Washington Mechanic Lien Guide and FAQs
Mechanic Lien Rights Under RCW Chapter 60.04: Private Works, Payment Bonds, Retained Funds & Public Projects
Washington mechanic lien deadline table with toggles for project type and claimant type.
Washington Preliminary Notice & Mechanic Lien Deadlines
Select your project type and role to see the deadlines that apply to you.
Prime Contractor — In privity with the property owner
Not required for a contractor in direct contract with the owner or the owner's common law agent.
On covered contracts the contractor must give the customer the model disclosure statement before beginning work and obtain a signed acknowledgment. Covered work is residential repair, alteration, or construction of four or fewer units or accessory structures at $1,000 or more with no upper limit, and commercial buildings at $1,000 or more but under $60,000.
This is the document that most often defeats a prime contractor's lien. Delivery must be pleaded and proved to bring or maintain the lien, and the signed acknowledgment must be kept for three years.
Contractor registration is a separate prerequisite. An unregistered contractor has no lien.
Record the Claim of Lien with the county auditor within 90 days after last furnishing labor, professional services, materials, or equipment. Punch-list, warranty, and callback work do not restart the clock.
Give a copy of the recorded claim to the owner within 14 days of recording, by certified or registered mail or personal service. Missing this forfeits attorney fees and costs against the owner; it does not by itself invalidate the lien.
File suit to foreclose within 8 calendar months after recording the Claim of Lien. The clock runs from the recording date, not from last furnishing.
Serve the owner with the summons and complaint within 90 days after filing. Miss either step and the lien stops binding the property.
Where the claim states credit terms, the 8 months runs from expiration of that credit. The period is tolled by the owner's bankruptcy.
Preliminary Notice
Not required for a contractor in direct contract with the owner or the owner's common law agent.
On covered contracts the contractor must give the customer the model disclosure statement before beginning work and obtain a signed acknowledgment. Covered work is residential repair, alteration, or construction of four or fewer units or accessory structures at $1,000 or more with no upper limit, and commercial buildings at $1,000 or more but under $60,000.
This is the document that most often defeats a prime contractor's lien. Delivery must be pleaded and proved to bring or maintain the lien, and the signed acknowledgment must be kept for three years.
Contractor registration is a separate prerequisite. An unregistered contractor has no lien.
Mechanic Lien
Record the Claim of Lien with the county auditor within 90 days after last furnishing labor, professional services, materials, or equipment. Punch-list, warranty, and callback work do not restart the clock.
Give a copy of the recorded claim to the owner within 14 days of recording, by certified or registered mail or personal service. Missing this forfeits attorney fees and costs against the owner; it does not by itself invalidate the lien.
Enforcement
File suit to foreclose within 8 calendar months after recording the Claim of Lien. The clock runs from the recording date, not from last furnishing.
Serve the owner with the summons and complaint within 90 days after filing. Miss either step and the lien stops binding the property.
Where the claim states credit terms, the 8 months runs from expiration of that credit. The period is tolled by the owner's bankruptcy.
Washington private project deadlines — Construction of a new single-family residence
Prime Contractor
Preliminary Notice: Not required for a contractor in direct contract with the owner or the owner's common law agent. On covered contracts the contractor must give the customer the model disclosure statement before beginning work and obtain a signed acknowledgment. Covered work is residential repair, alteration, or construction of four or fewer units or accessory structures at $1,000 or more with no upper limit, and commercial buildings at $1,000 or more but under $60,000. This is the document that most often defeats a prime contractor's lien. Delivery must be pleaded and proved to bring or maintain the lien, and the signed acknowledgment must be kept for three years. Contractor registration is a separate prerequisite. An unregistered contractor has no lien.
Mechanic Lien: Record the Claim of Lien with the county auditor within 90 days after last furnishing labor, professional services, materials, or equipment. Punch-list, warranty, and callback work do not restart the clock. Give a copy of the recorded claim to the owner within 14 days of recording, by certified or registered mail or personal service. Missing this forfeits attorney fees and costs against the owner; it does not by itself invalidate the lien.
Enforcement: File suit to foreclose within 8 calendar months after recording the Claim of Lien. The clock runs from the recording date, not from last furnishing. Serve the owner with the summons and complaint within 90 days after filing. Miss either step and the lien stops binding the property. Where the claim states credit terms, the 8 months runs from expiration of that credit. The period is tolled by the owner's bankruptcy.
