Mechanic's Lien Deadlines & Notice Requirements in Arizona

At a glance

Requirements one by one

Who can claim

A.R.S. § 33-981(A) covers labor and listed professional services, materials, machinery, fixtures, and tools. Subsections (C) and (E) deny lien rights to a contractor required to hold a license or a design professional required to hold a registration certificate who lacks it. A design professional also needs an agreement with the owner, or with an architect, engineer, or contractor who has one, under § 33-981(F).

Preliminary notice

A.R.S. § 33-992.01(B) calls service of the preliminary twenty-day notice a “necessary prerequisite to the validity of any claim of lien,” except for a person performing actual labor for wages. Notice is due within twenty days after first furnishing under subsection (C). Subsection (E) allows later notice, but the lien then covers only furnishing within twenty days before service and afterward.

Deadline to file the lien

A.R.S. § 33-993(A) requires recording within 120 days after completion. If a residential project has multiple separate buildings, § 33-993(B) treats each building as a separate work. Where there is no building permit or no final inspection and written acceptance, § 33-993(D) uses the last furnishing date as completion.

Notice of completion effect

Under § 33-993(C), completion normally occurs at the earlier of 30 days after final inspection and written acceptance or 60 consecutive days of work stoppage, except for a strike, material shortage, or act of God. An owner's recorded notice under § 33-993(E) then shortens the lien filing period to 60 days after recording under subsection (A).

Deadline to sue to foreclose

A.R.S. § 33-998(A) requires an enforcement action and a recorded notice of pendency within six months after the lien is recorded. If another lien claimant brought the action, an answer or cross-claim asserting the lien filed within that period counts as commencing an action.

Homestead/residential extras

A.R.S. § 33-1002(B) bars a lien against a covered owner-occupant dwelling unless the claimant has a written contract directly with that owner-occupant. The definition in subsection (A) requires title before work and residence or intended residence for at least 30 days in the following twelve months, without intent to sell or lease; subsection (C) voids a waiver.

What trips people up

The notice clock starts with first furnishing, not the day a claimant decides to lien. A late notice under § 33-992.01(E) preserves only a rolling twenty-day lookback and later work. A claimant who skips notice entirely cannot use that late-notice rule.

The 120-day period depends on statutory completion. On a project without a permit or final acceptance, § 33-993(D)'s last-furnishing rule applies; a claimant should not add 30 days for an inspection that never occurs.

Common questions

What must be attached when I record the lien? Under § 33-993(A)(6), the statement includes the preliminary-notice date and attaches a copy of that notice and proof of mailing where notice was required.

Does one completion date govern a residential subdivision? Under § 33-993(B), each separate building is its own work, including its garages and other appurtenant buildings, so its recording period runs from that building's completion.

Statutes and sources

Arizona Revised Statutes §§ 33-981, 33-992.01, 33-993, 33-998, and 33-1002 are quoted above with links to the current official section pages, accessed October 6, 2026.