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HomeCivil CodeDiv. 4Pt. 6Ch. 2§ 8204 Preliminary Notice Requirements

§ 8204 Preliminary Notice Requirements

Civil Code·California
AI Summary·Official Text·Key Terms·Related Statutes·References
AI SummaryVerified

§ 8204 Preliminary Notice Requirements

Key Takeaways

  • •If you work on a building or project, you must tell the owner within 20 days of starting your work.
  • •If you forget to tell them, you can still tell them later, but you can only ask for payment for the last 20 days of work you did.
  • •If you're an architect or designer, you must tell the owner within 20 days after the project starts to get paid for your work.

Example

You're a carpenter working on a house. You start working on June 1st.

You need to tell the house owner by June 21st that you're working on their house. If you forget and tell them on July 1st, you can only ask for payment for the work you did from June 10th to July 1st.

AI-generated — May contain errors. Not legal advice. Always verify source.

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 8204 Preliminary Notice Requirements

(a) A preliminary notice shall be given not later than 20 days after the claimant has first furnished work on the work of improvement. If work has been provided by a claimant who did not give a preliminary notice, that claimant shall not be precluded from giving a preliminary notice at any time thereafter. The claimant shall, however, be entitled to record a lien, give a stop payment notice, and assert a claim against a payment bond only for work performed within 20 days prior to the service of the preliminary notice, and at any time thereafter. (b) A design professional who has furnished services for the design of the work of improvement and who gives a preliminary notice not later than 20 days after the work of improvement has commenced shall be deemed to have complied with Section 8200 with respect to the design services furnished, or to be furnished. (Added by Stats. 2010, Ch. 697, Sec. 20. (SB 189) Effective January 1, 2011. Operative July 1, 2012, by Sec. 105 of Ch. 697 and by Section 8052.)

Last verified: January 21, 2026

Key Terms

preliminary notice20 dayslienstop payment noticepayment bonddesign professionalSection 8200

Related Statutes

  • § 8200 Preliminary Notice For Liens
  • § 8202 Preliminary Notice Requirements
  • § 8214 Preliminary Notice Filing
  • § 9300 Preliminary Notice Requirements
  • § 9304 Payment Bond Claim Deadlines

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Civil Code. Section 8204.
View Official Source