Subcontractors & Suppliers
Preliminary Notice: There is no deadline. The notice may be given at any time. What it limits is reach, not validity, so a late notice shrinks the lien instead of killing it. On new construction of a single-family residence the notice protects only what was furnished after a date 10 days before it is mailed by certified or registered mail, or personally served, on the owner or reputed owner. Everything furnished earlier drops out. Serve it when the contract is signed or the purchase order is accepted. With a 10-day window, a week of delay is a week of furnishing that falls outside it. A subcontractor in direct contract with the prime is exempt on this work type. The exemption is withdrawn only on repair, alteration, or remodel of an existing owner-occupied single-family residence. A supplier is not a subcontractor. A supplier selling directly to the prime is not exempt and must give the notice. Only a supplier in direct contract with the owner is exempt. A claimant whose lien is based solely on labor is exempt. Where a notice was required and never given, the lien cannot be enforced at all. Sending one you did not owe carries no penalty.
Mechanic Lien: Record the Claim of Lien with the county auditor within 90 days after last furnishing labor, professional services, materials, or equipment. Punch-list, warranty, and callback work do not restart the clock. Give a copy of the recorded claim to the owner within 14 days of recording, by certified or registered mail or personal service. Missing this forfeits attorney fees and costs against the owner; it does not by itself invalidate the lien. A lien recorded well inside the 90 days can still be cut to a fraction of the balance owed if the notice went out late. Timely recording does not cure a short look-back.
Enforcement: File suit to foreclose within 8 calendar months after recording the Claim of Lien. The clock runs from the recording date, not from last furnishing. Serve the owner with the summons and complaint within 90 days after filing. Miss either step and the lien stops binding the property. Where the claim states credit terms, the 8 months runs from expiration of that credit. The period is tolled by the owner's bankruptcy.
Remote Claimants
Preliminary Notice: There is no deadline. The notice may be given at any time. What it limits is reach, not validity, so a late notice shrinks the lien instead of killing it. No exemption reaches a remote claimant. A subcontractor hired by another subcontractor, and a supplier selling to a subcontractor, both owe the notice. On new construction of a single-family residence the notice protects only what was furnished after a date 10 days before it is mailed by certified or registered mail, or personally served, on the owner or reputed owner. A remote claimant also serves the prime contractor, where the prime has met its own registration and disclosure obligations. Where a notice was required and never given, the lien cannot be enforced at all. Serve it at the start of the job.
Mechanic Lien: Record the Claim of Lien with the county auditor within 90 days after last furnishing labor, professional services, materials, or equipment. Punch-list, warranty, and callback work do not restart the clock. Give a copy of the recorded claim to the owner within 14 days of recording, by certified or registered mail or personal service. Missing this forfeits attorney fees and costs against the owner; it does not by itself invalidate the lien. A lien recorded well inside the 90 days can still be cut to a fraction of the balance owed if the notice went out late. Timely recording does not cure a short look-back.
Enforcement: File suit to foreclose within 8 calendar months after recording the Claim of Lien. The clock runs from the recording date, not from last furnishing. Serve the owner with the summons and complaint within 90 days after filing. Miss either step and the lien stops binding the property. Where the claim states credit terms, the 8 months runs from expiration of that credit. The period is tolled by the owner's bankruptcy.
Washington private project deadlines — Repair, alteration, or remodeling of an existing owner-occupied single-family residence, including an appurtenant garage
Prime Contractor
Preliminary Notice: Not required for a contractor in direct contract with the owner or the owner's common law agent. On covered contracts the contractor must give the customer the model disclosure statement before beginning work and obtain a signed acknowledgment. Covered work is residential repair, alteration, or construction of four or fewer units or accessory structures at $1,000 or more with no upper limit, and commercial buildings at $1,000 or more but under $60,000. This is the document that most often defeats a prime contractor's lien. Delivery must be pleaded and proved to bring or maintain the lien, and the signed acknowledgment must be kept for three years. Contractor registration is a separate prerequisite. An unregistered contractor has no lien.
Mechanic Lien: Record the Claim of Lien with the county auditor within 90 days after last furnishing labor, professional services, materials, or equipment. Punch-list, warranty, and callback work do not restart the clock. Give a copy of the recorded claim to the owner within 14 days of recording, by certified or registered mail or personal service. Missing this forfeits attorney fees and costs against the owner; it does not by itself invalidate the lien.
