Who the deadlines apply to
Florida's Construction Lien Law, Fla. Stat. ch. 713, part I, reaches every tier of a project, though its rules do not all name the same people [1]. The lien filing, service and suit rules each list direct contractors, subcontractors, sub-subcontractors, suppliers and laborers, and none is limited to one kind of project.
The notice to owner is narrower. It is the step for lienors who are not in privity with the owner, other than laborers, and the rules list those lienors as subcontractors, sub-subcontractors and suppliers [1]. The statute makes the notice a "prerequisite to perfecting a lien" and to recording a claim of lien, so for them it is a required step [1]. The statute writes in an exception for laborers, which is why the table shows None required on their row.
How the periods run
For subcontractors, sub-subcontractors and suppliers, the notice to owner carries two limits, and the table lists each as its own rule. The first runs from the day the lienor starts furnishing labor, services or materials: 45 days after first furnishing [1]. The second applies in every case, as an outer limit: Before the owner disburses the final payment after the contractor has furnished its final payment affidavit. [1] The statute ties a result to the notice: a failure to serve it, or to serve it on time, is a complete defense to enforcement of a lien by any person [1].
The claim of lien runs from the other end of the job, the lienor's own final furnishing, under the default rule [1]. One condition changes that. If the original contract is terminated under section 713.07(4), the period becomes The earlier of 90 days after the termination and 90 days after the lienor's final furnishing. [1]
After recording comes service. The claim of lien is served in the manner provided in section 713.18, before recording or within 15 days after the lien is recorded [1]. A failure or delay there makes the claim voidable, but only to the extent it is shown to have been prejudicial to a person with a right to rely on the service [1].
The suit period also runs from recording. An owner can shorten it: after the owner serves a notice of contest of lien, the period is 60 days after service of the owner's notice of contest of lien. [1] The statute says the lien of a lienor that does not sue within that time is extinguished automatically [1].
The lien deadline calculator counts no date for the final payment limit, the termination rule or the notice of contest rule, because the event each runs from is not one of its inputs.
Notice of commencement
If the improvement a notice of commencement describes is not actually commenced within 90 days after the notice is recorded, the notice is void and of no further effect [1].
How residential work is treated
Florida adds one requirement for homes. A direct contract greater than $2,500 between an owner and a contractor, for improvements to a single or multiple family dwelling of up to four units, must contain the notice the statute prints, set in at least 12-point, capitalized, boldfaced type [1].
Counting the days
When the last day of any period under the lien law lands on a Saturday, Sunday or a holiday named in Fla. Stat. § 110.117(1), the period runs to the end of the next business day [1] [2]. A day the clerk's office observes as a holiday, or one the circuit's chief judge designates, extends the period the same way [1]. Under § 110.117(1), a listed holiday that falls on a Saturday is observed the Friday before, and one that falls on a Sunday is observed the Monday after [2].
What changed recently
The text on this page is the 2025 Florida Statutes. Section 713.06 was last amended by ch. 2003-177, sections 713.08 and 713.015 by ch. 2007-221, and sections 713.13, 713.18, 713.21 and 713.22 by ch. 2023-226 [1].