Revised Code of Washington

Wash. Rev. Code § 60.04.031 (2026)

✓ current as of May 2026

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(1) Except as otherwise provided in this section, every person furnishing professional services, materials, or equipment for the improvement of real property shall give the owner or reputed owner notice in writing of the right to claim a lien. If the prime contractor is in compliance with the requirements of RCW 19.27.095, 60.04.230, and 60.04.261, this notice shall also be given to the prime contractor as described in this subsection unless the potential lien claimant has contracted directly with the prime contractor. The notice may be given at any time but only protects the right to claim a lien for professional services, materials, or equipment supplied after the date which is sixty days before:

(a) Mailing the notice by certified or registered mail to the owner or reputed owner; or

(b) Delivering or serving the notice personally upon the owner or reputed owner and obtaining evidence of delivery in the form of a receipt or other acknowledgment signed by the owner or reputed owner or an affidavit of service.

In the case of new construction of a single-family residence, the notice of a right to claim a lien may be given at any time but only protects the right to claim a lien for professional services, materials, or equipment supplied after a date which is ten days before the notice is given as described in this subsection.

(2) Notices of a right to claim a lien shall not be required of:

(a) Persons who contract directly with the owner or the owner's common law agent;

(b) Laborers whose claim of lien is based solely on performing labor; or

(c) Subcontractors who contract for the improvement of real property directly with the prime contractor, except as provided in subsection (3)(b) of this section.

(3) Persons who furnish professional services, materials, or equipment in connection with the repair, alteration, or remodel of an existing owner-occupied single-family residence or appurtenant garage:

(a) Who contract directly with the owner-occupier or their common law agent shall not be required to send a written notice of the right to claim a lien and shall have a lien for the full amount due under their contract, as provided in RCW 60.04.021; or

(b) Who do not contract directly with the owner-occupier or their common law agent shall give notice of the right to claim a lien to the owner-occupier. Liens of persons furnishing professional services, materials, or equipment who do not contract directly with the owner-occupier or their common law agent may only be satisfied from amounts not yet paid to the prime contractor by the owner at the time the notice described in this section is received, regardless of whether amounts not yet paid to the prime contractor are due. For the purposes of this subsection "received" means actual receipt of notice by personal service, or registered or certified mail, or three days after mailing by registered or certified mail, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, or legal holidays.

(4) The notice of right to claim a lien described in subsection (1) of this section, shall include but not be limited to the following information and shall substantially be in the following form, using lower-case and upper-case ten-point type where appropriate.

NOTICE TO OWNER

IMPORTANT: READ BOTH SIDES OF THIS NOTICE CAREFULLY.

PROTECT YOURSELF FROM PAYING TWICE

To: . . . .

Date: . . . .

Re: (description of property: Street address or general location.)

From: . . . .

AT THE REQUEST OF: (Name of person ordering the professional services, materials, or equipment)

THIS IS NOT A LIEN: This notice is sent to you to tell you who is providing professional services, materials, or equipment for the improvement of your property and to advise you of the rights of these persons and your responsibilities. Also take note that laborers on your project may claim a lien without sending you a notice.

OWNER/OCCUPIER OF EXISTING

RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY

Under Washington law, those who furnish labor, professional services, materials, or equipment for the repair, remodel, or alteration of your owner-occupied principal residence and who are not paid, have a right to enforce their claim for payment against your property. This claim is known as a construction lien.

The law limits the amount that a lien claimant can claim against your property. Claims may only be made against that portion of the contract price you have not yet paid to your prime contractor as of the time this notice was given to you or three days after this notice was mailed to you. Review the back of this notice for more information and ways to avoid lien claims.

COMMERCIAL AND/OR NEW

RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY

We have or will be providing professional services, materials, or equipment for the improvement of your commercial or new residential project. In the event you or your contractor fail to pay us, we may file a lien against your property. A lien may be claimed for all professional services, materials, or equipment furnished after a date that is sixty days before this notice was given to you or mailed to you, unless the improvement to your property is the construction of a new single-family residence, then ten days before this notice was given to you or mailed to you.