Enforcement: File suit to foreclose within 8 calendar months after recording the Claim of Lien. The clock runs from the recording date, not from last furnishing. Serve the owner with the summons and complaint within 90 days after filing. Miss either step and the lien stops binding the property. Where the claim states credit terms, the 8 months runs from expiration of that credit. The period is tolled by the owner's bankruptcy.
Subcontractors & Suppliers
Preliminary Notice: There is no deadline. The notice may be given at any time. What it limits is reach, not validity, so a late notice shrinks the lien instead of killing it. The 60-day look-back does not govern here. The statutory notice form puts that window under commercial and new residential property. On an existing owner-occupied residence what limits the lien is the unpaid balance, not a backward window. The direct-to-prime subcontractor exemption is withdrawn here. A first-tier subcontractor on repair, alteration, or remodel of an existing owner-occupied single-family residence must give the notice, to the owner-occupier. A claimant who did not contract directly with the owner-occupier can satisfy the lien only from amounts the owner had not yet paid the prime contractor when the notice was received, whether or not those amounts were then due. A mailed notice counts as received three days after mailing, excluding weekends and holidays. If the owner already paid the prime in full, there is nothing left for the lien to reach. A supplier is not a subcontractor. A supplier selling directly to the prime is not exempt and must give the notice. Only a supplier in direct contract with the owner is exempt. A claimant whose lien is based solely on labor is exempt. Serve it at the start of the job. Where a notice was required and never given the lien cannot be enforced at all, and every draw the owner releases before the notice lands is money the lien cannot touch.
Mechanic Lien: Record the Claim of Lien with the county auditor within 90 days after last furnishing labor, professional services, materials, or equipment. Punch-list, warranty, and callback work do not restart the clock. Give a copy of the recorded claim to the owner within 14 days of recording, by certified or registered mail or personal service. Missing this forfeits attorney fees and costs against the owner; it does not by itself invalidate the lien. A lien recorded well inside the 90 days reaches only what the owner still owed the prime contractor when the notice arrived. Timely recording does not cure a notice that landed after the draws went out.
Enforcement: File suit to foreclose within 8 calendar months after recording the Claim of Lien. The clock runs from the recording date, not from last furnishing. Serve the owner with the summons and complaint within 90 days after filing. Miss either step and the lien stops binding the property. Where the claim states credit terms, the 8 months runs from expiration of that credit. The period is tolled by the owner's bankruptcy.
Remote Claimants
Preliminary Notice: There is no deadline. The notice may be given at any time. What it limits is reach, not validity, so a late notice shrinks the lien instead of killing it. No exemption reaches a remote claimant. A subcontractor hired by another subcontractor, and a supplier selling to a subcontractor, both owe the notice. The 60-day look-back does not govern here. What limits the lien is the unpaid balance, not a backward window. A claimant who did not contract directly with the owner-occupier can satisfy the lien only from amounts the owner had not yet paid the prime contractor when the notice was received, whether or not those amounts were then due. A mailed notice counts as received three days after mailing, excluding weekends and holidays. If the owner already paid the prime in full, there is nothing left for the lien to reach. A remote claimant also serves the prime contractor, where the prime has met its own registration and disclosure obligations. Where a notice was required and never given, the lien cannot be enforced at all. Serve it at the start of the job.
Mechanic Lien: Record the Claim of Lien with the county auditor within 90 days after last furnishing labor, professional services, materials, or equipment. Punch-list, warranty, and callback work do not restart the clock. Give a copy of the recorded claim to the owner within 14 days of recording, by certified or registered mail or personal service. Missing this forfeits attorney fees and costs against the owner; it does not by itself invalidate the lien. A lien recorded well inside the 90 days reaches only what the owner still owed the prime contractor when the notice arrived. Timely recording does not cure a notice that landed after the draws went out.
Enforcement: File suit to foreclose within 8 calendar months after recording the Claim of Lien. The clock runs from the recording date, not from last furnishing. Serve the owner with the summons and complaint within 90 days after filing. Miss either step and the lien stops binding the property. Where the claim states credit terms, the 8 months runs from expiration of that credit. The period is tolled by the owner's bankruptcy.
