California 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
For a direct contractor, California's lien filing deadline is the earlier of 90 days after completion and 60 days after a notice of completion or cessation is recorded (Cal. Civ. Code § 8412); for every other claimant, it is the earlier of 90 days after completion and 30 days after a notice of completion or cessation is recorded (§ 8414). The deadline to sue is 90 days after the lien is recorded (§ 8460).
California · Lien deadlinesVerified 2026-10-01
Lien filing
the earlier of 90 days after completion and 60 days after a notice of completion or cessation is recorded
Direct contractor
Preliminary notice
Subcontractor, Sub-subcontractor, Supplier: 20 days after first furnishing; Direct contractor: 20 days after first furnishing; Laborer: None required
What the statute says about it. Giving the notice is a necessary prerequisite to the validity of a lien claim. A claimant that gives it late may record a lien only for work performed within 20 days before the notice was served and after. Delivery: Notice by mail is given by registered or certified mail, express mail, or overnight delivery by an express service carrier.
A preliminary notice shall be given not later than 20 days after the claimant has first furnished work on the work of improvement.
Cal. Civ. Code § 8204(a) · Official text · retrieved 2026-09-30
The claimant shall, however, be entitled to record a lien, give a stop payment notice, and assert a claim against a payment bond only for work performed within 20 days prior to the service of the preliminary notice, and at any time thereafter.
Cal. Civ. Code § 8204(a) · Official text · retrieved 2026-09-30
Compliance with this section is a necessary prerequisite to the validity of a lien claim or stop payment notice under this title.
Cal. Civ. Code § 8200(c) · Official text · retrieved 2026-09-30
notice by mail under this part shall be given by registered or certified mail, express mail, or overnight delivery by an express service carrier.
Cal. Civ. Code § 8110 · Official text · retrieved 2026-09-30
A claimant with a direct contractual relationship with an owner or reputed owner is required to give preliminary notice only to the construction lender or reputed construction lender, if any.
Cal. Civ. Code § 8200(e)(2) · Official text · retrieved 2026-09-30
A laborer is not required to give preliminary notice.
Cal. Civ. Code § 8200(e)(1) · Official text · retrieved 2026-09-30
Lien filing
Who
Project type
Branch
Deadline
Statute
Direct contractor
Any
Default
the earlier of 90 days after completion and 60 days after a notice of completion or cessation is recorded
What the statute says about it. A direct contractor may not enforce a lien unless it records the claim of lien after it completes the direct contract and before the earlier of the two times the statute sets.
What the statute says about it. A claimant other than a direct contractor may not enforce a lien unless it records the claim of lien after it ceases to provide work and before the earlier of the two times the statute sets.
A direct contractor may not enforce a lien unless the contractor records a claim of lien after the contractor completes the direct contract, and before the earlier of the following times: (a) Ninety days after completion of the work of improvement. (b) Sixty days after the owner records a notice of completion or cessation.
Cal. Civ. Code § 8412 · Official text · retrieved 2026-09-30
If the owner fails to give notice to a person as required by subdivision (a), the notice is ineffective to shorten the time within which that person may record a claim of lien under Sections 8412 and 8414.
Cal. Civ. Code § 8190(c) · Official text · retrieved 2026-09-30
A claimant other than a direct contractor may not enforce a lien unless the claimant records a claim of lien within the following times: (a) After the claimant ceases to provide work. (b) Before the earlier of the following times: (1) Ninety days after completion of the work of improvement. (2) Thirty days after the owner records a notice of completion or cessation.
Cal. Civ. Code § 8414 · 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. If no action is commenced within that time, the claim of lien expires and is unenforceable.
The claimant shall commence an action to enforce a lien within 90 days after recordation of the claim of lien. If the claimant does not commence an action to enforce the lien within that time, the claim of lien expires and is unenforceable.
Cal. Civ. Code § 8460 · Official text · retrieved 2026-09-30
Notice of commencement and completion
Completion of the work of improvement includes cessation of labor for a continuous period of 60 days, and the recording of a notice of cessation after labor has ceased for a continuous period of 30 days.
(3) Cessation of labor for a continuous period of 60 days. (4) Recordation of a notice of cessation after cessation of labor for a continuous period of 30 days.
Cal. Civ. Code § 8180(a)(3)-(4) · Official text · retrieved 2026-09-30
An owner may record a notice of completion on or within 15 days after the date of completion.
An owner may record a notice of completion on or within 15 days after the date of completion of a work of improvement.
Cal. Civ. Code § 8182(a) · Official text · retrieved 2026-09-30
An owner that records a notice of completion or cessation must give a copy within 10 days to the direct contractor and to each claimant that gave the owner preliminary notice. Without that copy, the notice does not shorten that person's time to record a claim of lien. The copy duty does not apply to some owners, including one that occupies the property as a personal residence in a dwelling of four or fewer units.
An owner that records a notice of completion or cessation shall, within 10 days of the date the notice of completion or cessation is filed for record, give a copy of the notice to all of the following persons: (1) A direct contractor. (2) A claimant that has given the owner preliminary notice.
