Louisiana Preliminary Notice FAQs

The preliminary notice requirements in Louisiana will depend on a few different factors such as project role, and project type.

General Contractors

• • Notice of Contract: this is Louisiana’s equivalent to a Notice of Commencement, and is required to be filed on any private project valued at $100K or more. For more on this see LA Notice of Contract Overview & FAQs
• • Notice of Lien Rights: required on owner-occupied, residential projects

Material Suppliers

• • Monthly Notice of Nonpayment: suppliers hired by subcontractors are required to send this monthly notice if a Notice of Contract was filed

Equipment Lessors

• • Notice of Lease: equipment lessors who didn’t contract directly with the property owner

Design Professionals

• • Design professional notice: professional consultants and sub-consultants that didn’t contract directly with the property owner. This includes professional surveyors, engineers, and licensed architects.

Note that Louisiana’s preliminary notice requirements changed on January 1, 2020.

The Notice of Intent to Lien/ Final Notice of Nonpayment rules can be found here: Louisiana Notice of Intent FAQs & Guide.

The deadline to serve or file a preliminary notice varies depending on the type of notice.

Notice of Contract: prior to the commencement of the work

Notice of Lien Rights: prior to or at the time of execution of the contract

Monthly Notice of Nonpayment: no later than 75 days after the last day of each month in which materials were delivered to the project

• → Download a free 2026 Louisiana Monthly Notices Calendar here

Notice of Lease: within 30 days after the leased equipment is first placed on the job site

Design Professional Notice: within 30 days of being hired

The people who need to receive a preliminary notice in Louisiana will change depending on your role and the type of notice:

Notice of Contract: filed in the office of the recorder of mortgages in the parish in which the project is located

Notice of Lien Rights: the property owner or the owner’s authorized agent

Monthly Notice of Nonpayment: the property owner and the prime contractor

Notice of Lease: the prime contractor and, if a timely Notice of Contract is filed, then to the property owner also

Design Professional Notice: the property owner

Notice of Contract:

• • • Legal property description
  • • Contractor’s name & address
  • • Property owner’s name & address
  • • Contract price, if there is no fixed price, then a description of the method by which the price is to be calculated and a reasonable estimate
  • • Payment schedule (terms)
  • • General description of the work to be performed
  • • Signature of the owner and the contractor

→ Download a free LA Notice of Contract form template

Notice of Lien Rights:

• • • Statutory language required under La. R.S. §9:4852
  • • Signature of the owner or the owner’s agent

→ Download a free LA Notice of Lien Rights form template

Monthly Notice of Nonpayment:

• • • Supplier’s name & address
  • • Hiring subcontractor’s name & address
  • • Statement of the unpaid balance owed

→ Download a free LA Monthly Notice of Nonpayment form template

Notice of Lease:

• • • Lessor’s name & address
  • • Lessee’s name & address
  • • Statement that the lessor has leased or intends to lease equipment for use on the project

→ Download a free LA Notice of Lease form template

Design Professional Notice:

• • • Design professional’s name & address
  • • Hiring party’s name & address
  • • General description of the nature of the work to be performed

→ Download a free LA Design Professional Notice form template

Notice of Contract: filed in the office of the recorder of mortgages for the parish in which the project is located

Notice of Lien Rights: generally included in the original signed contract with the property owner

All other notices: USPS certified or registered mail with return receipt requested, commercial courier, or (if agreed upon by the parties) by electronic means; i.e. fax or email

Notice of Contract: upon filing in the parish recorder of mortgages

Notice of Lien Rights: upon the signature of the owner

All other notices:

• • If sent by USPS certified or registered mail with return receipt requested, when the notice is deposited in the mail
• • If sent by a commercial courier, when the notice is deposited in the mail; but only if the intended recipient actually receives the notice
• • If sent by electronic means, when sent to the appropriate email address, electronic information processing system, or upon receipt of a fax confirmation

For more on this, see: Mailing Construction Notices; is notice served when mailed or received?

If required to send or file a preliminary notice, failure to do so within the statutory time period will typically result in the loss of mechanics lien rights.

There is one exception, the Notice of Lease. If sent past the 30 day deadline, lien rights will be limited to any rent accrued after the notice has been given.

A discussion of what happens if a material supplier fails to send notice on time can be found here, and a similar look at the consequences for an equipment lessor’s failure to provide notice can be found here.

Generally in Louisiana, preliminary notice is not required in order to make a bond claim. However, there are two exceptions.

• • Material suppliers to subcontractors are required to send Monthly Notices of Nonpayment if the contract has been recorded.
• • Equipment lessors need to send a Notice of Lease along with a copy of the lease agreement.

Other claimants may give notice, but are not required to. Further information can be found in this expert examination of the preliminary notice requirements associated with making a bond claim in Louisiana.

The deadline to send a public project preliminary notice depends on the type of notice.

Monthly Notice of Nonpayment: no later than 75 days from the last day of the month in which the materials were delivered. Although it was previously presumed that this notice requirement was only triggered after the “last” delivery of materials, a recent First Circuit appeals decision states that the notice must be sent for every month that unpaid materials are furnished.

Notice of Lease: within 10 days after the leased equipment is first placed on the job site

Monthly Notice of Nonpayment: the prime contractor and the public entity

Notice of Lease: the public entity

Monthly Notice of Nonpayment

• • Supplier’s name & address
• • Hiring subcontractor’s name & address
• • Statement of the unpaid balance owed

Notice of Lease

• • Lessor’s name & address
• • Lessee’s name & address
• • Statement that the lessor has leased or intends to lease equipment for use on the project
• • A copy of the signed lease agreement

Louisiana statutes require that the preliminary notice be “delivered” to the public entity and/or general contractor (depending on notice). This may be accomplished by personal delivery, or registered or certified mail.

If a notice is required, failure to send preliminary notice timely is fatal to a bond claim in Louisiana.