Mechanics lien law
Colorado lien deadlines for contractors
Updated · Checked against primary sources
The short answer
Colorado has no preliminary notice. Serve a notice of intent to file a lien statement on the owner and prime contractor at least 10 days before filing. File the lien statement within four months after your last labor or materials (two months after completion for day or piece laborers). Start the enforcement action and record notice of it within six months after last work or completion.
The deadlines
| Step | Rule |
|---|---|
| Preliminary notice: who | No preliminary notice is required. Subcontractors and suppliers (not the principal contractor) may optionally give the owner or lender a written notice of amounts owed so the owner withholds funds (C.R.S. 38-22-102(4)). |
| Preliminary notice: when | None required |
| File or register the lien | Lien statements for day or piece labor must be filed within two months after completion of the improvement (C.R.S. 38-22-109(4)). All other claimants must file within four months after the day the claimant last performed labor or furnished laborers or materials (38-22-109(5)). A notice of intent to file must be served on the owner and principal contractor at least 10 days before filing (38-22-109(3)). |
| Enforce or perfect it | The lien does not hold the property longer than six months after the last work or materials were furnished, or after completion of the improvement, unless an action is commenced and a notice of the action is recorded within that time (C.R.S. 38-22-110). |
| Residential jobs | For an existing single-family dwelling or a single-family owner-occupied home, it is an affirmative defense that the owner paid the full contract amount to the principal contractor (C.R.S. 38-22-102(3.5)). Subs and suppliers can lose their lien if the owner already paid. |
Other notices and rules
- An optional recorded notice under 38-22-109(10) can extend the filing time to four months after completion or six months after the notice, whichever is first.
- Abandonment (three months with no work) is treated as completion (38-22-109(7)).
Common questions
- Do I need to send a preliminary notice in Colorado?
- No preliminary notice is required. Subcontractors and suppliers (not the principal contractor) may optionally give the owner or lender a written notice of amounts owed so the owner withholds funds (C.R.S. 38-22-102(4)). None required.
- How long do I have to file a lien in Colorado?
- Lien statements for day or piece labor must be filed within two months after completion of the improvement (C.R.S. 38-22-109(4)). All other claimants must file within four months after the day the claimant last performed labor or furnished laborers or materials (38-22-109(5)). A notice of intent to file must be served on the owner and principal contractor at least 10 days before filing (38-22-109(3)).
- How long does a Colorado lien last before I have to enforce it?
- The lien does not hold the property longer than six months after the last work or materials were furnished, or after completion of the improvement, unless an action is commenced and a notice of the action is recorded within that time (C.R.S. 38-22-110).
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 Colorado before relying on a deadline. Text read from the Colorado General Assembly's 2024 printout of Title 38; no later official printout was available at that address.
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.
The first conversation and a scoped proposal are free, and we will tell you early if we are not the right fit.
Go deeper
- GuideWhen to File a Construction Lien: 2026 DeadlinesFile while the clock runs: 30 to 60 days in Canada (60 in Ontario), 90 to 180 in most US states, counted from completion. Registering costs $200 to $500.
- GuideCustomer Short Paid the Final Invoice: 5 MovesBefore you chase the balance, decide whether to deposit the cheque. In the US, cashing one marked 'paid in full' can legally erase what you are owed.
- GuideHow to Collect a Contractor Deposit: 5 RulesMake the deposit due 3 to 5 business days before the start date, size it to your upfront spend, and check state caps: California's is $1,000, not $10,000.
- GuideProgress Payment Schedule: 6 Rules That Get PaidEight states cap what you can collect up front. California's limit is $1,000. How to build a draw schedule under your legal ceiling and stay cash positive.
Other states
- USAlabama lien deadlines
- USAlaska lien deadlines
- USArizona lien deadlines
- USArkansas lien deadlines
- USCalifornia lien deadlines
- USConnecticut lien deadlines
Sources
Cite this page
Pavado, “Colorado Lien Deadlines 2026: Notice and Filing”, https://www.pavadotech.com/lien-deadlines/colorado, updated 2026-09-24.