Do I need to send a preliminary notice in Arizona?

Every person furnishing labor, professional services, materials, machinery, fixtures or tools, except a person performing actual labor for wages. This includes original contractors in a direct contract with the owner. Serve the owner, original contractor, construction lender and the person you contracted with (A.R.S. 33-992.01(B)). Within 20 days after first furnishing labor, services or materials to the jobsite.

How long do I have to file a lien in Arizona?

Record the notice and claim of lien within 120 days after completion of the building, structure or improvement, or within 60 days after the owner records a notice of completion, then serve a copy on the owner within a reasonable time (A.R.S. 33-993(A)). Completion is the earlier of 30 days after final inspection and written acceptance, or 60 consecutive days of cessation of labor; if there is no permit or final inspection, it is the last date anything was furnished.

How long does a Arizona lien last before I have to enforce it?

The lien expires six months after it is recorded unless an action to enforce it is brought and a notice of pendency of action (lis pendens) is recorded within that period (A.R.S. 33-998).

Mechanics lien law

Arizona lien deadlines for contractors

Updated September 24, 2026 · Checked against primary sources

The short answer

In Arizona, everyone except wage laborers, including prime contractors, must serve a preliminary 20-day notice within 20 days after first furnishing to the jobsite. Record the notice and claim of lien within 120 days after completion, or within 60 days after a recorded notice of completion. Sue and record a lis pendens within six months after recording the lien.

The deadlines

Step	Rule
Preliminary notice: who	Every person furnishing labor, professional services, materials, machinery, fixtures or tools, except a person performing actual labor for wages. This includes original contractors in a direct contract with the owner. Serve the owner, original contractor, construction lender and the person you contracted with (A.R.S. 33-992.01(B)).
Preliminary notice: when	Within 20 days after first furnishing labor, services or materials to the jobsite (A late notice still works going forward, but only covers work furnished within 20 days before it was served and after (33-992.01(E)). Serve by first class mail with certificate of mailing, or registered or certified mail.)
File or register the lien	Record the notice and claim of lien within 120 days after completion of the building, structure or improvement, or within 60 days after the owner records a notice of completion, then serve a copy on the owner within a reasonable time (A.R.S. 33-993(A)). Completion is the earlier of 30 days after final inspection and written acceptance, or 60 consecutive days of cessation of labor; if there is no permit or final inspection, it is the last date anything was furnished.
Enforce or perfect it	The lien expires six months after it is recorded unless an action to enforce it is brought and a notice of pendency of action (lis pendens) is recorded within that period (A.R.S. 33-998).
Residential jobs	Against an owner-occupant's single-family or two-family dwelling, only a person who has a written contract directly with the owner-occupant can record a lien (A.R.S. 33-1002). Subcontractors and suppliers have no lien on those homes.

Other notices and rules

If the owner fails to mail a recorded notice of completion within 15 days to anyone who gave a preliminary 20-day notice, that person keeps the full 120 days from completion (33-993(I)).

Common questions

Do I need to send a preliminary notice in Arizona?: Every person furnishing labor, professional services, materials, machinery, fixtures or tools, except a person performing actual labor for wages. This includes original contractors in a direct contract with the owner. Serve the owner, original contractor, construction lender and the person you contracted with (A.R.S. 33-992.01(B)). Within 20 days after first furnishing labor, services or materials to the jobsite.
How long do I have to file a lien in Arizona?: Record the notice and claim of lien within 120 days after completion of the building, structure or improvement, or within 60 days after the owner records a notice of completion, then serve a copy on the owner within a reasonable time (A.R.S. 33-993(A)). Completion is the earlier of 30 days after final inspection and written acceptance, or 60 consecutive days of cessation of labor; if there is no permit or final inspection, it is the last date anything was furnished.
How long does a Arizona lien last before I have to enforce it?: The lien expires six months after it is recorded unless an action to enforce it is brought and a notice of pendency of action (lis pendens) is recorded within that period (A.R.S. 33-998).

General information from the statutes cited below, checked 2026-09-24. Lien law is strict and details depend on your role and contract. Confirm with a construction lawyer in Arizona before relying on a deadline.

Where Pavado comes in

How Pavado builds a CRM around your jobs

Lien rights are usually lost to a calendar, not a court. We build CRMs that start each job's notice and lien clocks from its real start and completion dates and remind you before every deadline, so the rights you earned by doing the work are still there when a customer stops paying.

Instead of bending your shop around someone else's software, we build the system around how your jobs actually move, and connect it to what you already use.

Your pipeline, your stages. From first call to paid invoice, set up the way your team already works.
Automations for the busywork. Follow-ups, reminders and handoffs that happen without anyone remembering.
One record per customer. Calls, quotes, jobs, photos and invoices in one place instead of five apps.
Connected to your stack. QuickBooks or Xero, Gmail or Outlook, payments and e-sign, plus thousands more through Zapier and an API.

1.Book a free demo and walk us through how a job moves today.
2.We map the workflow and send a scoped proposal, free.
3.We build it, connect your tools and get your team using it.

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The first conversation and a scoped proposal are free, and we will tell you early if we are not the right fit.

Go deeper

Other states

Sources

Cite this page

Pavado, “Arizona Lien Deadlines 2026: Notice and Filing”, https://www.pavadotech.com/lien-deadlines/arizona, updated 2026-09-24.