Defined term
Notice to owner (NTO)
A Notice to Owner is a Florida Construction Lien Law prerequisite — subcontractors, materialmen, and laborers without direct contract with the owner must serve it within 45 days of first work to preserve lien rights.
Florida's Construction Lien Law (Fla. Stat. ch. 713) requires non-privity claimants to serve an NTO within 45 days of beginning work — before final payment to the contractor. The NTO informs the owner that lien exposure is accumulating from a party with whom they have no contract.
An untimely or defective NTO destroys the lien right. The notice must identify the property accurately, state the labor or materials being supplied, and be served by the specific methods the statute allows. Florida construction-defect plaintiffs and defendants alike often turn on the NTO's compliance with the statute — a defective NTO from a sub or supplier can knock the entire lien out, leaving only the underlying contract claim.
Statutes
- Fla. Stat. § 713.06