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HomeCivil CodeDiv. 4Pt. 6Ch. 2§ 8214 Preliminary Notice Filing

§ 8214 Preliminary Notice Filing

Civil Code·California
AI Summary·Official Text·Key Terms·Related Statutes·References
AI SummaryVerified

§ 8214 Preliminary Notice Filing

Key Takeaways

  • •If you file a preliminary notice, you can also file it with the county recorder.
  • •The county recorder will tell you if a project is finished or stopped, but they have 5 days to do it.
  • •If the county recorder forgets to tell you or you don’t get the message, it doesn’t change the deadline to file a lien.
  • •The preliminary notice is only for getting updates—it doesn’t mean anyone else knows about it or has to check it.

Example

You worked on building a house and filed a preliminary notice to say you were part of the project.

The county recorder will mail you if the house is finished or the work stops. But if they forget to mail you, you still have to file your lien on time. The notice you filed doesn’t mean the owner or others automatically know about it.

AI-generated — May contain errors. Not legal advice. Always verify source.

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 8214 Preliminary Notice Filing

(a) Each person who has served a preliminary notice may file the preliminary notice with the county recorder. A preliminary notice filed pursuant to this section shall comply with the requirements of Section 8102. (b) Upon the acceptance for recording of a notice of completion or notice of cessation the county recorder shall mail to those persons who have filed a preliminary notice, notification that a notice of completion or notice of cessation has been recorded on the property, and shall affix the date that the notice of completion or notice of cessation was recorded with the county recorder. The notification given by the county recorder under this section is not governed by the requirements of Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 8100) of Title 1. (c) The failure of the county recorder to mail the notification to the person who filed a preliminary notice, or the failure of those persons to receive the notification or to receive complete notification, shall not affect the period within which a claim of lien is required to be recorded. However, the county recorder shall make a good faith effort to mail notification to those persons who have filed the preliminary notice under this section and to do so within five days after the recording of a notice of completion or notice of cessation. (d) The county recorder may cause to be destroyed all documents filed pursuant to this section, two years after the date of filing. (e) The preliminary notice that a person may file pursuant to this section is for the limited purpose of facilitating the mailing of notice by the county recorder of recorded notices of completion and notices of cessation. The notice that is filed is not a recordable document and shall not be entered into those official records of the county which by law impart constructive notice. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the index maintained by the recorder of filed preliminary notices shall be separate and distinct from those indexes maintained by the county recorder of those official records of the county which by law impart constructive notice. The filing of a preliminary notice with the county recorder does not give rise to any actual or constructive notice with respect to any party of the existence or contents of a filed preliminary notice nor to any duty of inquiry on the part of any party as to the existence or contents of that notice. (Added by Stats. 2010, Ch. 697, Sec. 20. (SB 189) Effective January 1, 2011. Operative July 1, 2012, by Sec. 105 of Ch. 697 and by Section 8052.)

Last verified: January 21, 2026

Key Terms

notificationcompletioncessationacceptancepropertylienclaimpreliminary notice

Related Statutes

  • § 1103.3 Seller Disclosure Delivery Requirements
  • § 1954.071 Disaster Lodging Protections
  • § 8202 Preliminary Notice Requirements
  • § 8204 Preliminary Notice Requirements
  • § 8424 Lien Release Bond Requirements

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Civil Code. Section 8214.
View Official Source