A preliminary notice (also called a pre-lien notice, Notice to Owner, or 20-day notice depending on the state) is a document sent near the start of your work telling the owner — and usually the GC and lender — that you're supplying labor or materials to the project. It is not a lien and not a threat; it's an information document, and in many states it's a legal prerequisite to any lien later.
Beyond preserving rights, it works commercially: parties who know exactly who is on the job pay more carefully, and notice-senders statistically get paid faster. Send it on every job, every time, as routine paperwork.
General education, not legal advice — lien law is state-specific and changes. For your state's exact windows, use the free deadline calculator; for anything contested, talk to a construction attorney.
Free 50-state deadline calculators, a free license-renewal lookup, and an agent that watches every date and drafts the notices — from $29/mo, 50% off for a year with FOUNDING50.
Free calculators → Start free trial →