Preliminary Notice Filing Service

A preliminary notice informs property owners, general contractors, and sometimes lenders that a contractor, subcontractor, supplier, or design professional is providing work or materials. Its goal is to protect potential lien rights and give owners insight into who is working on their project. It does not indicate a payment dispute or create a lien.

In most cases, no. For the majority of subcontractors, material suppliers, and equipment lessors, sending a preliminary notice is a strict legal requirement. If you fail to send one, you generally forfeit your right to file a mechanics lien later. Even if you are a general contractor with a direct contract with the owner, sending a notice is still highly recommended and sometimes required by lenders.

Here is what happens if you skip the notice in our service areas:

• Washington: If you do not have a direct contract with the property owner, you must send a notice to secure your rights. If you miss the 60-day commercial deadline or the strict 10-day residential deadline, you lose your right to claim a lien for any work done before that timeframe.
• Oregon: Subcontractors and suppliers must send a Notice of Right to a Lien within 8 days of starting work. If you do not send it, your future mechanics lien will be invalid for any labor or materials provided before that 8-day window.
• California: The 20-Day Preliminary Notice is mandatory for anyone who doesn’t have a direct contract with the owner. If you never send it, you have zero lien rights. If you send it late, your lien will only protect the work you did in the 20 days immediately preceding the late notice.
• Nevada: Subcontractors and suppliers must send a Notice of Right to Lien within 31 days of first providing labor or materials. If you send it late, your lien rights will only cover the work and materials provided in the 31 days immediately before the late notice was delivered. If you never send it, you lose your lien rights.
• Idaho: Unlike the other states, Idaho generally does not require subcontractors and suppliers to send a preliminary notice to secure lien rights, so skipping it will not typically invalidate your lien. However, general contractors on residential projects must provide a specific homeowner disclosure before starting work to fully protect their rights.

If you miss the deadline, you generally lose your right to file a mechanic’s lien for the work done before the notice was sent. In California, for example, a late 20-day notice only protects the work done in the 20 days immediately preceding the late notice.

Yes. Sending a preliminary notice is a standard business procedure, not a threat. It informs all parties (including the property owner and lenders) that you are working on the project and protects your legal right to payment.

No. A preliminary notice is not a court order, lawsuit, mechanics lien, or enforcement action. It is a required or recommended project notice that protects the sender’s right to take later action, such as recording a mechanics lien, if they are not paid. In California, for example, preliminary notice is generally a prerequisite to a valid lien claim for parties required to send one.

You can, but the rules are strict. If you send the form to the wrong party (like missing the lender in California) or use outdated language, your notice may be invalid. Northwest Lien stays up to date, so we file the correct document every time.