Florida — Contractor Lien Waiver Resources
Florida’s § 713.20 does something most form states do not: it not only prints the progress and final waiver forms, it forbids anyone from making you use a different one. That makes the Florida page worth reading before your next pay application, not after.
What the official source states
Official source: Fla. Stat. § 713.20 — https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=0700-0799/0713/Sections/0713.20.html
- A right to claim a lien may not be waived in advance; a lien right may be waived only to the extent of the labor, services or materials furnished, and an advance waiver is unenforceable (§ 713.20(2)).
- When a waiver is required in exchange for a progress payment, it may be in substantially the form printed at § 713.20(4); for the final payment, the form at § 713.20(5).
- No one may require a lienor to furnish a waiver or release different from the subsection (4) or (5) forms (§ 713.20(6)).
- If you sign a waiver in exchange for a check, you may condition the waiver on the check actually being paid (§ 713.20(7)).
- A waiver that is not substantially similar to the statutory forms is still enforceable according to its own terms (§ 713.20(8)) — read non-standard forms twice.
Source note: The linked page is the current-year (2026 Florida Statutes) Online Sunshine view of § 713.20, confirmed in a live-browser check on 2026-10-27: subsections (2) and (6) confirmed and the forms’ date line reads (year).
Verified against the official source on 2026-10-27. This page is a plain-language summary, not the statute and not legal advice.
What this means for your paperwork
- If a customer insists on their own Florida form, § 713.20(6) is the section to point at — politely, and in writing.
- Write the check condition onto the waiver when payment is by check and has not cleared.
- Because non-standard forms can still bind you under (8), route any unfamiliar Florida waiver to your attorney before signing.
Florida Contractor Paperwork Pack
The Florida Starter Pack contains editable invoice, estimate, and change-order templates, a contractor checklist, payment tracker, waiver log, and an Official Form Reference Guide for Fla. Stat. § 713.20. Where Florida prescribes a statutory waiver form, the pack links to the official form at the source above — it does not substitute one.
See the catalog for pack status and contents.
Buy the Florida Starter Pack — $9 (secure Stripe checkout)