Filing deadline

Claim of Lien must be filed for recording with the county auditor where the property lies within 90 days after the claimant last furnished labor, professional services, materials, or equipment (or the last date employee benefit contributions were due). Punch-list/remedial completion work on the original contract extends the trigger; warranty work does not.

Notice prerequisites

Three preliminary notices exist. (1) Registered contractors dealing directly with owners must give a statutory Notice to Customer disclosure before work on 1-4 unit residential jobs of $1,000+ and at contracting on commercial jobs of $1,000-$60,000 - omitting it bars the lien. (2) Parties not in privity with the owner (subs, suppliers, professional service providers, but not pure laborers) should give a Notice to Owner; it can be sent anytime but reaches back only 60 days (commercial and owner-occupied residential remodels) or 10 days (new single-family construction). (3) Professionals whose work is invisible on inspection should record a Notice of Furnishing Professional Services to keep priority against good-faith purchasers/mortgagees.

Service on the owner

A copy of the recorded Claim of Lien must reach the owner by certified/registered mail or personal service within 14 days of filing. Failure does not invalidate the lien but forfeits attorney fees and costs in foreclosure. Filing comes first.

Enforcement

Foreclosure suit in the Superior Court of the county of the property within 8 months of recording; the true owner must be named or the action fails, and unjoined interest-holders are unaffected. If the claimant keeps working, a fresh lien recorded within 90 days of the actual last work can restart the clock. Discretionary award of fees, title-report and bond costs to the prevailing party.

RCW 60.04 (esp. 60.04.021, .031, .091, .141, .161, .171, .181, .221, .230); registration RCW 18.27; public retainage RCW 60.28; public bonds RCW 39.08.