Sender: . . . .

Address: . . . .

Telephone: . . . .

Brief description of professional services, materials, or equipment provided or to be provided: . . . .

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

ON REVERSE SIDE

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

FOR YOUR PROTECTION

This notice is sent to inform you that we have or will provide professional services, materials, or equipment for the improvement of your property. We expect to be paid by the person who ordered our services, but if we are not paid, we have the right to enforce our claim by filing a construction lien against your property.

LEARN more about the lien laws and the meaning of this notice by discussing them with your contractor, suppliers, Department of Labor and Industries, the firm sending you this notice, your lender, or your attorney.

COMMON METHODS TO AVOID CONSTRUCTION LIENS: There are several methods available to protect your property from construction liens. The following are two of the more commonly used methods.

DUAL PAYCHECKS (Joint Checks): When paying your contractor for services or materials, you may make checks payable jointly to the contractor and the firms furnishing you this notice.

LIEN RELEASES: You may require your contractor to provide lien releases signed by all the suppliers and subcontractors from whom you have received this notice. If they cannot obtain lien releases because you have not paid them, you may use the dual payee check method to protect yourself.

YOU SHOULD TAKE APPROPRIATE STEPS TO PROTECT YOUR PROPERTY FROM LIENS.

YOUR PRIME CONTRACTOR AND YOUR CONSTRUCTION LENDER ARE REQUIRED BY LAW TO GIVE YOU WRITTEN INFORMATION ABOUT LIEN CLAIMS. IF YOU HAVE NOT RECEIVED IT, ASK THEM FOR IT.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

(5) Every potential lien claimant providing professional services where no improvement as defined in RCW 60.04.011(5) (a) or (b) has been commenced, and the professional services provided are not visible from an inspection of the real property may record in the real property records of the county where the property is located a notice which shall contain the professional service provider's name, address, telephone number, legal description of the property, the owner or reputed owner's name, and the general nature of the professional services provided. If such notice is not recorded, the lien claimed shall be subordinate to the interest of any subsequent mortgagee and invalid as to the interest of any subsequent purchaser if the mortgagee or purchaser acts in good faith and for a valuable consideration acquires an interest in the property prior to the commencement of an improvement as defined in RCW 60.04.011(5) (a) or (b) without notice of the professional services being provided. The notice described in this subsection shall be substantially in the following form:

NOTICE OF FURNISHING

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

That on the (day) day of (month and year) , (name of provider) began providing professional services upon or for the improvement of real property legally described as follows:

[Legal Description

is mandatory]

The general nature of the professional services provided is . . . .

The owner or reputed owner of the real property is . . . .

. . . .

	. . . .
	(Signature)
	. . . .
	(Name of Claimant)
	. . . .
	(Street Address)
	. . . .
	(City, State, Zip Code)
	. . . .
	(Phone Number)

(6) A lien authorized by this chapter shall not be enforced unless the lien claimant has complied with the applicable provisions of this section.

[ 1992 c 126 s 2; 1991 c 281 s 3.]

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 32 cases (5 in the last 5 years), 1997–2026 · leading case: Colorado Structures, Inc. v. Blue Mountain Plaza, LLC, 159 Wash. App. 654 (Wash. Ct. App. 2011).

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Colorado Structures, Inc. v. Blue Mountain Plaza, LLC, 159 Wash. App. 654 (Wash. Ct. App. 2011). · cites it 6× “021, provides: Except as provided in RCW 60.04.031, any person furnishing labor, professional services, materials, or equipment for the improvement of real property shall have a lien upon the improvement for the contract price of labor, professional ser *662 vices, materials, or…”

Haselwood v. Bremerton Ice Arena, Inc., 155 P.3d 952 (Wash. Ct. App. 2007). · cites it 2× “Finally, RCW 60.04.051 establishes that there is one lien, which ordinarily attaches to real property; but in the event the lien is unable to attach to the real property, the obligation may be enforced by removing the improvement.”

