§ 85.011, Fla. Stat. · Chapter 85. ENFORCEMENT OF STATUTORY LIENS
Enforcement by persons in privity with the owner.
Text — 2026 Florida Statutes
All liens on real or personal property provided for by part I or part II of chapter 713 are enforceable by persons in privity with the owners, except when otherwise provided, as follows:
(1) RETENTION OF POSSESSION.—By retention of possession of the property on which the lien has attached for a period of not exceeding 3 months by the person entitled to the lien, if the person was in possession at the time the lien attached.
(2) BY ACTION IN CHANCERY.—By an action in chancery, however this is the exclusive remedy for enforcement of liens on the separate statutory property of married women and against estates by the entireties.
(3) ORDINARY ACTION AT LAW.—By an ordinary action at law and levy of the execution obtained therein on the property on which the lien is held.
(4) SPECIAL ACTION AT LAW.—By an action at law in which the complaint shall state the manner in which the lien arose, the amount for which the lien is held, the description of the property and demand that the property be sold to satisfy the lien. The judgment for plaintiff is a personal judgment against defendant as well as a lien on the property, which it shall describe, and shall direct execution against the property, as well as against the property generally of defendant.
(5) SUMMARY ACTION.—
(a) By a person claiming a lien for labor performed, or claiming a landlord’s lien under s. 713.691, filing in the court having jurisdiction of the amount of the lien claimed, a complaint describing the property on which a lien is claimed and stating the facts which authorize or create the lien. Such person is entitled to the summary procedure under s. 51.011.
(b) If the issues are found for plaintiff, judgment shall be entered for the amount found to be due him or her with 15 percent attorney’s fee and costs. The judgment is a prior lien on the property described in the petition over all other liens accruing or that may be filed subsequent to the day the lien for such labor performed or unpaid rent accrued, but if such issues are found for defendant, judgment shall be entered dismissing the action.
Notes and commentary — not statutory text
History
RS 1744; s. 13, ch. 5143, 1903; GS 2212; RGS 3519; s. 1, ch. 12079, 1927; CGL 5382; s. 2, ch. 29737, 1955; s. 15, ch. 63-559; s. 37, ch. 67-254; s. 9, ch. 73-330; s. 455, ch. 95-147.
Note
Note.—Former ss. 86.01-86.06.
Source of truth
- Edition
- 2026 Florida Statutes
- Official file
- https://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0000-0099/0085/0085.html
- Text hash
- sha256 525ce44c3b962cb7e71ebf6239ca5e5b4a9ec0e1aa8bb40f8a5d47ee4150c9e8
- Composed by
- compose_v2.py 2026-10-04: the Legislature's structured HTML read in document order; verify_v2.py's independent reading agrees character for character
- composed from the Legislature's structured HTML (one source of text; no PDF extraction); a second, independent reading of the same bytes agrees character for character
This section cites
Provisions in this library that the text above cites, as it prints each citation. A range cited as “ss. 61.13-61.16” links its first and last provisions.
Cited by 2 provisions
Provisions in this library whose text cites § 85.011, Fla. Stat.. Each shows the citation as that text prints it.
Procedural information only. Not legal advice and not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Confirm the current text with the official publisher before relying on it.