Get paid on a job with preliminary notice and a mechanic's lien
The preliminary notice served at the start of every job as routine, the lien deadlines tracked per project, a valid lien recorded on the non-paying job with the correct property description and amounts, notice served, and payment collected — or foreclosure filed inside the statutory window.
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Who it's for
Subcontractors, specialty trades, and material suppliers in the United States who finished the work or delivered the materials, are unpaid, and have never sent a preliminary notice — especially those already past the point where a paid filing service would have saved them. Best in states where a subcontractor's or supplier's lien rights depend on a preliminary notice; each step names where your state differs. Not for general contractors with a direct contract to the owner in states where notice is not required, though the record-keeping routine still applies to them.
About this playbook
This guide walks you through getting paid on a construction job you finished and were not paid for, using the two tools that make owners and general contractors pay: a preliminary notice and a recorded mechanic's lien. You start by verifying that your state gives you lien rights and by calculating your deadlines from the last day you furnished work, because every state sets its own windows and most of them run out fast. You then send the notice — even a late one still reaches back to cover the most recent work in many states — build the evidence file, record a lien that survives scrutiny, and either collect on it or file foreclosure before the window closes. It covers the technical defects that void a lien, the amounts that belong on it, and the service rules around it. It does not cover litigation beyond the foreclosure filing itself or reproduce any state's forms; it tells you exactly where to get each one. If you are the property owner facing a lien, see the companion guide on clearing one.
What you'll do, step by stepFree preview
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Phase 1: Confirm your lien rights and deadlines
4 stepsPhase 2: Send the preliminary notice
4 stepsPhase 3: Assemble the proof and the exact amount
4 stepsPhase 4: Record and serve the lien
4 stepsPhase 5: Collect or enforce before the deadline
4 steps
Details
What you need first
You have completed the work or delivered the materials, a specific amount is unpaid, and you know the property address and the owner of record. You have the contract, purchase order, change orders, and invoices in hand or can obtain them. You hold any license your state requires for lien eligibility, and you can reach the county recorder or assessor where the property sits.
