Alaska Notice of Right to Lien & Construction Lien — Recorder of the Recording District Filing Guide (AS 34.35.064 / 34.35.070 / 34.35.080, 2026)
✓ Verified against Alaska statutes · Reviewed August 2026 · By Michael Evan — Founder · 50 states · 799 rules
Alaska mechanics lien deadlines at a glance
Preliminary Notice
Post at site — Notice of Right to Lien
Mechanics Lien
120 days — From last date of furnishing
Enforcement
6 months — From filing
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What Is the Alaska Notice of Right to Lien and How Does the Lien Framework Work?
The Alaska Notice of Right to Lien is the procedural entry point into Alaska's construction lien framework under AS 34.35.050 — 34.35.120. The notice is a written instrument delivered to the owner or reputed owner of the property by a sub-tier claimant. Unlike a California, Arizona, Nevada, Oregon, or Washington preliminary notice, the Alaska AS 34.35.064 Notice of Right to Lien is not a strict condition precedent to a valid lien — it is instead a priority-preserving notice. Alaska's framework is distinctive in three respects: (1) Alaska has no counties — the State uses 34 recording districts under AS 40.17 administered by the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Recorder's Office; (2) the AS 34.35.071 Notice of Completion accelerates the AS 34.35.070 Claim of Lien recording window from 90 days (sub-tier) or 120 days (original contractor) down to 15 days from the date of recording; and (3) the short Alaska construction season compresses cessation-of-furnishing dates, completion dates, AS 34.35.071 Notice of Completion recordings, AS 34.35.070 recording windows, and AS 34.35.080 six-month foreclosure windows into a tight overlapping calendar.
Who Should Serve the Notice of Right to Lien and Who Has Lien Rights?
Every person furnishing labor, materials, services, or equipment for the construction, alteration, or repair of a building, structure, or improvement holds Alaska construction lien rights under AS 34.35.050 — original (general) contractors, subcontractors, sub-subcontractors, material suppliers, equipment lessors, design professionals (architects, engineers, surveyors, landscape architects), and laborers. Every sub-tier claimant should serve the AS 34.35.064 Notice of Right to Lien on Day 1 of first furnishing — the statute says 'may' rather than 'must' but the priority-preserving effect makes the notice functionally important on every Alaska project where the claimant is not in direct contract with the owner. There is no downside to serving when not strictly required, and there is meaningful priority loss for skipping it.
When the Notice of Right to Lien and Claim of Lien Must Be Filed
The AS 34.35.064 Notice of Right to Lien has no statutory service deadline but the practical rule is to serve on Day 1 of first furnishing — a claimant who serves on Day 1 preserves priority against every owner payment made for the rest of the project. The AS 34.35.070 Claim of Lien recording deadline is the earlier of 90 days after a sub-tier claimant ceases to furnish, 120 days after the original contractor completes the construction, or 15 days after the owner records an AS 34.35.071 Notice of Completion. The 15-day cliff is the most dangerous gate in Alaska lien practice. The AS 34.35.080 six-month foreclosure window runs from the Claim of Lien recording date — missing it extinguishes the lien by operation of law.
Required Information on the Alaska Notice of Right to Lien
AS 34.35.064 prescribes the content of the Notice of Right to Lien: a legal description of the property, the name and address of the owner, the name and address of the claimant, the name of the person with whom the claimant contracted, a general description of the labor / materials / services / equipment furnished, an estimate of the total amount in value, and any required statutory warning language. The notice is delivered to the owner by personal service or by registered/certified mail with return receipt requested at the owner's last-known address — it is NOT recorded with the recorder of the recording district. Only the later AS 34.35.070 Claim of Lien is recorded.
