What are the deadlines for a contractor's lien in Arizona?

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There are two key deadlines for a contractor's (mechanic's) lien in Arizona.

1. Preliminary twenty-day notice. As a prerequisite to a valid lien, every person who furnishes labor, professional services, materials, machinery, fixtures or tools — except a person performing actual labor for wages — must serve a written preliminary twenty day notice on the owner, the original contractor, the construction lender (if any), and the person with whom the claimant contracted . This notice must be given not later than twenty days after the claimant first furnished labor, services, or materials to the jobsite . A claimant who misses that window may still serve a later notice, but the lien then covers only items furnished within twenty days before service of the notice and thereafter .

2. Recording the notice and claim of lien. To perfect the lien, the claimant must record a notice and claim of lien with the county recorder within one hundred twenty days after completion of the work of improvement — or, if a notice of completion has been recorded, within sixty days after that recordation — and serve a copy on the owner within a reasonable time thereafter . "Completion" means the earliest of thirty days after final inspection and written final acceptance by the permitting governmental body, or sixty consecutive days of cessation of labor (unless due to a strike, material shortage, or act of God); if no permit or final inspection exists, completion is the last date labor or materials were furnished . If the owner fails to mail a copy of a recorded notice of completion to a claimant who gave a preliminary notice within the required fifteen-day period, that claimant retains the longer period from completion to record the lien .

Note also that a person required to be licensed as a contractor who does not hold a valid Arizona contractor's license has no lien rights, and a claimant required to give the preliminary notice may enforce a lien only if that notice was given and proof of service made .

For advice on your specific situation, consult a licensed Arizona attorney.