Filing deadline

Notice and Claim of Lien is recorded with the County Recorder where the property lies within 120 days after 'completion' of the whole improvement (defined as the earliest of 30 days after certificate of occupancy, last furnishing of labor/materials to the property, or 60 consecutive days of labor cessation); if a Notice of Completion is recorded, the window drops to 60 days. The clock runs from project completion, not from the individual claimant's last work.

Notice prerequisites

Every claimant must serve a Preliminary Twenty Day Lien Notice on the owner, general contractor, construction lender, and the party it contracted with, within 20 days of first furnishing labor/materials; skipping it kills the lien. A late notice only protects work done in the 20 days before the notice and afterward. If actual furnishings exceed the notice estimate, coverage tops out at 120% of the stated amount unless a supplemental notice is sent. Delivery is by first-class mail with certificate of mailing, or registered/certified mail, with statutory proof-of-service rules.

Service on the owner

A copy of the recorded Notice and Claim of Lien must be served on the owner within a reasonable time after recording (service follows recording, not before). The prerequisite 20-day preliminary notice must have been served on owner, GC, lender, and contracting party.

Enforcement

The lien expires 6 months after recording unless a foreclosure suit is filed in the county where the property lies, and a lis pendens must be recorded within 5 days after filing suit.

Ariz. Rev. Stat. secs. 33-981 to 33-1008 (liens); 33-1051 to 33-1067 (stop notices)