Filing deadline

Claim of Lien must be recorded in the recorder's office for the recording district where the land lies (both districts if it straddles two) within 120 days after the claimant completes its contract or last furnishes labor/materials/services/equipment. If the owner records a valid Notice of Completion, the window collapses to 15 days from that recording unless the claimant recorded a Notice of Right to Lien in time or gave one and did not get the required advance warning. The window is never longer than 120 days.

Notice prerequisites

No notice is mandatory before work begins, but an optional Notice of Right to Lien (given to owner/agent by certified mail or personal delivery, ideally before furnishing anything; may also be recorded) is strongly advisable: it creates a presumption the owner knew of and consented to the work, forces the lender to correct bad project/lender info within 10 days, and guarantees advance warning (5 days) before the owner records a Notice of Completion that would shrink the filing window.

Service on the owner

The Claim of Lien itself need not be served on anyone - recording alone perfects it. The optional Notice of Right to Lien is 'given' by certified mail return-receipt or personal delivery with signed receipt to the owner or the owner's agent.

Enforcement

The recorded lien lives only 6 months; suit to foreclose must be filed within that period (district court up to $50,000, superior court above) in the judicial district where the property lies, and a notice of pendency (lis pendens) must be recorded when suit is filed. One extension notice recorded within the first 6 months buys up to 6 more months. All parties with interests in the land (found via a title litigation report) must be joined.

Alaska Stat. secs. 34.35.050-34.35.120 (esp. AS 34.35.068, .070, .071, .080)