How to Complete and File a Washington State Claim of Lien Form

A Washington State Claim of Lien form is the document a contractor, subcontractor, supplier, or design professional records with the county auditor to secure payment for labor, services, materials, or equipment furnished to improve real property. You have 90 days from your last day on the job to record it in the county where the property sits, and 14 days after that to deliver a copy to the owner. Miss either deadline and you lose ground you cannot get back.

Who Can File a Claim of Lien

Anyone who furnishes labor, professional services, materials, or equipment for a real property improvement at the request of the owner or the owner’s agent can claim a lien for the unpaid contract price.¹ That covers prime contractors, subcontractors at any tier, material suppliers, architects, engineers, and surveyors. The lien attaches to the improvement and the land under it.

Send the Pre-Claim Notice First (If It Applies to You)

Before you touch the Claim of Lien itself, figure out whether Washington requires you to have already sent a separate “Notice to Owner.” Most people who furnish professional services, materials, or equipment must send this notice in the statutory format before they can record a lien.² Skip it when it applies and your lien rights are gone.

On commercial projects, three groups are exempt:

Anyone who contracts directly with the property owner or the owner’s common-law agent.
Anyone whose claim is solely for labor, regardless of who hired them.
Subcontractors who contract directly with the prime contractor. First-tier material and equipment suppliers are not exempt.

The rules tighten for owner-occupied single-family residences. Only people who contract directly with the owner-occupier are exempt.² First-tier subs and suppliers without a direct deal with the homeowner must send the notice, and even then their lien is capped at amounts the homeowner has not yet paid the prime contractor at the time the notice arrives.

Timing matters. On commercial work, the notice protects your lien only for work done in the 60 days before the notice takes effect. On new single-family residential construction, that lookback is 10 days. Send the notice as early as you can to preserve the full claim.

Information You Need to Fill Out the Form

The Claim of Lien has eight numbered fields set by statute.³ Gather everything before you start writing:

Your name, phone number, and address. Use your full legal name or the company’s registered business name.
The date you first performed labor, provided professional services, or delivered materials or equipment to the site.
The last date you furnished labor, services, materials, or equipment. This date starts the 90-day recording clock, so pin it down.
The name of the person indebted to you, whether that is the owner, a general contractor, or another subcontractor.
A description of the property. A street address, legal description, or any other description reasonably calculated to identify the property for someone familiar with the area is acceptable. A street address alone works under the statute.
The owner or reputed owner. If you genuinely don’t know, write “unknown.”
The principal amount claimed. Include only the actual contract price for labor, services, materials, or equipment. Do not add interest, late fees, or anticipated legal costs.
Whether you acquired the claim by assignment rather than performing the work yourself. If so, state that fact.

Be careful with the principal amount. Padding it with charges that do not belong exposes you to a court motion to reduce or release the lien as “clearly excessive,” and a losing claimant can be ordered to pay the owner’s attorney fees.⁴

Sign, Verify, and Notarize

Blank Claim of Lien forms are available from legal stationery providers, title companies, and some county auditor websites. Whatever template you use has to follow the statutory format. Below the eight data fields is a verification statement where you swear under penalty of perjury that the information is true and correct, that the lien is not frivolous, and that the amount is not clearly excessive.³ Read that language before signing. If you are signing for a company, you must be authorized to act for the claimant.

Then have the form acknowledged before a notary public or another officer authorized under Chapter 64.08 RCW. The notary witnesses your signature, applies a seal, and dates the acknowledgment. Without it, the county auditor will reject the document. Washington caps notary fees at $10 per notarial act.

Recording With the County Auditor

Record the completed, notarized Claim of Lien with the auditor in the county where the property is located. The hard deadline is 90 days after the last day you furnished labor, professional services, materials, or equipment to the project.³ Washington courts enforce this strictly. Build a buffer of several days if you plan to mail the form.

Most counties accept documents in person, by mail, or through an electronic recording vendor. Electronic filing is fastest and gives immediate confirmation. If you mail the form, include a self-addressed stamped envelope and a check for the recording fee.

Fees vary widely by county because the $5-per-page statutory base is layered with mandatory surcharges for technology, housing, and archiving funds.⁵ Pierce County, for example, charges $303.50 for the first page of a standard recorded document.⁶ Check the auditor’s website for the county where the property sits before writing a check. Once the auditor processes the document, it receives a recording number that serves as official proof the lien is on record.

Deliver a Copy to the Owner Within 14 Days

Recording is not the last step. Within 14 days of filing, you must deliver a copy of the recorded Claim of Lien to the owner or reputed owner.³ You can serve the copy by certified mail, registered mail, or personal delivery, sent to the owner’s last known address.

Missing the 14-day window does not by itself kill the lien, but it does forfeit your right to recover attorney fees if you later win a foreclosure action.⁷ For a step that costs a certified-mail receipt, that is a painful trade. Keep the mailing receipt or get a signed acknowledgment if you hand-deliver. Those become your proof of compliance if the owner later disputes service.

After Recording: What Happens Next

A recorded lien has a shelf life. You have to file a lawsuit to foreclose on it in the superior court of the county where the property is located within eight calendar months of the recording date.⁸ If your lien states credit terms, the eight months instead run from when those credit terms expire. Let the deadline pass without filing and the lien expires automatically.

If you get paid, record a lien release with the same county auditor where you filed the original claim. The owner has the right to demand a release after payment, and an unreleased lien continues to cloud the title even after it has expired on its own terms. Owners forced to file a quiet-title action to clear a stale lien have recovered attorney fees from the claimant. Record the release promptly once the money arrives.

1
Washington State Legislature. Revised Code of Washington 60.04 – Mechanics’ and Materialmen’s Liens
2
Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 60.04.031 – Notices – Exceptions
3
Washington State Legislature. RCW 60.04.091 – Recording – Time – Contents of Lien
4
Washington State Legislature. RCW 60.04.081 – Frivolous Claim – Procedure
5
Washington State Legislature. RCW 36.18.010 – Fees of County Auditor
6
Pierce County, Washington. Recording, Excise, and Map Fees
7
Washington State Legislature. RCW 60.04.181 – Foreclosure – Costs and Fees
8
Washington State Legislature. RCW 60.04.141 – Lien – Duration – Procedural Limitations