Santa Rosa County Notice of Contest of Lien Form

Last validated May 25, 2026 by our Forms Development Team

Santa Rosa County Notice of Contest of Lien Form

Santa Rosa County Notice of Contest of Lien Form

Fill in the blank form formatted to comply with all recording and content requirements.

Document Last Validated 5/20/2026
Santa Rosa County Notice of Contest of Lien Guide

Santa Rosa County Notice of Contest of Lien Guide

Line by line guide explaining every blank on the form.

Document Last Validated 5/25/2026
Santa Rosa County Completed Example of the Notice of Contest of Lien Document

Santa Rosa County Completed Example of the Notice of Contest of Lien Document

Example of a properly completed form for reference.

Document Last Validated 5/7/2026

All 3 documents above included • One-time purchase • No recurring fees

Immediate Download • Secure Checkout

Important: Your property must be located in Santa Rosa County to use these forms. Documents should be recorded at the office below.

Where to Record Your Documents

Clerk of Courts: Official Records - Administration Center

Address:
6495 Caroline St, Suite A / PO Box 472
Milton, Florida 32570 / 32572

Hours: 8:00am to 4:30pm M-F

Phone: (850) 983-1966

South End Service Center

Address:
5841 Gulf Breeze Pwky
Gulf Breeze, Florida 32563

Hours: Monday-Friday 8am-4:30pm

Phone: (850) 983-1820

Recording Tips for Santa Rosa County:
  • Ensure all signatures are in blue or black ink
  • Verify all names are spelled correctly before recording
  • Bring extra funds - fees can vary by document type and page count
  • Ask for certified copies if you need them for other transactions

Cities and Jurisdictions in Santa Rosa County

Properties in any of these areas use Santa Rosa County forms:

  • Bagdad
  • Gulf Breeze
  • Jay
  • Milton
  • Navarre

View Complete Recorder Office Guide

Hours, fees, requirements, and more for Santa Rosa County

How do I get my forms?

Forms are available for immediate download after payment. The Santa Rosa County forms will be in your account ready to download to your computer. An account is created for you during checkout if you don't have one. Forms are NOT emailed.

Are these forms guaranteed to be recordable in Santa Rosa County?

Yes. Our form blanks are guaranteed to meet or exceed the applicable formatting requirements used for recording in Santa Rosa County, including margin requirements, font requirements, and other layout standards. This guarantee applies to formatting, not to the legal sufficiency of information entered by the user or the suitability of a form for a particular transaction.

Can I reuse these forms?

Yes. You can reuse the forms for your personal use. For example, if you have multiple properties in Santa Rosa County you only need to order once.

What do I need to use these forms?

The forms are PDFs that you fill out on your computer. You'll need Adobe Reader (free software that most computers already have). You do NOT enter your property information online - you download the blank forms and complete them privately on your own computer.

Are there any recurring fees?

No. This is a one-time purchase. Nothing to cancel, no memberships, no recurring fees.

How much does it cost to record in Santa Rosa County?

Recording fees in Santa Rosa County vary. Contact the recorder's office at (850) 983-1966 for current fees.

Questions answered? Let's get started!

Florida is one of the few states whose construction lien statute gives a property owner an affirmative tool to compress a lienor's enforcement window without filing a lawsuit. A recorded claim of lien is generally valid for one year, but an owner who records a Florida Notice of Contest of Lien can shrink that period to 60 days from the date the clerk serves the lienor (Fla. Stat. 713.22). If the lienor does not file an action to enforce the lien within those 60 days, the lien is extinguished by operation of law. The mechanism is owner-initiated, clerk-served, and self-executing — a creature of Florida's Construction Lien Law that has no direct equivalent in most states, where an owner must typically bring an action to discharge a stale lien rather than start a clock running.

When a Florida Notice of Contest of Lien Is Used

A Notice of Contest of Lien is a defensive instrument. Owners record it after a contractor, subcontractor, laborer, supplier, or other lienor has filed a claim of lien against the property and the owner wants to force the lienor to either bring suit promptly or lose the lien. Typical situations include stale claims of lien left on title after a project closes out, disputed claims where the lienor has not moved to enforce, encumbrances that complicate a planned sale or refinance, and recorded claims the owner believes lack a factual or contractual basis. Filing the notice does not adjudicate whether the lien is valid — it sets a deadline.