Haselwood v. Bremerton Ice Arena, Inc., 137 Wash. App. 872 (Wash. Ct. App. 2007). · cites it 2× “031 establishes how the lien shall be created and provides sample notices, all of which indicate that the person supplying professional services, materials, or equipment may file a lien against the property in the event of nonpayment. Finally, RCW 60.04.051 establishes that…”

W.R.P. Lake Union Ltd. P'ship v. Exterior Servs., Inc., 934 P.2d 722 (Wash. Ct. App. 1997). · cites it 2× “We decline to decide whether Exterior was required to provide notice of its right to claim a lien (RCW 60.04.031) or whether Exterior was required to provide a notice to *753 customer (RCW 18.”

Colorado Structures v. Blue Mountain Plaza, 246 P.3d 835 (Wash. Ct. App. 2011). · cites it 6× “021, provides: Except as provided in RCW 60.04.031, any person furnishing labor, professional services, materials, or equipment for the improvement of real property shall have a lien upon the improvement for the contract price of labor, professional services, materials, or…”

Olson Eng'g, Inc. v. KeyBank Nat'l Ass'n, 286 P.3d 390 (Wash. Ct. App. 2012). · cites it 3× “Presumably, by operation of RCW 60.04.031, the earliest that Olson would be deemed to have a construction lien on these properties by virtue of its work commenced on the properties at the “instance of the owner,” Juneau, was June 1,2006, when Juneau became the owner.”

Blue Diamond Grp., Inc. v. KB Seattle 1, Inc., 266 P.3d 881 (Wash. Ct. App. 2011). “021, the statute at issue here, specifies who may claim a lien under these circumstances: Except as provided in RCW 60.04.031, any person furnishing labor, professional services, materials, or equipment for the improvement of real property shall have a lien upon the improvement…”

Pac. Indus., Inc. v. Singh, 86 P.3d 778 (Wash. Ct. App. 2003). “021 states: Except as provided in RCW 60.04.031, any person furnishing labor, professional services, materials, or equipment for the improvement of real property shall have a lien upon the improvement for the contract price of labor, professional services, materials, or…”

McAndrews Grp., Ltd. v. Ehmke, 121 Wash. App. 759 (Wash. Ct. App. 2004). · cites it 8× “3 It asserts that had someone from Equicredit inspected the property, he or she would have readily seen survey stakes and have been on notice of a superior professional service lien under RCW 60.”

McAndrews Grp., Ltd., Inc. v. Ehmke, 90 P.3d 1123 (Wash. Ct. App. 2004). · cites it 8× “[3] It asserts that had someone from Equicredit inspected the property, he or she would have readily seen survey stakes and have been on notice of a superior professional service lien under RCW 60.”

Gray v. Bourgette Constr., LLC, 249 P.3d 644 (Wash. Ct. App. 2011). · cites it 7× “But an exception applies to a lien claimant who contracts directly with the "owner or the owner's common law agent." RCW 60.04.031(2)(a).”

Zervas Grp. Architects, PS v. Bay View Tower LLC, 161 Wash. App. 322 (Wash. Ct. App. 2011). · cites it 6× “061 and RCW 60.04.031(5). ¶2 Because the Bank had notice of the professional services, we agree and affirm.”

Show all 32 citing cases →

— Wash. Rev. Code § 60.04.031(1) — 8 cases

Colorado Structures, Inc. v. Blue Mountain Plaza, LLC, 159 Wash. App. 654 (Wash. Ct. App. 2011). “021, provides: Except as provided in RCW 60.04.031, any person furnishing labor, professional services, materials, or equipment for the improvement of real property shall have a lien upon the improvement for the contract price of labor, professional ser *662 vices, materials, or…”

W.R.P. Lake Union Ltd. P'ship v. Exterior Servs., Inc., 934 P.2d 722 (Wash. Ct. App. 1997). “We decline to decide whether Exterior was required to provide notice of its right to claim a lien (RCW 60.04.031) or whether Exterior was required to provide a notice to *753 customer (RCW 18.”

