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A subcontractor completes their final work on a private construction project on March 15th. The owner records a notice of completion on April 1st. What is the deadline for the subcontractor to record their mechanics lien?

Correct Answer

B) May 1st (30 days from notice of completion)

Under Civil Code Section 8412, when a notice of completion is recorded, subcontractors have only 30 days from the recording date to file their mechanics lien. Without a notice of completion, they would have 90 days from project completion, but the notice of completion significantly shortens this deadline.

Answer Options
A
July 1st (90 days from notice of completion)
B
May 1st (30 days from notice of completion)
C
June 14th (90 days from completion of work)
D
May 15th (60 days from completion of work)

Why This Is the Correct Answer

Under California Civil Code Section 8412, when an owner records a notice of completion, subcontractors (and materialmen) must record their mechanics lien within 30 days of that recording date. April 1 + 30 days = May 1st.

Why the Other Options Are Wrong

Option A: July 1st (90 days from notice of completion)

July 1st (90 days from the notice of completion) is incorrect. The 90-day period applies only when no notice of completion is recorded. Once a notice is filed, subcontractors get only 30 days, not 90.

Option C: June 14th (90 days from completion of work)

June 14th (90 days from the subcontractor's last day of work, March 15) represents the deadline if NO notice of completion had been recorded. Because a notice was recorded, the 30-day rule from that recording date controls instead.

Option D: May 15th (60 days from completion of work)

May 15th (60 days from completion of work) is a fabricated figure. There is no 60-day mechanics lien period in California law for subcontractors.

Memory Technique

NOC = Notice Of Cutting (time). When the owner records a Notice of Completion, the deadline gets CUT: subs go from 90 → 30 days. Prime contractors go from 90 → 60 days.

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