Washington private project deadlines — Commercial or multifamily
Prime Contractor
Preliminary Notice: Not required for a contractor in direct contract with the owner or the owner's common law agent. On covered contracts the contractor must give the customer the model disclosure statement before beginning work and obtain a signed acknowledgment. Covered work is residential repair, alteration, or construction of four or fewer units or accessory structures at $1,000 or more with no upper limit, and commercial buildings at $1,000 or more but under $60,000. This is the document that most often defeats a prime contractor's lien. Delivery must be pleaded and proved to bring or maintain the lien, and the signed acknowledgment must be kept for three years. Contractor registration is a separate prerequisite. An unregistered contractor has no lien.
Mechanic Lien: Record the Claim of Lien with the county auditor within 90 days after last furnishing labor, professional services, materials, or equipment. Punch-list, warranty, and callback work do not restart the clock. Give a copy of the recorded claim to the owner within 14 days of recording, by certified or registered mail or personal service. Missing this forfeits attorney fees and costs against the owner; it does not by itself invalidate the lien.
Enforcement: File suit to foreclose within 8 calendar months after recording the Claim of Lien. The clock runs from the recording date, not from last furnishing. Serve the owner with the summons and complaint within 90 days after filing. Miss either step and the lien stops binding the property. Where the claim states credit terms, the 8 months runs from expiration of that credit. The period is tolled by the owner's bankruptcy.
Subcontractors & Suppliers
Preliminary Notice: There is no deadline. The notice may be given at any time. What it limits is reach, not validity, so a late notice shrinks the lien instead of killing it. On commercial and multifamily work the notice protects only what was furnished after a date 60 days before it is mailed by certified or registered mail, or personally served, on the owner or reputed owner. Everything furnished earlier drops out. Serve it when the contract is signed or the purchase order is accepted. Every day of delay is a day of furnishing that falls outside the window. A subcontractor in direct contract with the prime is exempt on this work type. A supplier is not a subcontractor. A supplier selling directly to the prime is not exempt and must give the notice. Only a supplier in direct contract with the owner is exempt. A claimant whose lien is based solely on labor is exempt. Where a notice was required and never given, the lien cannot be enforced at all. Sending one you did not owe carries no penalty.
Mechanic Lien: Record the Claim of Lien with the county auditor within 90 days after last furnishing labor, professional services, materials, or equipment. Punch-list, warranty, and callback work do not restart the clock. Give a copy of the recorded claim to the owner within 14 days of recording, by certified or registered mail or personal service. Missing this forfeits attorney fees and costs against the owner; it does not by itself invalidate the lien. A lien recorded well inside the 90 days can still be cut to a fraction of the balance owed if the notice went out late. Timely recording does not cure a short look-back.
Enforcement: File suit to foreclose within 8 calendar months after recording the Claim of Lien. The clock runs from the recording date, not from last furnishing. Serve the owner with the summons and complaint within 90 days after filing. Miss either step and the lien stops binding the property. Where the claim states credit terms, the 8 months runs from expiration of that credit. The period is tolled by the owner's bankruptcy.
Remote Claimants
Preliminary Notice: There is no deadline. The notice may be given at any time. What it limits is reach, not validity, so a late notice shrinks the lien instead of killing it. No exemption reaches a remote claimant. A subcontractor hired by another subcontractor, and a supplier selling to a subcontractor, both owe the notice. On commercial and multifamily work the notice protects only what was furnished after a date 60 days before it is mailed by certified or registered mail, or personally served, on the owner or reputed owner. A remote claimant also serves the prime contractor, where the prime has met its own registration and disclosure obligations. Where a notice was required and never given, the lien cannot be enforced at all. Serve it at the start of the job.
Mechanic Lien: Record the Claim of Lien with the county auditor within 90 days after last furnishing labor, professional services, materials, or equipment. Punch-list, warranty, and callback work do not restart the clock. Give a copy of the recorded claim to the owner within 14 days of recording, by certified or registered mail or personal service. Missing this forfeits attorney fees and costs against the owner; it does not by itself invalidate the lien. A lien recorded well inside the 90 days can still be cut to a fraction of the balance owed if the notice went out late. Timely recording does not cure a short look-back.
Enforcement: File suit to foreclose within 8 calendar months after recording the Claim of Lien. The clock runs from the recording date, not from last furnishing. Serve the owner with the summons and complaint within 90 days after filing. Miss either step and the lien stops binding the property. Where the claim states credit terms, the 8 months runs from expiration of that credit. The period is tolled by the owner's bankruptcy.
