A Notice of Commencement may be eligible for remote online notarization when the document, signer, county recording office, permit authority, and receiving party requirements allow it.
A Notice of Commencement may be eligible for remote online notarization if the signer, document, notarial certificate, platform, county recording office, permit authority, and receiving party requirements are satisfied. In Florida and other construction workflows, Notice of Commencement requirements can be strict, so owners, contractors, lenders, and authorized agents should confirm recording and permit requirements before using online notarization.
A Notice of Commencement is a construction-related document used in certain states and counties to provide notice that work is beginning on a property improvement project.
In Florida, the Notice of Commencement process is connected to construction lien law and building permit workflows. The document may need to be recorded, posted, or provided to the permitting authority before certain inspections or project steps.
Other states may use different names, rules, or project notice forms. This article focuses on general online notarization considerations and does not provide legal advice.
A Notice of Commencement may be eligible for remote online notarization when all requirements are satisfied.
Before booking, confirm:
• The document may be notarized through remote online notarization
• The signer is the correct person
• The signer has authority to sign
• The notarial certificate is correct
• The county recording office accepts the online notarized version
• The permit authority accepts the recording proof
• Any owner, lender, contractor, or title company requirements are satisfied
• The document is unsigned before the session unless instructed otherwise
The most important point is acceptance. A notary can perform an eligible notarial act, but the notary cannot guarantee that every county, clerk, permit office, lender, title company, or project recipient will accept the document.
The required signer depends on the document and jurisdiction. In many Florida Notice of Commencement workflows, the owner signs the document. In some situations, an authorized agent may be involved, but the signer’s authority should be confirmed before the session.
A contractor, permit runner, project manager, assistant, property manager, or company representative should not assume they can sign unless the document, owner, attorney, lender, or recording office confirms proper authority.
The notary verifies the identity of the person appearing and completes the notarial act. The notary does not decide who is legally authorized to sign the Notice of Commencement.
Contractors often deal with Notice of Commencement documents because they affect project startup, payment workflows, inspections, lien rights, permit requirements, and project documentation.
Even if the owner signs the document, contractors may need to confirm that:
• The correct property is listed
• The contractor information is accurate
• The permit information is correct
• The document has been recorded if required
• A certified copy or recording information is available
• The permit office or inspector has the required proof
• The lender or title company has no additional instructions
Online notarization may help speed up the signing step, but it does not replace the contractor’s responsibility to follow project instructions and recording requirements.
Before notarizing a Notice of Commencement online, ask the county recorder, clerk, title company, permit office, or document preparer:
• Do you accept remote online notarization for this Notice of Commencement?
• Can the electronically notarized PDF be recorded?
• Is e-recording available or required?
• Are witnesses required?
• Is a specific certificate required?
• Are margins, page size, legal description, parcel number, or permit details required?
• Does the permit office need a certified copy or recording information?
• Does the owner need to sign personally?
Do not assume acceptance. Requirements can vary by county, project, and document.
Before the online notarization session, the signer should have:
• The unsigned Notice of Commencement
• A valid physical government-issued ID accepted by the platform
• The exact signer name shown on the document
• The correct property information
• The correct owner and contractor information
• Permit or project information, if required
• Any lender, title company, contractor, or recording office instructions
• Any required witnesses
• A device with camera and microphone
• A stable internet connection
If the document has blank legal, property, permit, or contractor fields, those should be completed by the proper party before the session. A notary cannot complete legal or project information for the signer.
Notice of Commencement documents can be delayed or rejected when:
• The wrong person signs
• The signer signs before the online session
• The property description is incomplete
• The owner name does not match the records
• The contractor information is incorrect
• The notarial certificate is missing or wrong
• The recording office does not accept the format
• Witness requirements were not met
• The permit authority needs proof of recording
• The signer asks the notary to explain lien rights
Most of these issues should be resolved before the session.
A notary cannot:
• Tell you whether a Notice of Commencement is legally required
• Decide who should sign
• Confirm owner authority or agent authority
• Draft or complete the Notice of Commencement
• Explain construction lien rights
• Tell a contractor how to protect lien rights
• Guarantee county recording acceptance
• Guarantee permit office acceptance
• Give legal advice
The notary can verify identity, witness the required signature process, administer an oath or acknowledgment if required, and complete the notarial certificate.
Remote online notarization can be helpful when the owner, contractor, lender, or authorized signer is not available for an in-person appointment. However, construction documents often have timing rules.
If a Notice of Commencement must be recorded or posted before a project milestone, confirm the timing with the recording office, permit office, contractor, lender, or attorney. Online notarization is only one step in the process.
It may be possible if the signer, document, platform, notarial certificate, county recording office, permit authority, and receiving party requirements are satisfied. Confirm acceptance before booking.
The required signer depends on the document and jurisdiction. In many Florida workflows, the owner signs the Notice of Commencement. If an agent or company representative signs, authority should be confirmed before the session.
Do not assume so. A contractor should only sign if the document, owner, attorney, lender, title company, or recording office confirms that the contractor has proper authority. A notary cannot decide signer authority.
Some recording offices may accept electronically notarized documents through approved workflows, while others may have specific formatting, e-recording, witness, or submission requirements. Confirm with the county recorder or clerk before notarization.
No. A notary cannot complete legal, property, permit, owner, contractor, or lien-related information for the signer. The document should be prepared before the session.
No. Online notarization only completes the notarial act. Recording, posting, permit, inspection, lender, title company, or county requirements may still apply.
Submit your request online, upload your unsigned document, verify your identity, and meet a commissioned notary by secure video session — available nationwide for eligible documents.