Cal. Civ. Code § 8190(a) · Official text · retrieved 2026-09-30
If the owner fails to give notice to a person as required by subdivision (a), the notice is ineffective to shorten the time within which that person may record a claim of lien under Sections 8412 and 8414.
Cal. Civ. Code § 8190(c) · Official text · retrieved 2026-09-30
A person that occupies the real property as a personal residence, if the dwelling contains four or fewer residential units.
Cal. Civ. Code § 8190(d)(1) · Official text · retrieved 2026-09-30
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 any act provided by law is to be done is computed by excluding the first day, and including the last, unless the last day is a holiday, and then it is also excluded.
Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 12 · Official text · retrieved 2026-09-30
For purposes of this part, “day” means a calendar day.
Cal. Civ. Code § 8058 · Official text · retrieved 2026-09-30
A last day that falls on a Saturday, a Sunday or a legal holiday moves to the next day that is not one.
If the last day for the performance of any act provided or required by law to be performed within a specified period of time is a holiday, then that period is hereby extended to and including the next day that is not a holiday. For purposes of this section, “holiday” means all day on Saturdays, all holidays specified in Section 135 and, to the extent provided in Section 12b, all days that by terms of Section 12b are required to be considered as holidays.
Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 12a(a) · Official text · retrieved 2026-09-30
applies to Sections 659, 659a, and 921, and to all other provisions of law providing or requiring an act to be performed on a particular day or within a specified period of time, whether expressed in this or any other code or statute, ordinance, rule, or regulation.
Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 12a(b) · Official text · retrieved 2026-09-30
A last day on which a city, county, state, or public office, other than a branch office, is closed for the whole of the day also moves.
If any city, county, state, or public office, other than a branch office, is closed for the whole of any day, insofar as the business of that office is concerned, that day shall be considered as a holiday for the purposes of computing time under Sections 12 and 12a.
Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 12b · Official text · retrieved 2026-10-01
Who the deadlines apply to
California's mechanics lien part splits its claimants into two groups: the direct contractor, and every claimant other than a direct contractor. The lien filing rules follow that split. Section 8412 governs the direct contractor [4], and section 8414 governs subcontractors, sub-subcontractors, suppliers and laborers [6]. The deadline to sue in section 8460 names all five roles alike [7].
For the preliminary notice, subcontractors, sub-subcontractors and suppliers share one rule. The direct contractor has a rule of its own, which names a single recipient: the construction lender or reputed construction lender, if any [2]. For a laborer, the table shows None required[2].
How the periods run
The preliminary notice clock starts when the claimant first furnishes work on the work of improvement [1]. For the rule covering subcontractors, sub-subcontractors and suppliers, section 8200 makes giving the notice a necessary prerequisite to the validity of a lien claim [2]. Where the notice comes late, section 8204 limits a lien to work performed within 20 days before the notice was served, and work after it [1]. When that notice goes by mail, section 8110 calls for registered or certified mail, express mail, or overnight delivery by an express service carrier [3].
A direct contractor records its claim of lien after it completes the direct contract [4]. Any other claimant records after it ceases to provide work [6]. Both rules then end at the earlier of two times. The first, measured from completion of the work of improvement, is the same for both groups. The second runs from the owner's recording of a notice of completion or cessation, if the owner records one, and its length is what differs by role. The direct contractor's rule reads the earlier of 90 days after completion and 60 days after a notice of completion or cessation is recorded[4], and the rule for other claimants reads the earlier of 90 days after completion and 30 days after a notice of completion or cessation is recorded[6]. Both sections say the claimant may not enforce a lien unless it records the claim of lien within those limits [4][6].
Section 8460 sets 90 days after the lien is recorded[7] for commencing an action to enforce it. If no action is commenced in that time, the claim of lien expires and is unenforceable [7].
Notices of completion and cessation
Completion, for these rules, includes two events tied to a halt in labor. Section 8180 counts a cessation of labor for a continuous period of 60 days, and the recording of a notice of cessation after labor has ceased for a continuous period of 30 days [8]. An owner may record a notice of completion on or within 15 days after the date of completion [9].
Under section 8190, an owner that records a notice of completion or cessation gives a copy within 10 days to the direct contractor and to each claimant that gave the owner preliminary notice [5]. Where the owner does not give that copy to a person, the notice does not shorten that person's time to record a claim of lien [5]. The copy duty does not reach every owner: one excluded owner is a person occupying the property as a personal residence in a dwelling of four or fewer residential units [5].
Counting the days
In this part of the Civil Code a day is a calendar day [11]. The count leaves out the first day and includes the last [10]. When the last day falls on a Saturday, a Sunday or a holiday, the period runs on to the next day that is not a holiday, and that rule reaches every period set by law [12][13]. The holiday list in Code of Civil Procedure section 135 includes every Saturday and the day after Thanksgiving [13].
What changed recently
Civil Code sections 8180 to 8466 were added by Stats. 2010, ch. 697 (SB 189), operative July 1, 2012 [8][4][6][7].
