Preliminary notices, in plain English
The routine paperwork at the start of a job that keeps your right to lien alive, long before anyone's worried about getting paid.
A preliminary notice, also called a pre-lien notice, notice to owner, or 20-day notice depending on the state, is an informational document sent near the start of your work. It tells the property owner, and often the lender and general contractor, who you are, who hired you, and that you're furnishing labor or materials to their project.
It is not a lien, not a claim, and not a sign of trouble. In many states it's the opposite: a legal prerequisite. Send it on time and your lien rights stay intact for the whole job. Skip it and, in many states, you can't lien later, no matter how much you're owed.
The essentials.
The clock starts at first furnishing
Most states key the deadline to the day you first deliver labor or materials, commonly within a few weeks, though a few states run monthly notice schedules instead. The window often closes before your first invoice ages.
Subs and suppliers need it most
If you have no direct contract with the owner, the notice is usually what connects you to the property. Some states require a version from general contractors too.
Late can mean partial
In several states, serving late doesn't restore the whole job; it protects only the work furnished shortly before service. On time is the only clean version.
It reads as professionalism, not aggression
Owners, lenders, and GCs process these routinely. A timely, correct notice signals a well-run back office. It doesn't accuse anyone of anything.
The mistakes that void it.
Skipping it because the customer is friendly
The notice exists precisely because you can't know in month one whether month six goes sideways. By the time trust breaks, the window is long closed.
Serving the wrong parties
States prescribe who must receive it: owner, lender, GC, or all three. Notice to your customer alone often isn't notice at all.
Wrong owner entity or property description
The notice ties your rights to a specific property owned by a specific entity. A stale owner name pulled from the contract can undo an otherwise timely notice.
Where
comes in.
Lienlink starts the notice clock from your job data, identifies the parties each state requires, generates the current statutory form, and mails it certified with proof of delivery — before the window is ever close to closing.
General information, not legal advice. Lienlink is not a law firm. For advice on your specific situation, consult a construction attorney licensed in your state.
