The California rules this page uses
- Preliminary notice: within 20 days after first furnishing work, to the owner, the direct contractor, and the construction lender. A direct contractor gives it only to the lender, and a laborer does not give one. A late notice covers only work from 20 days before it was served. §§ 8200, 8204.
- Claim of lien, recorded with the county recorder: a direct contractor, before the earlier of 90 days after completion or 60 days after a recorded notice of completion or cessation (§ 8412). Everyone else, before the earlier of 90 days after completion or 30 days after that notice (§ 8414).
- Completion of the whole job happens at actual completion, at occupation or use with labor stopped, after 60 days in a row with no labor, or when a notice of cessation is recorded after 30 days with no labor. § 8180.
- The claim of lien is served on the owner with the Notice of Mechanics Lien wording, or it cannot be enforced (§ 8416). A lawsuit to enforce it is due within 90 days after recording (§ 8460).
This is a calendar. It is not a law firm, and it does not serve the notice or record the lien. Public works follow different rules (§§ 9000 and after) and are not covered here.
How it works
- 1. Enter the job dates. Pick the state, say who hired you, and type the first and last day you furnished labor or materials.
- 2. See your deadlines. The page shows each notice, lien, and lawsuit date, with the statute section it comes from. Add them to your phone calendar or save the job on this phone.
- 3. Get reminders. With the $29-a-month plan, Job Clock sends an email and a text, in English or Spanish, before the dates. Only a company that signs up and asks gets them.
The free dates and the $29 plan
The dates are free
- Deadline dates for 14 states (Florida, Texas, California, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Virginia, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Missouri, Arizona, and Maryland), each with its statute section
- A calendar file (.ics) for your phone calendar
- Save jobs on this phone and print a job card
- Papers Clock: your own license, insurance, bond, CE, OSHA card, and permit dates, with a calendar file
- Everything in English or Spanish
The paid plan adds reminders: $29 a month for one company
- An email and a text, in English or Spanish, before your deadlines. On Florida jobs: seven days before the mail-by date and fourteen days before the claim-of-lien date. In every other state, the reminders are for the dates on your job card.
- On a Florida job with a permit number, the reminder names that number and the county's public permit search page.
- Reminders for your Papers Clock dates are included for now.
- After you pay, reply to your Stripe receipt email or email david.dukes77102@gmail.com with your job details, and the reminders are set from that email. Texts go only to people who opt in.
- Cancel any time before the next monthly charge.
Not in either one: Job Clock does not mail notices, file liens, pull permits, collect debts, or give legal advice.
Why it matters: missing one of these deadlines can end your lien rights on that job, and a lien is one way to get paid when an invoice stays unpaid. Job Clock shows the dates and reminds you. It cannot promise that a lien will hold or that you will get paid.
What someone pays for
The dates are free. The paid plan adds an email and a text, in English or Spanish, before the dates on this card, for $29 a month for one company. It covers California jobs and your Papers Clock dates. Only a person who asks for the reminders gets them, and texts go only to people who opt in.
You can cancel any time before the next monthly charge. Job Clock does not take card numbers on this page, does not file papers, does not mail notices, does not pull permits, and does not give legal advice. Paying does not mean a lien will hold or that you will get paid.
After you pay, reply to your Stripe receipt email, or email david.dukes77102@gmail.com, with the job address, the county, the dates on this card, and English or Spanish. That is how the reminders get set. Use the same email to cancel.
Where the dates come from
- Cal. Civ. Code § 8180 — completion
- Cal. Civ. Code § 8190 — owner's copy of a notice of completion or cessation
- Cal. Civ. Code § 8200 — who gives preliminary notice
- Cal. Civ. Code § 8204 — 20 days
- Cal. Civ. Code § 8216 — license discipline over $400
- Cal. Civ. Code § 8412 — direct contractor's claim of lien
- Cal. Civ. Code § 8414 — other claimants' claim of lien
- Cal. Civ. Code § 8416 — contents and service of the claim
- Cal. Civ. Code § 8460 — 90 days to sue
Statute text checked October 18, 2026 against the California Legislature's official code data (leginfo.legislature.ca.gov).
This is general information, not legal advice. Rules change. Check the current statute or ask a construction attorney in that state before you rely on a date. Job Clock does not file liens, mail notices, pull permits, or give legal advice.