CONTRACTOR GLOSSARY · LIEN & LEGAL
What is a Preliminary notice?
A preliminary notice tells the owner (and often the GC and lender) that you're supplying labor or materials to their project — in many states, a required early step to preserve lien rights.
Owners can't protect against claims they don't know exist, so many states require subs and suppliers to announce themselves near the start of work. The preliminary notice ("pre-lien," "notice to owner") isn't a claim or an accusation — it's routine project paperwork that preserves your option to lien later if unpaid.
The deadlines are early and unforgiving: in some states the notice must go out within a set number of days from first furnishing labor or materials, and a late notice can limit or eliminate lien rights for work already performed. Sending it should be a job-setup step, not a reaction to a payment problem.
Common questions
Does sending a preliminary notice damage the relationship with the GC?
It shouldn't — it's standard practice, required by law in many states, and experienced GCs and owners see them constantly. It reads as professionalism, not aggression.
RevnuPros tracks the thing, not just the word
Permits to sign-off, T&M tags to signature, materials to billed through, retainage to released — built for subcontractors. Browse the full contractor glossary or the Massachusetts permit guide.
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