Home / Hiring a Seawall Contractor in Palm Beach County: Deposits, Permits and Lien Rules

Guide

Hiring a Seawall Contractor in Palm Beach County: Deposits, Permits and Lien Rules

Florida's 10 percent deposit rule, the Notice of Commencement, required contract notices and how to ask for the subcontractor list.

Short answer

Before hiring a seawall contractor in Palm Beach County, verify the license, then read the contract against Florida law. A contractor who takes more than 10 percent up front on residential work must apply for permits within 30 days and start within 90 days of permits, jobs over $5,000 need a recorded Notice of Commencement before the first inspection, and you can request the subcontractor and supplier list in writing.

The short version

Seawall work in Palm Beach County is expensive, it usually needs permits, and it happens on the one part of your property that's hardest to inspect yourself. Florida law gives homeowners some specific protections when they hire a contractor for work on residential property: rules on large deposits, a recorded Notice of Commencement, required notices in the contract, and the right to ask who the subcontractors and suppliers are. This guide walks through those rules so you can read a seawall contract with your eyes open.

We are an independent guide, not a contractor. We don't build, repair or inspect seawalls. When you ask, we introduce you to independent licensed marine contractors and engineers, who quote and contract with you directly under their own licenses.

Step one: confirm the license

Before you compare prices, confirm that the company is licensed for the work and that the license is active. Florida's Department of Business and Professional Regulation has a public license search, and many jurisdictions also register or certify contractors locally. Ask the contractor which license covers seawall and marine construction, then look it up yourself rather than relying on a number on a truck or a website. Ask for proof of liability and workers' compensation coverage too. Our choosing a marine contractor guide has a longer list.

The deposit rule: more than 10 percent up front

Seawall contractors often ask for a deposit to order materials and schedule equipment. Florida Statutes section 489.126 sets rules when a contractor working on residential property takes an initial payment of more than 10 percent of the contract price. The contractor must:

• Apply for the necessary permits within 30 days after the payment is made, unless the work doesn't need a permit, and
• Start the work within 90 days after all necessary permits are issued,

unless the contractor has just cause, or the person who paid agreed in writing to a longer period. If the contractor doesn't comply, the statute spells out a written demand by certified mail, return receipt requested, to apply for permits, start the work or refund the money. Pinellas County's consumer protection office and Miami-Dade County's building department both summarize the same 10 percent, 30-day and 90-day rule for homeowners.

The same section also says a contractor who has received more money than the value of the work performed may not stop work for any 90-day period, or another period agreed in the contract, without just cause or proper notice.

What this means in practice: if a seawall contract asks for a large deposit, look at the permit timeline in the contract. Seawall permits can involve the local building department and, depending on the project, state and federal agencies. See our permits guide. If the contractor expects permitting to take longer than the statute's windows, the contract should say so in writing, and you should understand why.

The Notice of Commencement

Florida's construction lien law requires the owner to record a Notice of Commencement before improvements start, with a few exceptions. Under section 713.135, the permitting office requires a copy of the recorded notice before the first inspection if the direct contract is greater than $5,000. Palm Beach County's Building Division says the same in its owner-builder guidelines: permits with a value greater than $5,000 need a recorded Notice of Commencement filed with the Clerk before the first inspection.

The notice identifies the property, the improvement, the owner, the contractor and any lender or surety. On Palm Beach County's form, the notice expires one year from the recording date unless a different date is specified, and section 713.13 warns that payments made after the notice expires are considered improper payments. If your seawall job could run long, ask about the expiration date before the notice is recorded.

Notices that belong in the contract

Two statutes require specific language in residential contracts above a dollar threshold:

• Construction lien notice. Section 713.015 requires direct contracts greater than $2,500 for improvements to single- or multi-family dwellings of up to four units to include a capitalized, bold notice explaining that unpaid subcontractors and suppliers can place a lien on your property even if you've paid your contractor.
• Recovery fund notice. Section 489.1425 requires contracts for work on residential property to include a written statement about the Florida Homeowners' Construction Recovery Fund, except where labor and materials don't exceed $2,500. Miami-Dade County's contractor responsibilities page lists the same requirement.

If a seawall contract on your home doesn't have either notice, ask why before you sign.

Ask who the subcontractors and suppliers are

Seawall jobs often involve more than one company: a marine contractor, an engineer, a barge or crane operator, and suppliers for sheet piles, concrete, rebar and tiebacks. Under section 713.165, an owner can ask the contractor in writing, by registered or certified mail, for a list of all subcontractors and suppliers on the job. The contractor must furnish the list within 10 days after receiving the request. Miami-Dade County's page describes the same right.

Why it matters: if one of those companies sends you a Notice to Owner, you'll want a written release of lien from them before each payment goes out. The lien notice in your contract says exactly that.

What a good seawall contract usually spells out

• Scope. Repair, cap work, new panels, tiebacks, a new wall in front of the old one, or full replacement. See repair vs. replace.
• Engineering. Whether engineered plans are included and who prepares them.
• Elevation. Whether the new cap height meets your city's rules. See seawall elevation rules.
• Permits. Who applies, which agencies are involved and the expected timeline.
• Access. Work by land or by barge, and what happens to your landscaping, dock and lift.
• Payment schedule tied to completed work, with lien releases before each payment.
• Warranty on workmanship and materials, in writing.

For what drives the price, see seawall repair cost in Palm Beach County, and if the wall is past saving, seawall replacement in West Palm Beach. If you're not sure the wall needs work yet, start with signs of seawall failure. Area pages for West Palm Beach and North Palm Beach have local context.

Where to start

Start with the West Palm Seawalls home page or browse the rest of the seawall guides. If you'd like quotes from independent licensed marine contractors and engineers, use the request form and tell us the city, the approximate length of wall and your timeline. West Palm Seawalls is one of the guide sites in Zachary Vorsteg's Palm Beach ecosystem.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Statutes, permit rules and forms change, and cities set their own requirements, so confirm current rules with the right jurisdiction and talk to an attorney about your contract. West Palm Seawalls is not a contractor and does not perform seawall work.

Sources

• Florida Senate, 2026 Florida Statutes 489.126, Moneys received by contractors
• Pinellas County Consumer Protection, Abandoned residential construction projects
• Miami-Dade County, Contractor & Owner/Builder Responsibilities
• Florida Senate, 2026 Florida Statutes 713.135, Notice of commencement and applicability of lien
• Palm Beach County Building Division, Owner/Builder Guidelines
• Palm Beach County Building Division, Notice of Commencement form
• Florida Senate, 2026 Florida Statutes 713.13, Notice of commencement
• Florida Senate, 2026 Florida Statutes 713.015, Mandatory provisions for direct contracts
• Florida Senate, 2026 Florida Statutes 489.1425, Duty of contractor to notify residential property owner of recovery fund
• Florida Senate, 2026 Florida Statutes 713.165, Request for list of subcontractors and suppliers
• Florida DBPR, License search

Local context

West Palm Beach, North Palm Beach

Related guides

• Signs of Seawall Failure
• Repair vs. Replace
• Permits