Pre-Lien Notice (California 20-Day Preliminary Notice)

In the first days after we enter into an agreement to provide construction services to you, you’ll receive a notice regarding our right to file a mechanic’s lien should it become necessary in the event of nonpayment, and a request for information about you, your property, your lender (if there is one), and other necessary information. This is not only a standard practice in the building industry, we are required by California law to gather this information and supply you with preliminary notice, called a California 20-Day Preliminary Notice.

Not a Negative Legal Action, But a Good-Faith Exchange of Information

This is not a negative legal action, but rather a protection for all building and construction contractors and also for owners, who receive clear information on who is providing work and materials to them. All contractors, suppliers, and vendors are required to send these notices on construction projects in the state. Job participants share critical project information with one another with these preliminary notices, which are intended to be good-faith, collaborative documents that benefit all project participants. Sending a notice establishes a line of communication that gives all of the parties a better opportunity to prevent any payment issues from developing into full-blown problems.

Our Service Will Be Contacting You to Ask for Information

We use a service to gather all the information necessary for us to deliver our 20-Day Preliminary Notice in the proper format and with all the information required for the document. You will be receiving a request from our service for information about the property owner, project lender (if applicable), description of the site, and other relevant information.

How You Will Receive Your Preliminary Notice

Once our service has gathered the information we need, we will prepare the Preliminary Notice as required by California law and send it to you via Certified Mail, Express Mail, or Overnight Delivery. Please do not be alarmed by the mode of delivery; it is done in this way because we are required to not only send the Notice to you, but to have proof that we did so. Certified, Express, or Overnight Delivery services provide such proof.

If You Have Questions

If you have any questions or concerns about the information you’re requested to provide or the notice that you receive, please contact us and we will be happy to explain the operation of the California 20-Day Preliminary Notice and answer any questions you may have.