Washington public works deadlines
Prime Contractor
Preliminary Notice: Not applicable. The prime contractor is the principal on the payment bond and pursues payment through contract remedies, not a bond claim.
Bond Claim: Not applicable. Mechanic liens cannot attach to public property in Washington. Prime contractors pursue payment through contract remedies.
Lawsuit to Enforce Bond Claim: Contract remedies against the public owner, subject to any applicable notice-of-claim and limitations periods.
Subcontractors & Suppliers
Preliminary Notice: Bond remedy: a sub-subcontractor, or a supplier furnishing materials, supplies, or provisions to a subcontractor, must deliver or mail notice to the prime contractor no later than 10 days after first furnishing to that subcontractor. This one is a true forward deadline, and missing it bars a bond action for those items. That 10-day notice reaches only claimants furnishing to a subcontractor. A supplier delivering directly to the prime is outside it. Retainage remedy: a supplier of materials, supplies, or equipment gives the contractor notice, which may be given at any time and covers what was furnished in the 60 days before the notice plus everything after. Like the private notice, this is a look-back, not a deadline. A subcontractor in direct contract with the prime does not give the preliminary bond notice.
Bond Claim: Bond remedy: present and file the notice of claim with the public body within 30 days from completion of the contract with acceptance of the work by affirmative action of the public body. The anchor is completion plus formal acceptance, so the date comes from the public body's records, not your own job file. Retainage remedy: file the notice of lien on the retained percentage with the public body within 45 days of completion of the contract work. Mechanic liens cannot attach to public property. The two remedies are cumulative and run on different anchors, so calendar both.
Lawsuit to Enforce Bond Claim: Suit on the payment bond runs on the 6-year period for an action on a written contract. The public works chapter itself sets no outer deadline, but the Washington Supreme Court treats the statutory bond as a written contract, so the 6-year period governs. Attorney fees are not allowed in an action brought before 30 days have elapsed after filing the notice of claim. Filing earlier does not bar the suit; it forfeits the statutory fee award in that action. Retainage remedy: commence suit against the reserve fund within 4 months after filing the claim against the fund, or the fund is discharged from the lien and paid to the contractor. Missing it costs the fund, not the claim against the contractor or the surety. Where the bond form carries its own suit limitation clause, have it reviewed. No Washington appellate decision has enforced one against a claimant protected by the public works chapter, so do not calendar off it without advice.
Remote Claimants
Preliminary Notice: Bond remedy: a sub-subcontractor, or a supplier furnishing materials, supplies, or provisions to a subcontractor, must deliver or mail notice to the prime contractor no later than 10 days after first furnishing to that subcontractor. This is a true forward deadline, and missing it bars a bond action for those items. Retainage remedy: a supplier of materials, supplies, or equipment gives the contractor notice, which may be given at any time and covers what was furnished in the 60 days before the notice plus everything after.
Bond Claim: Bond remedy: present and file the notice of claim with the public body within 30 days from completion of the contract with acceptance of the work by affirmative action of the public body. Retainage remedy: file the notice of lien on the retained percentage with the public body within 45 days of completion of the contract work. Mechanic liens cannot attach to public property. The two remedies are cumulative and run on different anchors, so calendar both.
Lawsuit to Enforce Bond Claim: Suit on the payment bond runs on the 6-year period for an action on a written contract. The public works chapter itself sets no outer deadline, but the statutory bond is treated as a written contract, so the 6-year period governs. Attorney fees are not allowed in an action brought before 30 days have elapsed after filing the notice of claim. Filing earlier does not bar the suit; it forfeits the statutory fee award in that action. Retainage remedy: commence suit against the reserve fund within 4 months after filing the claim against the fund.
Washington Mechanic Lien Law Overview
Last updated August 2026 · Reviewed by Thomas Emalfarb, Esq.
Washington construction lien rights are governed by RCW Chapter 60.04, which gives contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, and design professionals a lien against real property improved by their labor, professional services, materials, or equipment.
Washington's Notice of Right to Claim Lien does not work like a conventional preliminary notice. It may be given at any time. What it does is protect only what you furnished during a look-back period measured backward from the day the notice is mailed or personally served: 60 days generally, and only 10 days for new construction of a single-family residence. Sending it late does not forfeit the lien. It forfeits everything furnished before the window. That is why the rule is to send it when the contract is signed, not to treat 60 days as a deadline.
