A subcontractor completes work on February 10th but the general contractor doesn't make final payment until May 15th. Under Arizona lien law, what is the deadline for the subcontractor to file a lien?
Correct Answer
C) June 10th (120 days from completion)
Subcontractors must file liens within 120 days of completion of their work, regardless of when payment is received. February 10th + 120 days = June 10th.
Why This Is the Correct Answer
Under Arizona lien law, a subcontractor must record a lien within 120 days of the last date they provided labor or materials — not from the date of payment. The subcontractor completed work on February 10th. Adding 120 days: February has 18 remaining days (Feb 10 to Feb 28), March = 31, April = 30, May = 31 → 18 + 31 + 30 = 79 days through April, then 41 more days into June = June 10th. The payment date of May 15th is irrelevant to this calculation.
Why the Other Options Are Wrong
Option A: September 12th (120 days from final payment)
Option A ('September 12th — 120 days from final payment') is incorrect. The 120-day clock runs from the subcontractor's completion of work, not from when the general contractor makes payment. Using the May 15th payment date produces a wrong answer of September 12th.
Option B: July 15th (60 days from final payment)
Option B ('July 15th — 60 days from final payment') is incorrect for two reasons: (1) the trigger date is completion of work, not payment, and (2) Arizona allows 120 days for subcontractors to file liens — not 60 days.
Option D: August 15th (90 days from final payment)
Option D ('August 15th — 90 days from final payment') is incorrect. 90 days is not the correct lien filing period under Arizona law (it is 120 days), and the payment date is not the trigger event — completion of work is.
Memory Technique
Lien clock = Completion Clock. The moment a subcontractor sets down their tools for the last time, a 120-day countdown begins. Money coming in or not coming in has zero effect on that countdown.
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