Start a notice in seconds
Search the contractor you're owed money by and we'll pre-fill their license and address, then carry you straight into a California 20-day preliminary notice.
Pick a contractor above to begin a California 20-day preliminary notice with their details filled in.
Starting a California preliminary notice the fast way
In California, most subcontractors, material suppliers, and equipment lessors must serve a preliminary notice (the “20-day notice”) to preserve their mechanics lien, stop-payment-notice, and payment-bond rights. The single most common mistake is delay: under Civil Code §8204 the notice must be served within 20 days of first furnishing labor or materials, and a notice served late only protects work from the 20 days before it goes out. The faster you can fill it out and send it, the more of your work stays covered.
Why autocomplete the contractor
A preliminary notice has to name the right parties with the right details, and copying a general contractor's legal name, CSLB license number, and mailing address by hand is exactly where notices get delayed or filled out wrong. This tool searches the public California contractor directory as you type and pulls those fields straight from the CSLB record, so the party you're serving is identified correctly from the first keystroke.
Who you should search for
Search for the party you contracted under, usually the direct or general contractor. On a typical private job a sub or supplier serves the 20-day notice on the GC they're working for; the owner and the construction lender are served too, but the GC is the contractor you can look up by license here. Once selected, they're prefilled as the general contractor in the notice, and you can add the owner and lender in the next steps.
What happens after you start
Picking a contractor carries you into the guided notice flow with their details already filled in. You can finish the remaining fields, preview the document, and send it by certified mail without creating an account first. Not sure of your deadline? Run the dates through the 20-day deadline calculator first, or browse the contractor directory to confirm the record before you serve.
Frequently asked questions
How does the autocomplete work?
Type the name or CSLB license number of the contractor you worked under. We match it against the public California contractor directory and pre-fill their business name, license number, and mailing address into your preliminary notice so you don't have to copy them by hand.
Who should I search for?
Search for the party you contracted under, usually the general or direct contractor. On a typical project a subcontractor or material supplier serves the 20-day preliminary notice on the GC they're working for.
Do I need an account?
No. You can search and start a notice without signing up. You only create an account or pay when you're ready to send.