For covered Florida repairs costing more than $150, the shop must present the statutory estimate-choice notice. The later added-charge rule is different: for an ordinary written repair estimate, notification is triggered when the overrun is more than the greater of $10 or 10%, capped at $50. The cap matters on larger estimates. Florida Statutes 559.905 and 559.909
These are Florida-wide provisions, not a special Orlando rule. Our Orlando desk prepared the comparisons below for local drivers; the former invoice/parts guide is now incorporated here.
Start with the option actually selected
The statutory notice offers a written estimate, no written estimate while setting a dollar limit that requires approval to exceed, or no written estimate without that stated limit. The choice is signed and dated. A shop may not require waiver of these rights as a condition of repairing the vehicle.
Do not run every transaction through the same percentage calculation:
| Situation | What to check first |
|---|---|
| Ordinary written repair estimate | Use the last applicable authorized record, proposed additional charges and the statutory cap comparison below |
| No written estimate, but a specified notification limit | The selected dollar limit cannot be exceeded without written or oral approval; do not add a percentage cushion to that choice |
| Estimate for diagnostic work only, or the after-hours/delivered-vehicle diagnostic branch | Completion of the necessary diagnostics itself triggers notification of the additional repair and estimated cost under section 559.909(1) |
An estimate can include diagnostic work. Under section 559.907, the shop must disclose an estimate-preparation charge or its basis and obtain the required authorization before charging for it. A diagnostic authorization is not the same as approving whatever repair is later recommended. Part IX provisions
Reproduce the capped calculation
For the ordinary written-estimate branch in section 559.909(1)(b), LSL expresses the dollar threshold as:
Threshold = smaller of $50 and the larger of $10 or 10% of the written estimate.
The following are invented arithmetic inputs, not local price observations or actual disputes. They assume the stated written estimate remains the applicable authorized baseline and no additional approval has changed it.
| Written estimate | 10% | Capped threshold | Proposed total must be more than this to cross this numeric trigger |
|---|---|---|---|
| $200 | $20 | $20 | $220 |
| $400 | $40 | $40 | $440 |
| $500 | $50 | $50 | $550 |
| $1,000 | $100 | $50 | $1,050 |
For the last row, $1,051 − $1,000 = $51, which exceeds the $50 threshold. At exactly $1,050, this numeric trigger alone is not crossed. That distinction does not establish that any particular charge or unapproved work is lawful. Diagnostic notification, a customer-selected limit and the actual scope of authorization still matter.
The FDACS business FAQ also includes the $50 cap. Its separate consumer summary omits that cap; we use the statute’s complete rule. Section 559.909(3) separately prohibits exceeding the permitted written-estimate amount without the required authorization.
When more work is proposed—or declined
Ask for the proposed repair, revised total and expected completion effect before responding. An oral approval should be recorded as oral, with the participants and timing; do not later describe it as a signed authorization.
When a customer cancels after learning the repair cannot be accomplished within the authorized estimate, section 559.909(2) generally calls for prompt reassembly to a reasonably similar condition, except when reassembly is waived or the reassembled vehicle would be unsafe. Possible teardown, replacement of items destroyed by teardown and reassembly costs require the specified prior notice in the estimate. This is not a promise that declining work makes the vehicle drivable or the diagnostic work free.
Compare the final invoice with the approvals
The FDACS field checklist and section 559.911 identify the invoice essentials: date and odometer, work/service description, itemized labor/parts/merchandise costs, warranty-related free or discounted items, used/rebuilt/reconditioned replacement parts, guarantee time/mileage where applicable and the shop’s registration number.
Write any discrepancy as a specific question: “The [date] approval covers [work/amount]; which approval supports invoice line [item/amount]?” That is LSL’s reconciliation prompt, not a finding that the charge is unauthorized. For missing copies, section 559.915 provides customer inspection/copy access to repair records for at least 12 months, with a possible reasonable copying charge. Current repair law
Request inspection or return of removed parts when authorizing the work. Warranty and exchange arrangements can limit return; the law does not promise every removed part will be handed back. Keep an unresolved billing question separate from any claim about repair quality.
Use our two-database registration check for shop identity and complaint preparation guide for filing and public-record precautions.
Calculation and verification limits
LSL read the relevant current statutory sections, the business FAQ and both pages of the June 27, 2024 field checklist on September 13, 2026. We reproduced the arithmetic above; we did not inspect a private contract, bill or vehicle. The checklist’s storage wording differs from the statute’s date-after-notification wording, so no storage deadline is calculated here. The table evaluates one numeric trigger, not all legal duties or a refund entitlement.