Colorado Structures v. Blue Mountain Plaza, 246 P.3d 835 (Wash. Ct. App. 2011). “021, provides: Except as provided in RCW 60.04.031, any person furnishing labor, professional services, materials, or equipment for the improvement of real property shall have a lien upon the improvement for the contract price of labor, professional services, materials, or…”

Gray v. Bourgette Constr., LLC, 249 P.3d 644 (Wash. Ct. App. 2011). “But an exception applies to a lien claimant who contracts directly with the "owner or the owner's common law agent." RCW 60.04.031(2)(a).”

Gray v. Bourgette Constr., LLC, 160 Wash. App. 334 (Wash. Ct. App. 2011).

— Wash. Rev. Code § 60.04.031(2) — 2 cases

Velazquez Framing, LLC v. Cascadia Homes, Inc. (Wash. 2024).

— Wash. Rev. Code § 60.04.031(2)(a) — 2 cases

Gray v. Bourgette Constr., LLC, 160 Wash. App. 334 (Wash. Ct. App. 2011).

— Wash. Rev. Code § 60.04.031(2)(b) — 1 case

Campbell Crane & Rigging Servs., Inc. v. Dynamic Int'l AK, Inc., 186 P.3d 1193 (Wash. Ct. App. 2008).

— Wash. Rev. Code § 60.04.031(3) — 1 case

Right Now Heating, Cooling & Plumbing, LLC v. Est. of Gerald D. Hall (Wash. Ct. App. 2026).

— Wash. Rev. Code § 60.04.031(3)(a) — 2 cases

Gray v. Bourgette Constr., LLC, 160 Wash. App. 334 (Wash. Ct. App. 2011).

— Wash. Rev. Code § 60.04.031(4) — 4 cases

Haselwood v. Bremerton Ice Arena, Inc., 155 P.3d 952 (Wash. Ct. App. 2007). “Finally, RCW 60.04.051 establishes that there is one lien, which ordinarily attaches to real property; but in the event the lien is unable to attach to the real property, the obligation may be enforced by removing the improvement.”

Haselwood v. Bremerton Ice Arena, Inc., 137 Wash. App. 872 (Wash. Ct. App. 2007). “031 establishes how the lien shall be created and provides sample notices, all of which indicate that the person supplying professional services, materials, or equipment may file a lien against the property in the event of nonpayment. Finally, RCW 60.04.051 establishes that…”

Velazquez Framing, LLC v. Cascadia Homes, Inc. (Wash. 2024).

— Wash. Rev. Code § 60.04.031(5) — 6 cases

McAndrews Grp., Ltd. v. Ehmke, 121 Wash. App. 759 (Wash. Ct. App. 2004). “3 It asserts that had someone from Equicredit inspected the property, he or she would have readily seen survey stakes and have been on notice of a superior professional service lien under RCW 60.”

McAndrews Grp., Ltd., Inc. v. Ehmke, 90 P.3d 1123 (Wash. Ct. App. 2004). “[3] It asserts that had someone from Equicredit inspected the property, he or she would have readily seen survey stakes and have been on notice of a superior professional service lien under RCW 60.”

Zervas Grp. Architects, PS v. Bay View Tower LLC, 161 Wash. App. 322 (Wash. Ct. App. 2011). “061 and RCW 60.04.031(5). ¶2 Because the Bank had notice of the professional services, we agree and affirm.”

— Wash. Rev. Code § 60.04.031(6) — 2 cases

Velazquez Framing, LLC v. Cascadia Homes, Inc. (Wash. 2024).

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