When it comes to securing payment for the work your company does on construction jobs, project type is an essential piece of information. There are 5 types of projects: residential, owner-occupied residential, commercial, state/county, and federal. When it comes to lien rights, project type has a big impact on which documents are required and when they need to be sent.

Identifying your project type sounds simple, but it can be really tough on some of the biggest and most common construction projects like airports, hospitals, and stadiums. Stadium construction can be classified as commercial or state/county depending on the project.

What type of project is this stadium?

Let’s play a game! The following scenarios illustrate how stadiums can fall into different project types.


I am the new NFL stadium being built to house the recently relocated Las Vegas Raiders. I am on land owned by the Las Vegas Stadium Authority and am being funded in large part from state tax revenue. You were hired by the GC to provide cranes and other equipment for the job.

What type of project am I?

This is a state/county project because I am owned by a public entity and the construction is funded out of the public budget. Other public stadium projects may be owned by the city itself or different departments of the state or local government. Funding is a key factor with these kinds of projects; if a stadium is being publicly funded, construction should be classified as state/county. You should be able to easily find funding information in the public record if the project is receiving tax dollars.


I am a football stadium in College Station, TX and I am getting a whole new section of luxury boxes. I am on a parcel of land owned by the state of Texas. I am home to the Texas Tech Red Raiders, and you know that this is a state university. You are installing electrical fixtures in the new boxes.

What type of project am I?

Because this is a public university and on land owned by the state, this is also a state/county job. A college stadium may also be on land owned by the school itself or its board of regents. Double check if the school in question is a public university to verify whether you are working on a state/county or commercial job.


I am the new home for the NBA champion Golden State Warriors being built on the San Francisco Bay. You are an equipment lessor for the job, and you have found that I am on land owned by an entity called “GSW Arena, LLC.” You also read an ESPN article that mentioned the team’s ownership group is privately financing the project.

What type of project am I?

Your work here would be considered a commercial project because the land is privately owned and the team is not receiving any public funds to finance construction. Other commercial stadium projects may be on land owned by the franchise itself, one of its subsidiaries, or some other LLC or corporation.


It can be hard to determine the type of project you worked on, and this is especially true for complicated stadium projects. Examining factors like ownership, administration, and public records availability can help you correctly classify the job. Even then, it can still be complex, which is why Levelset employs a team of researchers to dig up hard-to-find project information so we can confidently verify your project’s type or suggest something different. If you’d like to learn more about how Levelset can help find information about your projects and help you manage your lien rights, please get in touch. We’d love to chat!

Having trouble with project type on other jobs?

Was this article helpful?
0 out of 1 people found this helpful
You voted . Change your answer.