Arizona mechanics lien deadlines: notice, lien and suit (2026)
By Oussama Chicha, EditorUpdated Checked against primary sources · not yet reviewed by a licensed professionalFact-checked
Quick answer
Under A.R.S. § 33-993, the lien filing deadline is 120 days after completion, or, if a notice of completion has been recorded, 60 days after a notice of completion is recorded. Under § 33-998, the deadline to sue is 6 months after the lien is recorded. Preliminary twenty day notice for direct contractors, subcontractors, sub-subcontractors and suppliers: 20 days after first furnishing; laborers: none required.
Arizona · Lien deadlinesVerified 2026-10-01
Lien filing
120 days after completion
Preliminary notice
Direct contractor, Subcontractor, Sub-subcontractor, Supplier: 20 days after first furnishing; Laborer: None required
What the statute says about it. Serving the notice is a necessary prerequisite to the validity of any claim of lien. A late notice supports a lien only for items furnished within twenty days before it is served and after. Recipients: The owner or reputed owner; The original contractor or reputed contractor; The construction lender, if any, or reputed construction lender, if any; The person with whom the claimant has contracted for the purchase of those items. Delivery: May be given by first class mail sent with a certificate of mailing, or registered or certified mail, postage prepaid; service is complete when the notice is deposited in the mail.
Except for a person performing actual labor for wages, every person who furnishes labor, professional services, materials, machinery, fixtures or tools for which a lien otherwise may be claimed under this article shall, as a necessary prerequisite to the validity of any claim of lien, serve the owner or reputed owner, the original contractor or reputed contractor, the construction lender, if any, or reputed construction lender, if any, and the person with whom the claimant has contracted for the purchase of those items with a written preliminary twenty day notice as prescribed by this section.
Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 33-992.01(B) · Official text · retrieved 2026-09-30
shall be given not later than twenty days after the claimant has first furnished labor, professional services, materials, machinery, fixtures or tools to the jobsite
Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 33-992.01(C) · Official text · retrieved 2026-09-30
The person, however, is entitled to claim a lien only for such labor, professional services, materials, machinery, fixtures or tools furnished within twenty days before the service of the notice and at any time thereafter.
Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 33-992.01(E) · Official text · retrieved 2026-09-30
The notice or notices required by this section may be given by mailing the notice by first class mail sent with a certificate of mailing, registered or certified mail, postage prepaid in all cases, addressed to the person to whom notice is to be given at the person's residence or business address. Service is complete at the time of the deposit of notice in the mail.
Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 33-992.01(F) · Official text · retrieved 2026-09-30
An Act amending section 33-992.01, Arizona Revised Statutes; relating to mechanics' and materialmen's liens.
Laws 2024, ch. 89 (H.B. 2110) · Official text · retrieved 2026-10-01
Lien filing
Who
Project type
Branch
Deadline
Statute
Direct contractor, Subcontractor, Sub-subcontractor, Supplier, Laborer
within one hundred twenty days after completion of a building, structure or improvement, or any alteration or repair of such building, structure or improvement, or if a notice of completion has been recorded, within sixty days after recordation of such notice
Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 33-993(A) · Official text · retrieved 2026-09-30
such person shall have one hundred twenty days from completion as defined in section 33-993 to impress and secure the lien provided for in this article.
Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 33-993(I) · Official text · retrieved 2026-09-30
Service of the lien
Who
Project type
Branch
Deadline
Statute
Direct contractor, Subcontractor, Sub-subcontractor, Supplier, Laborer
Any
Default
Within a reasonable time after the claim is recorded, if the owner can be located within the county.
within a reasonable time thereafter serve the remaining copy upon the owner of the building, structure or improvement, if he can be found within the county.
Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 33-993(A) · Official text · retrieved 2026-09-30
Deadline to sue
Who
Project type
Branch
Deadline
Statute
Direct contractor, Subcontractor, Sub-subcontractor, Supplier, Laborer
What the statute says about it. The lien does not continue longer than six months after it is recorded unless an action to enforce it is brought within that time and a notice of pendency of action is recorded.
A lien granted under the provisions of this article shall not continue for a longer period than six months after it is recorded, unless action is brought within that period to enforce the lien and a notice of pendency of action is recorded pursuant to section 12-1191 in the office of the county recorder in the county where the property is located.
Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 33-998(A) · Official text · retrieved 2026-09-30
Notice of commencement and completion
For the lien period, completion means the earlier of 30 days after final inspection and written final acceptance by the government body that issued the building permit, and cessation of labor for 60 consecutive days, except when caused by a strike, shortage of materials or act of God.
C. For the purposes of subsection A of this section, "completion" means the earliest of the following events: 1. Thirty days after final inspection and written final acceptance by the governmental body which issued the building permit for the building, structure or improvement. 2. Cessation of labor for a period of sixty consecutive days, except when such cessation of labor is due to a strike, shortage of materials or act of God.
Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 33-993(C) · Official text · retrieved 2026-10-01
Where no building permit is issued, or the government body that issued it does not issue final inspections and written final acceptances, completion for the lien period means the last date on which any labor, materials, fixtures or tools were furnished to the property.
D. If no building permit is issued or if the governmental body that issued the building permit for the building, structure or improvement does not issue final inspections and written final acceptances, then "completion" for the purposes of subsection A of this section means the last date on which any labor, materials, fixtures or tools were furnished to the property.
Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 33-993(D) · Official text · retrieved 2026-10-01
A person who records a notice of completion must mail a copy, with the recording details, by certified or registered mail within 15 days of recording to the original contractor and to everyone from whom the owner received a preliminary twenty day notice. A person who gave that notice and is not mailed a copy within 15 days has 120 days from completion to secure the lien.
