Mechanics lien: direct contractor records claim of lien within 90 days after completion (no notice of completion/cessation recorded)

90 days after date of completion of the work of improvement (civ. code 8180), under Cal. Civ. Code 8412(a).

Rule text

A direct contractor may not enforce a lien unless the contractor records a claim of lien after the contractor completes the direct contract, and before the earlier of the following times: (a) Ninety days after completion of the work of improvement. (b) Sixty days after the owner records a notice of completion or cessation.

Cal. Civ. Code 8412(a), official source

Calculate this deadline

Deadline
Thursday, February 4, 2027
  1. Trigger (Date of completion of the work of improvement (Civ. Code 8180)): Friday, November 6, 2026.
  2. Exclude the trigger day and count 90 calendar days: Thursday, February 4, 2027.
Rules applied
Cal. Civ. Code 8412(a)
A direct contractor may not enforce a lien unless the contractor records a claim of lien after the contractor completes the direct contract, and before the earlier of the following times: (a) Ninety days after completion of the work of improvement. (b) Sixty days after the owner records a notice of completion or cessation.
Official source
Cal. Code Civ. Proc. 12, 12a, 12b; Cal. Gov. Code 6800, 6707 (state agency filings); Fed. R. Civ. P. 6(a) (federal statutes and federal court filings)
CCP 12: "The time in which any act provided by law is to be done is computed by excluding the first day, and including the last, unless the last day is a holiday, and then it is also excluded." CCP 12a(a): "If the last day for the performance of any act provided or required by law to be performed within a specified period of time is a holiday, then that period is hereby extended to and including the next day that is not a holiday. For purposes of this section, “holiday” means all day on Saturdays, all holidays specified in Section 135 and, to the extent provided in Section 12b, all days that by terms of Section 12b are required to be considered as holidays." Gov. Code 6707: "When the last day for filing any instrument or other document with a state agency falls upon a Saturday or holiday, such act may be performed upon the next business day with the same effect as if it had been performed upon the day appointed." FRCP 6(a): "The following rules apply in computing any time period specified in these rules, in any local rule or court order, or in any statute that does not specify a method of computing time. (1) ... (A) exclude the day of the event that triggers the period; (B) count every day, including intermediate Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays; and (C) include the last day of the period, but if the last day is a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, the period continues to run until the end of the next day that is not a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday."
Official source
  • Alternative to ml_direct_contractor_lien_60_days_after_noc (whichever is EARLIER). Must be recorded only AFTER the contractor completes its direct contract. Completion per 8180: actual completion; occupation/use plus cessation of labor; 60 days' continuous cessation; or recordation of a notice of cessation after 30 days' cessation; public-entity acceptance if applicable. AMBIGUITY: the text 'before the earlier of ... ninety days after completion' may be read as excluding day 90; conservatively record no later than the day before the computed date. Lien must be served on the owner with the Notice of Mechanics Lien (8416(c)) or it is unenforceable.
  • If the clerk's office is closed or inaccessible on the last day (weather, emergency or local closure orders), the deadline may be extended. Check local orders.
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This calculator applies the cited rules to the dates you enter. It is not legal advice. Court orders, local rules, and case-specific facts can change a deadline; verify before relying on it. Rule set pending attorney review.

Worked example

Date of completion of the work of improvement (Civ. Code 8180) on Monday, March 15, 2027, personal service: due Monday, June 14, 2027.

  1. Trigger (Date of completion of the work of improvement (Civ. Code 8180)): Monday, March 15, 2027.
  2. Exclude the trigger day and count 90 calendar days: Sunday, June 13, 2027.
  3. That day is a Sunday, so the deadline moves to the next court day: Monday, June 14, 2027 (Cal. Code Civ. Proc. 12, 12a, 12b; Cal. Gov. Code 6800, 6707 (state agency filings); Fed. R. Civ. P. 6(a) (federal statutes and federal court filings)).

Unsettled points

  • The calculator shows day 90 (or 60 or 30) rolled to the next business day if a holiday, as Civ. Code 10 and CCP 12a support, with advice to record earlier.Other reading: If the forward roll under Civ. Code 10, 11 and CCP 12a were not honored, the last day would be the unrolled day, one to three days earlier.

Notes

Alternative to ml_direct_contractor_lien_60_days_after_noc (whichever is EARLIER). Must be recorded only AFTER the contractor completes its direct contract. Completion per 8180: actual completion; occupation/use plus cessation of labor; 60 days' continuous cessation; or recordation of a notice of cessation after 30 days' cessation; public-entity acceptance if applicable. AMBIGUITY: the text 'before the earlier of ... ninety days after completion' may be read as excluding day 90; conservatively record no later than the day before the computed date. Lien must be served on the owner with the Notice of Mechanics Lien (8416(c)) or it is unenforceable.

Related deadlines

All California pre-suit, housing and employment deadlines

Rules current as of 2026-10-27. Confirm against the official source and any local rule or court order before relying on a date. Rules changelog.