Arizona Preliminary 20-Day Notice & Mechanics Lien — County Recorder Filing Guide (A.R.S. §§ 33-992.01 / 33-993 / 33-1006, 2026)
✓ Verified against Arizona statutes · Reviewed August 2026 · By Michael Evan — Founder · 50 states · 799 rules
Arizona mechanics lien deadlines at a glance
Preliminary Notice
20 days — Prelim from first furnishing
Mechanics Lien
120 days — From completion
Enforcement
6 months — From filing
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What Is the Arizona Preliminary 20-Day Notice and How Does the Lien Framework Work?
The Arizona Preliminary 20-Day Notice is the procedural entry point into Arizona's mechanics lien framework under A.R.S. Title 33, Chapter 7, Article 6 (A.R.S. §§ 33-981 to 33-1008 — Arizona's comprehensive private-work mechanics lien statute, with the post-1980 modernization codified at A.R.S. § 33-992.01 imposing the Preliminary 20-Day Notice obligation on all claimants including the original contractor). The Preliminary 20-Day Notice is served by every claimant — INCLUDING the original (general) contractor — on the owner, the original (general) contractor (when claimant is not the original contractor), and the construction lender (if any), within 20 days after the claimant first furnishes labor, materials, machinery, fixtures, or tools. Arizona uses a uniform 15-county recorder system, with the largest commercial-construction recording offices at the Maricopa County Recorder (Phoenix, Mesa, Scottsdale, Tempe, Chandler, Gilbert, Glendale, Peoria, Surprise, Goodyear, Avondale, Buckeye, Queen Creek), the Pima County Recorder (Tucson), and the Pinal County Recorder (Florence/Casa Grande).
Who Must Serve the Preliminary 20-Day Notice and Who Has Lien Rights?
Every claimant must serve the A.R.S. § 33-992.01 Preliminary 20-Day Notice — including the original (general) contractor (a feature Arizona shares with very few states). Subcontractors, sub-subcontractors, material suppliers, equipment lessors, and design professionals are all bound. The Notice must be served on the owner, the original (general) contractor (where the claimant is not the original contractor), AND the construction lender (if any). Original contractors, subcontractors, material suppliers, equipment lessors, design professionals, and laborers all hold Arizona mechanics lien rights under A.R.S. § 33-981. Sub-tier lien rights are barred entirely against A.R.S. § 33-1004 owner-occupied residential property where the owner has paid the general contractor in full — one of the strictest residential-protection bars in the United States.
When the Preliminary 20-Day Notice and Notice and Claim of Lien Must Be Filed
The A.R.S. § 33-992.01 Preliminary 20-Day Notice runs from the claimant's first furnishing of labor, materials, machinery, fixtures, or tools — not from contract signing, mobilization, or invoice issuance. Late § 33-992.01 service is permitted under § 33-992.01(E) but limits the lien claim to labor, materials, machinery, fixtures, or tools furnished within the 20 days BEFORE the late notice and forward. The A.R.S. § 33-993 Notice and Claim of Lien recording deadline runs from the EARLIEST of (a) completion of the work of improvement, OR (b) 60 days after the owner records an A.R.S. § 33-993(C) Notice of Completion — 120 days, accelerated to 60 days from the recording date of a Notice of Completion. The A.R.S. § 33-1006 six-month foreclosure window runs from the Notice and Claim of Lien recording date — missing it extinguishes the lien by operation of law.
Required Information on the Arizona Preliminary 20-Day Notice
A.R.S. § 33-992.01(B) prescribes the content elements: claimant name and address, description of labor/services/equipment/fixtures/tools/materials, person who contracted with claimant, jobsite description, estimated total price, owner or reputed owner, original (general) contractor with Arizona Registrar of Contractors (ROC) license number, construction lender, statutorily prescribed warning to the owner, and service by first-class mail with certificate of mailing, registered mail, certified mail with return receipt requested, OR personal delivery on owner, original contractor, AND construction lender. A.R.S. § 33-992.02 provides the statutory form. Arizona courts apply the form requirement strictly. Material deviations can render the Preliminary 20-Day Notice defective and trigger A.R.S. § 33-420 groundless-lien exposure on the eventual recorded Notice and Claim of Lien.
How to Serve the Preliminary 20-Day Notice and Where to File the Notice and Claim of Lien
The A.R.S. § 33-992.01 Preliminary 20-Day Notice is SERVED on the owner, original contractor, and construction lender — it is NOT recorded with the county recorder. Service runs by first-class mail with certificate of mailing, registered mail, certified mail with return receipt requested, or personal delivery. Service by ordinary first-class mail WITHOUT a certificate of mailing is NOT compliant. Service by email is NOT compliant. The actual Notice and Claim of Lien is filed with the Arizona county recorder in the county where the property is located under A.R.S. § 33-993. All 15 Arizona counties accept recordings. Recording fees run roughly $30 for the first page plus $5 per additional page under A.R.S. § 11-475.