I. If a notice of completion has been recorded, the person recording the notice, within fifteen days of recording, shall mail by certified or registered mail postage prepaid a copy of the notice of completion and a written statement of the date of recording and the county recorder's record location information to the original contractor and all persons from whom the owner has previously received a preliminary twenty day notice. In the event the owner or its agent fails to mail a copy of the notice of completion and a written statement of the date of recording and the county recorder's record location information within fifteen days of recording to any person from whom the owner has received a preliminary twenty day notice, such person shall have one hundred twenty days from completion as defined in section 33-993 to impress and secure the lien provided for in this article.
Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 33-993(I) · Official text · retrieved 2026-09-30
Residential projects
No lien may be allowed or recorded against the dwelling of a person who became an owner-occupant before the work, except by a person who executed a written contract directly with the owner-occupant.
No lien provided for in this article shall be allowed or recorded by the person claiming a lien against the dwelling of a person who became an owner-occupant prior to the construction, alteration, repair or improvement, except by a person having executed in writing a contract directly with the owner-occupant.
Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 33-1002(B) · Official text · retrieved 2026-09-30
Where a work of improvement consists of the construction of more than one separate building for residential occupancy, under one contract or several, each building is a separate work, and the time to record a lien runs from the completion of each building.
B. For purposes of this section, if a work of improvement consists of the construction for residential occupancy of more than one separate building without regard to whether the buildings are constructed pursuant to separate contracts or a single contract, each building is a separate work and the time within which to perfect a lien by recording the notice of lien pursuant to subsection A of this section commences to run on the completion of each separate building. For purposes of this subsection, "separate building" means one structure of a work of improvement and any garages or other appurtenant buildings in a multibuilding residential project or residential subdivision.
Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 33-993(B) · Official text · retrieved 2026-10-01
How the days are counted
The day of the event is not counted, and the last day of the period is.
the time in which an act is required to be done shall be computed by excluding the first day and including the last day, unless the last day is a holiday, and then it is also excluded.
A.R.S. § 1-243(A) · Official text · retrieved 2026-09-30
A last day that falls on a Sunday or a legal holiday moves to the next business day.
When anything of a secular nature, other than a work of necessity or charity, is provided or agreed to be done upon a day named or within a time named, and the day or the last day thereof falls on a holiday, it may be performed on the next ensuing business day with effect as though performed on the appointed day.
A.R.S. § 1-303 · Official text · retrieved 2026-09-30
1. Sunday of each week.
A.R.S. § 1-301(A)(1) · Official text · retrieved 2026-09-30
Who the deadlines apply to
Arizona's first step has a name of its own in the statute: the "preliminary twenty day notice" [1]. Its rule names direct contractors, subcontractors, sub-subcontractors and suppliers, and it runs 20 days after first furnishing[1]. Laborers sit under None required for this stage, because the notice sentence opens by setting aside "a person performing actual labor for wages" [1].
Every later stage names all five roles, laborers included, and none of its rules is limited to one kind of project.
How the periods run
The preliminary twenty day notice counts from first furnishing to the jobsite. Section 33-992.01 makes serving it a necessary prerequisite to the validity of any claim of lien. A notice served late still counts for part of the work: it supports a lien only for items furnished within twenty days [1] before it was served and for items furnished afterward.
Recording the lien comes under two rules keyed to different events. The default rule is 120 days after completion[3]. A separate rule applies if a notice of completion has been recorded, and it counts from that recording instead: 60 days after a notice of completion is recorded[3]. This page does not say which of the two governs a given project.
Once the claim is recorded, a copy goes to the owner within a reasonable time, if the owner can be located within the county [3]. The statute sets no fixed number of days for it, so no date is counted.
The deadline to sue runs from the recording of the lien: 6 months after the lien is recorded[4]. Section 33-998 says the lien does not last beyond that time unless two things happen within it: an action to enforce the lien is brought, and a notice of pendency of action is recorded [4].
Notices of completion
For the lien period, § 33-993 defines completion as whichever of two events comes first. One is the point 30 days [3] after final inspection and written final acceptance by the government body that issued the building permit. The other is a cessation of labor for 60 consecutive days [3], unless a strike, a shortage of materials or an act of God caused the stop. Without a building permit, or without final inspections and written final acceptances, completion is instead the last date any labor, materials, fixtures or tools were furnished to the property [3].
Within 15 days [3] of recording a notice of completion, the person who recorded it mails a copy, with the recording details, by certified or registered mail to the original contractor and to everyone from whom the owner received a preliminary twenty day notice. The statute links that mailing back to the lien period: a person who gave the notice and is not mailed a copy within 15 days [3] has 120 days from completion [3] to secure the lien.
How residential work is treated
Section 33-1002 concerns the dwelling of a person who became an owner-occupant before the work began. It says no lien may be allowed or recorded against that dwelling, except by a person who executed a written contract directly with the owner-occupant [5]. The deadline rules above are not split between residential and other work, but where a work of improvement consists of more than one separate building for residential occupancy, each building's lien period runs from its own completion [3].
Counting the days
Section 1-243 counts a period by leaving out the first day and including the last [6]. If the last day falls on a holiday, that day is left out as well [6], and § 1-303 allows the act to be done on the next business day with the same effect as on the appointed day [7]. Sunday is a holiday under § 1-301 [8], so the moving rule reaches Sundays and holidays, not Saturdays.
What changed recently
Section 33-992.01, the preliminary twenty day notice section, was amended by Laws 2024, ch. 89 (H.B. 2110), approved April 8, 2024 [2].
