved vendor (Miami-Dade Clerk, Official Records) | Records, Taxes and Treasury Division, Recording Office, 115 S. Andrews Ave., Room 114, Broward County Governmental Center, Fort Lauderdale; 954-831-4000 or 311 (Broward Records, Taxes and Treasury) |
| What to bring | The original, owner-signed and notarized document, the recording charges and a self-addressed stamped envelope (Clerk instructions) | The original, signed and notarized NOC; confirm current recording options with the office (Recording Office) |
| Timing | The Clerk says eRecorded documents may take about 1 to 3 business days to review and process, and recommends recording in person when time-sensitive (Clerk eRecording note) | Ask the Recording Office when you file |
| Checking it | The county's NOC page says to search Official Records by name; the document type is "NCO" | Broward's Official Records search is linked from the division page |
Posting, the 90-day rule and the 1-year rule
- Post it on site. The owner posts a certified copy or the notarized statement of filing at the job site (section 713.13(1)(a)). The statutory warning printed on the form and the permit card says the NOC must be recorded and posted on the site of the improvement before the first inspection (section 713.135(1)(a)). Keep it with the permit card where the inspector can see it.
- 90 days to start. If the improvement is not actually commenced within 90 days after recording, the notice is void (section 713.13(2)). Record close to the start date, not when the contract is signed months ahead.
- 1 year to expire. Unless the notice states otherwise, it is not effective against a conveyance, mortgage, creditors or purchasers after 1 year from recording (section 713.13(6)). If the contract runs longer than a year, the notice must state it is effective for 1 year plus the additional time (section 713.13(1)(c)). Payments made after the NOC expires are considered improper payments.
- Amend, or record a new one. A recorded NOC can be amended within its effective period to extend it or correct information, but to change contractors a new notice of commencement or notice of recommencement must be recorded (section 713.13(5)).
A checklist before the first electrical inspection
- Confirm which building department issued the permit and what it requires for this contract value (section 713.135 sets the statewide floor).
- Owner signs the NOC in front of a notary; names and folio match the permit application exactly.
- NOC recorded with the county (Miami-Dade Clerk, Broward Records or the Palm Beach clerk).
- Copy or recording information filed with the building department, in the form the department accepts.
- Certified copy or notarized statement posted at the job site with the permit card.
- Calendar the 90-day start window and the expiration date.
The permit side of that sequence is covered in our guides to master permits and electrical sub-permits and the electrical inspection sequence, and the full hub is the South Florida electrical permits guide.
Questions builders ask
Can the GC or electrician record the NOC for the owner?
Someone else can carry it to the recorder, and section 713.13 lets an owner's authorized agent record, but the owner must sign it and no one else may sign in the owner's stead. A lender that disburses construction funds must record the NOC too, though posting stays the owner's job.
Does a panel change need an NOC?
It depends on the direct contract amount and the department. The statute ties the copy-before-inspection rule to direct contracts greater than $5,000 (section 713.135(1)(e)), and Miami-Dade's owner-builder page uses $2,500 (Miami-Dade owner-builder permits). Ask the department that issued the permit.
Do we need an NOC before temporary power?
Not for the copy-before-inspection rule. Section 713.135(1)(e)4 allows separate permits and inspections for temporary electrical service to go ahead without the NOC copy. The NOC for the main job still has to be in place before that job's first inspection.
This is general information about Florida law, not legal advice. Statutes, rules and local procedures change. Read the current statute, follow the building department with jurisdiction over the address, and talk to a Florida attorney about your own contract or dispute.
Keep the paperwork from holding the crew
KRW Electric (EC13012832) handles the electrical permit and inspections on its jobs across Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach, and we tell the owner and GC early what the building department will want on site. GCs can see how we work on the for general contractors page, and our owner-builder permit guide covers the other form owners are asked to sign. Send us the permit number and scope, or call (305) 359-7312.
Reviewed by Kyle White, KRW Electric Company LLC — licensed electrical contractor EC13012832.
