In Washington, the notice decides which deliveries your lien can cover

Washington's notice of right to claim a lien doesn't really work like a countdown from your first delivery. For an ordinary indirect supplier, the coverage looks backward: it generally reaches materials you supplied after the date 60 days before you gave notice. On new single-family construction the lookback is ten days.

So if you send it late you don't lose the whole lien. You lose the older deliveries.

Who doesn't need it

If your contract is with the owner (or the owner's common-law agent), RCW 60.04.031 doesn't require the notice. On an existing owner-occupied single-family remodel, indirect suppliers have to notify the owner-occupier, and the lien is limited to what the owner hasn't paid the prime contractor when the notice arrives.

The clocks after delivery stops

• Record the lien within 90 days after you stop furnishing, in the county where the property is.
• Send the owner a copy within 14 days after recording, or you lose your right to attorney fees and costs against the owner.
• File the enforcement action within eight calendar months after recording, generally, and serve the owner within 90 days after filing it.

Our Washington lien notice and filing guide has the details by supplier type.

From the LienDeadline team. General information, not legal advice; have a qualified reviewer check the facts on any live job.