Preliminary notice in San Francisco County, California

If you furnish labor or materials on a construction project in San Francisco County, a preliminary notice is what protects your right to get paid. The rules are set by California state law — the same across every county — but where you ultimately record a mechanics lien is local to San Francisco County. Here’s what subcontractors and suppliers in the county need to know.

What is a preliminary notice?

A preliminary noticeis a written notice that preserves your right to record a mechanics lien if you aren’t paid. California requires almost every subcontractor, supplier, and equipment lessor to serve one (Cal. Civ. Code §§ 8200–8216). Without it, you generally can’t enforce a lien — even for a valid debt.

The 20-day deadline applies in San Francisco County

You must serve the notice within 20 days of first furnishing labor or materials to the project (Cal. Civ. Code § 8204). Serve it late and it only protects work from the 20 days before service. Use the preliminary notice deadline calculator to find your exact date.

Who you serve

Serve the owner or reputed owner, the direct (general) contractor, and the construction lender if there is one (Cal. Civ. Code § 8200). The accepted methods are certified or registered mail with return receipt, or personal delivery — see how to serve a preliminary notice.

Construction in San Francisco County

San Francisco is a consolidated city and county, and its construction market is almost entirely infill: high-rise residential, mandatory soft-story seismic retrofit, and adaptive reuse of downtown office towers. UCSF, the Mission Bay life-sciences cluster, and Port waterfront work anchor the institutional pipeline. Labor costs are the highest in the state and payment chains run long.

Preliminary notice and mechanics lien rules apply to private projects throughout the county, including San Francisco. To confirm an owner or parcel before you serve, the San Francisco County Assessor is a useful starting point.

Recording a mechanics lien in San Francisco County

If you go on to record a mechanics lien, it must be recorded at the San Francisco Office of the Assessor-Recorder — the office that records liens and deeds for property in the county. A lien always gets recorded in the county where the property sits, so a San Francisco County project means recording with the San Francisco County recorder.

Your lien deadline is 90 days from completion, or as little as 30 days for subcontractors (60 for the direct contractor) if a Notice of Completion is recorded (Cal. Civ. Code §§ 8412, 8414). See the mechanics lien deadline guide for the full timeline.

This page is general information, not legal advice, and does not create an attorney–client relationship. California lien and notice deadlines are strict and fact-specific — “completion” alone can be triggered by actual completion, the owner’s occupancy or use, or a 60-day cessation of labor. Notice Harbor is not a law firm. Confirm any deadline that matters to your claim with a licensed California construction attorney.