Connection to A.R.S. § 33-1004 Owner-Occupied Dwelling Exemption, A.R.S. § 33-993(C) Notice of Completion, and A.R.S. § 33-1004.01 Release Bond
On Arizona owner-occupied residential property where the owner has paid the general contractor in full, A.R.S. § 33-1004 bars sub-tier lien rights entirely — one of the strictest residential-protection bars in the United States. Filing a Notice and Claim of Lien against an exempt dwelling triggers A.R.S. § 33-420 groundless-lien liability with mandatory $5,000-minimum damages plus reasonable attorney's fees. At project completion, Arizona owners can record an A.R.S. § 33-993(C) Notice of Completion within 15 days of actual completion to accelerate the A.R.S. § 33-993 recording window from 120 days down to 60 days. After a Notice and Claim of Lien is recorded, the owner or construction lender may post an A.R.S. § 33-1004.01 release bond at 150% of the lien claim to remove the lien encumbrance and substitute the bond as collateral.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who must serve an Arizona Preliminary 20-Day Notice and on whom?
Every lien claimant on an Arizona private construction project — INCLUDING the original (general) contractor (Arizona is one of the few states with this feature) — must serve a written Preliminary 20-Day Notice on the owner, original contractor, AND construction lender (if any) within 20 days after first furnishing labor, materials, machinery, fixtures, or tools, under A.R.S. § 33-992.01. Service runs by first-class mail with certificate of mailing, registered mail, certified mail with return receipt requested, or personal delivery.
What happens if the Arizona Preliminary 20-Day Notice is served late?
Late Preliminary 20-Day Notice service is permitted under A.R.S. § 33-992.01(E) but limits the eventual A.R.S. § 33-993 Notice and Claim of Lien to labor, materials, machinery, fixtures, or tools furnished within the 20 days BEFORE the late notice and forward. Pre-notice furnishing more than 20 days before the late notice is forfeited from the claim.
When must the Arizona Notice and Claim of Lien be recorded?
Under A.R.S. § 33-993, within 120 days of completion of the work of improvement, OR within 60 days after the owner records an A.R.S. § 33-993(C) Notice of Completion — whichever produces the earlier deadline. When the owner records a Notice of Completion within 15 days of actual completion, the recording window collapses to 60 days from the recording date. The Notice and Claim of Lien is recorded with the Arizona county recorder in the county where the property is located.
What is the A.R.S. § 33-1004 owner-occupied dwelling exemption?
Under A.R.S. § 33-1004, sub-tier lien rights are barred against an owner-occupied dwelling where the owner has paid the original (general) contractor in full — one of the strictest residential-protection bars in the United States. Sub-tier claimants on Arizona owner-occupied residential projects should pursue payment from the general contractor directly and, where the contractor is insolvent, lodge an Arizona Registrar of Contractors recovery-fund claim under A.R.S. § 32-1132 et seq. (capped at $30,000 per claimant per contractor on residential projects). Filing a Notice and Claim of Lien against a § 33-1004-exempt dwelling triggers A.R.S. § 33-420 groundless-lien liability with mandatory $5,000-minimum damages plus reasonable attorney's fees.
How does the Preliminary 20-Day Notice connect to the actual mechanics lien?
The Preliminary 20-Day Notice is a pre-claim notice and a condition precedent — it does not by itself create or perfect a lien. The actual Notice and Claim of Lien is recorded with the Arizona county recorder under A.R.S. § 33-993 within the 120-day / 60-day windows. After recording, the lien is served on the owner under § 33-993(D) by registered or certified mail, and suit to foreclose is commenced in Arizona Superior Court within six months under A.R.S. § 33-1006, with a lis pendens recorded under A.R.S. § 12-1191.
What is the A.R.S. § 33-420 groundless-lien statute?
Under A.R.S. § 33-420, a person who records a document purporting to create an interest in or lien against real property that the person knows is forged, groundless, contains a material misstatement, or is otherwise invalid is liable to the owner for the SUM OF $5,000 (or three times the actual damages, whichever is greater) PLUS reasonable attorney's fees and costs. One of the most aggressive groundless-lien statutes in the United States.
Does Arizona require a Notice of Commencement like Florida or Mississippi?
No — Arizona does NOT impose a Notice of Commencement filing obligation on owners. The closest Arizona analog is the A.R.S. § 33-993(C) Notice of Completion (recorded by the owner within 15 days of actual completion to accelerate the A.R.S. § 33-993 Notice and Claim of Lien recording window from 120 days down to 60 days). Arizona's procedural entry point is the claimant's A.R.S. § 33-992.01 Preliminary 20-Day Notice.