If you have not been paid for labor, services or materials furnished on a construction project in Washington, you may be able to collect the money you are owed by filing a mechanic’s lien (also referred to as a claim of lien). The services, materials or labor you furnish to a construction project must qualify for protection under Washington’s lien laws. The trick is determining whether your construction project is a qualifying improvement, which is defined by RCW 60.04.11(5): Download the form for free here: Free Washington Mechanic’s Lien Form. MORE >>

'See original article at Washington Preliminary Notices, What A Good Notice State (Photo credit: Wikipedia). Upon review of the numbers, I was a little surprised to note that Washington state is our second largest market for notices based on current volume. Washington State Preliminary Notices. Washington is a notice heavy state. Not only does Washington require notice be sent to the owner and prime contractor within 60 days of delivering labor and materials, it requires that it be sent via certified mail return receipt or better. Related articles. MORE >>

newly filed, yet unpublished, court opinion opines that a construction manager cannot file a construction lien in Washington state. et al , a New York construction manager filed a lien against the Westfield Southcenter Mall in Tukwila, Washington. The lien was filed after the owner of a coffee stand failed to pay Blue Diamond for consulting services used in the construction of a kiosk. Blue Diamond was not registered as a contractor under Washington’s RCW 18.27. Managers left out in the cold? So, how far reaching is this opinion? MORE >>

Everyone in the construction industry should know their lien rights; their value is unmatched. Remember: Those 5 letters stand for the 5 steps to remember when filing a lien in Washington. If your project is residential, you should serve a lien notice under  RCW60.04.031 no later than  10 days (if new construction) or  60 days (if a remodel) after beginning the work.  If you are a sub-tier contractor you should serve a lien notice under  RCW60.04.031 no later than  10 days (if new residential construction) or  60 days (anything else) after beginning the work. MORE >>

When the Washington Supreme Court delivered its big mechanic’s lien opinion last week in Williams v. However, this decision has significant consequences to mechanic lien jurisprudence in Washington state, and it deserves a blog post or two to explain what the Supreme Court had to say and how it should affect mechanic lien filings. If you’re a reader of the Construction Lien Blog, you know we’ve been following this case for more than a year now (read our posts:  Williams v. Strict Construction Divide in Washington. Athletics’ Field ). MORE >>