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Does an electrical subcontractor working on a residential property in WA have to provide a pre-lien notice?

WashingtonPreliminary Notice

An electrician is hired, sourced, and coordinated by a general contractor on a residential property in Washington state. Does this electrician have to record/send a prelim lien notice to the homeowner to file a valid lien on the residential property?

1 reply

Feb 28, 2018

On Washington residential projects, in order to preserve lien rights, preliminary notice must be sent by subcontractors. However, the timing of the notice will change depending on whether the project in question is new construction or if work is being performed on already-existing residential property. On new construction projects for single family residences, Notice to Owner must be sent within 10 days. On already-existing residential projects, notice must come within 60 days. If either of those deadlines are missed - not all hope is lost, though! A Notice to Owner will preserve the right to lien for the work done 60 days prior to sending the notice on existing residential projects, and it will preserve the right to lien for the work done for the past 10 days on a new construction of a single family residence once the notice is sent. Keep in mind, though, that you won't need preliminary notice for the labor portion of the work provided - we discuss this idea more in this article: You Don’t Need Preliminary Notice in Washington For Labor Portion Of Work.

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