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Florida, United States

Your deadlines on a bonded job

There is nothing to lien on a bonded job, so the notices are the claim. One of them has a floor as well as a deadline, and serving it early is the same as not serving it.

Who did you contract with?

You contracted with a subcontractor, or you supply one. The notice to contractor is yours to serve, and it is due early.

The day you started work or made the first delivery. This starts the notice to contractor and the floor on the notice of nonpayment.

The last day of your original scope. Warranty work and going back to fix something do not count.

Enter the days you were on the job

Two dates run this whole page: the first day you furnished and the last. Everything else is counted from them.

Serve early and you served nothing

The notice of nonpayment has a floor. A claimant who fires it off the week the payment is missed has filed a document with no effect, and nothing tells them so until the surety does.

Get a copy of the bond

You are entitled to it, and it names the surety you have to serve. Asking for it on day one costs a phone call. Asking for it on day 85 is how a claim expires inside the window it was meant to be served in.

Worked example

Two months on a bonded job, counted

First day Jun 22, 2026, last day Aug 16, 2026, working below the contractor who furnished the bond, which is the position that owes both notices.

  • Serve the notice to contractor by

    15 days ago

    Aug 6, 2026

    Miss it and the bond is closed to you before the job is even finished. It is served before you are owed anything, which is exactly why it gets forgotten.

    Counted as 45 days from the day you began furnishing (2026-06-22).

    Fla. Stat. s.255.05(2) and s.713.23(1)(b)

  • The notice of nonpayment cannot be served before

    15 days ago

    Aug 6, 2026

    The only floor in the whole chain. Serve it earlier and you have served nothing, and the claimant who did it usually believes they are covered right up until the surety says otherwise.

    Counted as 45 days from the day you began furnishing (2026-06-22).

    Fla. Stat. s.255.05(2)(a)2

  • Serve the notice of nonpayment by

    In 85 days

    Nov 14, 2026

    The hard end of your claim on the bond. Counted from the last day you furnished, and warranty or corrective work does not restart it.

    Counted as 90 days from the last day you furnished (2026-08-16).

    Fla. Stat. s.255.05(2)(a)2 and s.713.23(1)(d)

  • Sue on the bond by

    In 360 days

    Aug 16, 2027

    Serving both notices keeps the claim alive. It does not collect the money. The action itself has its own deadline and it is the last one.

    Counted as 12 months from the last day you furnished (2026-08-16).

    Fla. Stat. s.255.05(10) and s.713.23(1)(e)

Open this example and change the numbers

Questions this page answers

Can I lien a public job in Florida?
No. There is nothing to lien on public property, which is why the job carries a payment bond and why the notices are the entire claim. On a private job with a recorded payment bond the lien transfers to the bond and the same notice deadlines apply.
When is the notice to contractor due?
Within 45 days of beginning to furnish labour or materials, if you are not in direct contract with the contractor who furnished the bond. It is served before you are owed anything, which is why it is the one people forget.
When can I serve the notice of nonpayment?
Not before 45 days from the day you began furnishing, and not later than 90 days after the last day you furnished. It is the rare deadline with a floor as well as a ceiling, and serving early has no effect at all.
Does warranty work extend my deadline?
No. The clock runs from the last day of your original furnishing. Going back to fix something does not restart it, and a claimant counting from the warranty visit is counting from a day that does nothing.

Or have the job carry its own notice dates

Set the job up as bonded and the notice window sits on it from the first day you furnish, with the surety and the bond number on the record. The date arrives at you instead of you going looking for it in the week it closes.

The invoices, the delivery dates and the last day you were on site are already in one place, which is the evidence the notice depends on anyway.

Open the demo businessRead the Florida bond claim guide

Where these figures come from

  • bond_notice_to_contractor_days (US-FL) Published source Last read from the source Aug 12, 2026.
  • bond_nonpayment_floor_days (US-FL) Published source Last read from the source Aug 12, 2026.
  • bond_nonpayment_ceiling_days (US-FL) Published source Last read from the source Aug 12, 2026.
  • lien_foreclosure_months (US-FL) Published source Last read from the source Aug 12, 2026.

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