All claimants record a Claim of Lien within 90 days after last furnishing, and deliver a copy to the owner within 14 days of recording. Missing the 14-day delivery costs attorney fees and costs, not the lien itself. Suit to foreclose must be filed within 8 calendar months of recording, with the owner served within 90 days of filing.
Public projects carry no lien on the property. Claimants pursue the payment bond under RCW 39.08 and the lien on retained funds under RCW 60.28. The two remedies run on different clocks and should both be calendared.
Topics on This Page
Washington Mechanic Lien Law: Key Topics
Navigate the critical compliance areas for Washington construction mechanic lien law.
Notice Requirements
The Notice of Right to Claim Lien and its 60-day and 10-day look-back periods, who is exempt, the contractor disclosure statement, and the notice to a construction lender
Mechanic Lien Deadlines
The 90-day recording deadline, the 14-day owner delivery requirement, and the notice prerequisites that gate the lien
Mechanic Lien Enforcement Deadlines
The 8-month suit deadline from recording, payment bond claims under RCW 39.08, and retained funds under RCW 60.28
Common Questions
Washington Lien Questions by Role
Straight answers to the questions contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers ask most about Washington lien rights.
Does a General Contractor Need to Send a Preliminary Notice in Washington?
No, but a separate disclosure statement can bar the lien on covered residential and small commercial contracts.
Does a Subcontractor Need to Send a Preliminary Notice in Washington?
Usually no if you contracted with the prime, but the exemption is withdrawn on owner-occupied remodels.
Does a Material Supplier Need to Send a Preliminary Notice in Washington?
Yes. A supplier is not a subcontractor, so contracting directly with the prime does not exempt you.
What Happens If You Send a Preliminary Notice Late in Washington?
The lien shrinks instead of dying. You keep only what you furnished inside the look-back window.
How Long Do You Have to File a Mechanics Lien in Washington?
90 days from last furnishing, then 14 days to deliver a copy to the owner or you lose fees and costs.
How Long Do You Have to Enforce a Mechanics Lien in Washington?
8 calendar months from recording, and you must serve the owner within 90 days of filing suit.
Can You File a Mechanics Lien on a Public Project in Washington?
No. You pursue the payment bond and the retained funds, and they run on two different clocks.
Do You Need a Disclosure Statement to File a Mechanics Lien in Washington?
On covered contracts yes, and you must plead and prove you gave it before you can maintain the lien.
Related Reading
In-Depth Washington Guides
How to Enforce Little Miller Act Claims in Washington State
Washington public works claims: the 10-day supplier notice to the prime, a bond claim filed with the public body within 30 days of completion and acceptance, and separate retainage steps.
Understanding Washington State Lien Laws
Washington lien law explained: the notice of right to claim lien and its 60-day look-back, the 90-day recording deadline, and the eight-month enforcement window.
Frequently Asked Questions
What statute governs mechanics liens in Washington?
RCW Chapter 60.04. Public works payment bond claims are governed by RCW Chapter 39.08, and liens on retained funds by RCW Chapter 60.28.
Is there a deadline for the Notice of Right to Claim Lien in Washington?
No. RCW 60.04.031(1) permits the notice at any time. It protects only furnishing within the look-back period before it was sent: 60 days generally, 10 days for new construction of a single-family residence. Send it at the start of the job so the look-back never becomes an issue.
What is the deadline to file a mechanics lien in Washington?
Record the Claim of Lien within 90 days after last furnishing under RCW 60.04.091, then deliver a copy to the owner within 14 days of recording or forfeit attorney fees and costs.
How long do you have to enforce a Washington lien?
File suit within 8 calendar months after recording and serve the owner within 90 days after filing. RCW 60.04.141. The clock runs from the recording date, not last furnishing.
Who is exempt from the Washington lien notice?
A person contracting directly with the owner or the owner's common law agent, a laborer claiming solely for labor, and a subcontractor contracting directly with the prime, except on repair, alteration, or remodeling of an existing owner-occupied single-family residence. A material supplier is not a subcontractor, so a supplier contracting directly with the prime is generally not exempt. RCW 60.04.031(2).
How does Washington lien law differ from other states?
The notice is a look-back rather than a deadline, so a late notice shrinks the lien instead of killing it. The 10-day window is unique to new single-family construction. Enforcement runs from recording rather than last furnishing. Public work carries two remedies on different clocks, and RCW 18.27.114 adds a disclosure statement that is a lien prerequisite.