Arizona's 20-day notice, when you're already late

Arizona suppliers are supposed to serve the 20-day preliminary notice within 20 days of first furnishing. Miss it and the lien doesn't vanish, it shrinks: it covers only what you furnished from 20 days before the notice onward.

So say it's day 40 and you realize nobody sent the notice. Sending it today still covers today's deliveries and the 20 days before. Waiting another week covers less.

Filing has its own catch. The lien deadline runs from project completion, not your last delivery: 120 days after completion, or 60 days after recording when a valid notice of completion and its mailing requirements apply. Suit follows within 6 months of recording. Before you assume the shorter 60-day window, confirm the completion and mailing facts.

There's more, including who gets the notice, in Arizona's 20-day preliminary notice rules.

From the LienDeadline team. General information, not legal advice.