How to Serve the Notice of Right to Lien and Where to Record the Claim of Lien
The AS 34.35.064 Notice of Right to Lien is delivered to the owner by personal service or by registered/certified mail with return receipt requested. The actual Claim of Lien is recorded with the recorder of the recording district in which the property is located under AS 34.35.070. Alaska uses 34 recording districts under AS 40.17 administered by the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Recorder's Office — Anchorage (the largest by volume), Palmer (Matanuska-Susitna corridor), Fairbanks, Juneau, Sitka, Ketchikan, Petersburg, Wrangell, Haines, Skagway, Kenai (Kenai Peninsula Borough), Kodiak, Valdez, Cordova, Aleutian Islands, Bristol Bay, Cape Nome (Nome), Kotzebue, Barrow (Utqiagvik), Nenana, Mt. McKinley, Cape Yakataga, and the smaller Bush and Interior districts.
The AS 34.35.071 Notice of Completion, the AS 34.35.075 Release Bond, and the AS 34.35.062 Notice of Nonresponsibility
Three Alaska procedural tools materially shape how Alaska lien claims evolve. First, the AS 34.35.071 Notice of Completion accelerates the AS 34.35.070 Claim of Lien recording window to 15 days from the date of recording — constructive notice on recording, no mailed notice required. Second, the AS 34.35.075 release bond removes the lien encumbrance from the property by substituting the bond as collateral. Third, the AS 34.35.062 Notice of Nonresponsibility can defeat the lien against the owner's interest on tenant-improvement projects where the owner did not authorize or contract for the work — posted on the property in a conspicuous place and recorded with the recorder of the recording district within three days after the owner has knowledge of the construction.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who may serve an Alaska Notice of Right to Lien?
Under AS 34.35.064, any person who has furnished or will furnish labor, materials, services, or equipment for the construction, alteration, or repair of a building, structure, or improvement may give the owner a Notice of Right to Lien. The Alaska AS 34.35.064 Notice of Right to Lien is OPTIONAL — failing to give it does not by itself forfeit the lien — but the notice preserves the claimant's priority against payments made by the owner after delivery.
Is the Alaska Notice of Right to Lien required?
No, but it is functionally critical. The notice preserves the claimant's priority against payments made by the owner after delivery. An owner who receives a Notice of Right to Lien and continues paying the original contractor without confirming the noticing claimant has been paid faces double-payment exposure on the eventual AS 34.35.070 Claim of Lien.
When must the Alaska Claim of Lien be recorded?
Under AS 34.35.070, sub-tier claimants record within 90 days after the claimant has ceased to furnish; original contractors record within 120 days after completion of the construction. Both windows accelerate to 15 days after the owner records an AS 34.35.071 Notice of Completion. The Claim of Lien is recorded with the recorder of the recording district in which the property is located — Alaska uses 34 recording districts under AS 40.17 and has no counties.
What is the AS 34.35.071 Notice of Completion and why is it dangerous?
Under AS 34.35.071, the owner may record a Notice of Completion with the recorder of the recording district after completion. Recording shortens the AS 34.35.070 Claim of Lien recording window to 15 days from the date of recording. The Notice of Completion is constructive notice on recording — Alaska law does NOT require the owner to mail it to claimants. Sub-tier claimants who are not continuously monitoring the recorder can have their entire recording window collapse to less than two weeks without any direct notice.
How long does an Alaska construction lien last?
Under AS 34.35.080, no lien provided for in AS 34.35.050 — 34.35.120 binds the property for a period longer than six (6) months after the Claim of Lien is recorded unless suit is commenced in Alaska Superior Court within that time. The six-month window runs from the Claim of Lien recording date. Alaska's six-month window aligns with Arizona and Nevada, is longer than Oregon's 120 days and California's 90 days, and is shorter than Washington's eight months and New Mexico's two years.
Why does Alaska use recording districts instead of counties?
Alaska has no counties. The State is divided into 19 organized boroughs plus the Unorganized Borough. For recording, Alaska uses 34 recording districts under AS 40.17 administered by the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Recorder's Office. The Claim of Lien is recorded with the recorder of the recording district in which the property is located.
Can an unregistered Alaska contractor record or foreclose a construction lien?
Under AS 08.18.151, a person acting in the capacity of a contractor may not bring an action in a court of this state for the collection of compensation without alleging and proving that the contractor was a registered contractor at the time of contracting. The bar applies to lien-foreclosure actions under AS 34.35.080 and to any action for compensation. Verify contractor registration through the Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development at commerce.alaska.gov.