Florida Statutory Requirements

The form and procedure are governed by Fla. Stat. 713.22(2), which prescribes a notice that is substantially in the form set out in the statute itself. The notice must include the following information:

  • The name and address of the lienor as shown in the recorded claim of lien
  • The official records book and page where the claim of lien is recorded
  • The legal description of the property
  • The name of the owner
  • The date of execution

The notice must be signed by the owner or the owner's attorney. Departures from the statutory form risk a finding that the notice is ineffective, which would leave the lienor's full one-year enforcement window intact.

Execution and Recording Format

The notice is signed by the owner (or the owner's attorney) and acknowledged before a notary so it can be accepted for recording. Florida's recording-format standards under Fla. Stat. 695.26 apply to instruments affecting interests in real property and require: the signer's name typed or legibly printed beneath the signature, the post office address of each natural person who executes the instrument, and the name and address of the person who prepared the document. Clerks also expect a 3-inch-by-3-inch blank space at the top right of the first page for the recording stamp, with consistent margins on subsequent pages. Documents that fail these formatting requirements can be rejected or returned, costing time on a clock that has not yet started.

How the 60-Day Clock Works

Once the notice is recorded, the clerk serves it on the lienor at the address shown in the claim of lien. Service by the clerk — not by the owner — is what triggers the 60-day deadline (Fla. Stat. 713.22(2)). The lienor must commence an action to enforce the lien within 60 days of service, or the lien is extinguished. The owner does not need to file anything further. If the lienor has already filed an enforcement action before the notice is recorded, the notice has no shortening effect. The procedure also does not extinguish any underlying contract claim the lienor may have for the unpaid amount — it only affects the lien against the real property.

Recording Process

The notice is recorded in the official records of the county where the property is located, with the same clerk that recorded the original claim of lien. Recording fees follow the schedule in Fla. Stat. 28.24. Documentary stamp tax does not apply because the notice does not convey an interest in real property. Prompt recording matters when the property is under contract, in refinance, or otherwise needs clean title within a known timeframe — the 60 days does not begin to run until the clerk completes service on the lienor.

Florida-Specific Traps

  • The lienor's name and address in the notice must match what appears in the recorded claim of lien — a mismatch can frustrate service by the clerk and prevent the 60-day clock from starting
  • The notice must reference the specific official records book and page of the claim of lien being contested; a vague reference is grounds to challenge effectiveness
  • If the lienor has already filed suit to enforce the lien before the notice is recorded, the procedure provides no benefit
  • The owner does not serve the notice — the clerk does. Self-service by the owner short-circuits the statute
  • The procedure does not address the underlying debt; it only affects the encumbrance on the real property
  • Preparer identification under Fla. Stat. 695.26 is required, and an unidentified preparer can cause the clerk to refuse the recording
  • The notice does not relieve the owner of separate obligations under the Construction Lien Law, including any responsibilities tied to a Notice of Commencement that may still be open on the project
  • Recording a Notice of Contest of Lien does not waive defenses or counterclaims the owner may have if the lienor does file suit within the 60 days

What's Included in the Download Package

The download package includes the Florida Notice of Contest of Lien form, a completed example for reference, and a guide explaining how to fill in each section, where to record, and what happens once the clerk serves the lienor. Files are delivered as instant downloads in standard formats compatible with common word processors and PDF readers.

Important: Your property must be located in Santa Rosa County to use these forms. Documents should be recorded at the office below.

This Notice of Contest of Lien meets all recording requirements specific to Santa Rosa County.

Our Promise

The documents you receive here are guaranteed to meet or exceed the applicable Santa Rosa County recording format requirements. If there is a rejection caused by our formatting, we will correct the issue or refund your payment. This guarantee applies to document formatting only and does not extend to information entered by the user, the selection of the form, or the legal effect of the completed document.

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