PostalForm
Step 1 of 8California owners, direct contractors, and construction lenders

California 20-Day Preliminary Notice

California 20-Day Preliminary Notice helps subcontractors, suppliers, equipment lessors, and small contractors generate a preliminary notice packet, send it to the owner, direct contractor, and construction lender if known, and keep mailing proof.

Current step
Project fit
Is the project in California?, Is this a private construction project?, and Your role on the project
This step
5 fields · 5 required

PostalForm is not affiliated with California owners, direct contractors, and construction lenders.

Step 1

Project fit

Confirm the project type, your role, and the first date you furnished work or materials.

5 required
Is the project in California? *
Is this a private construction project? *
Did you contract directly with the owner or reputed owner? *

Enter the first date you furnished labor, service, equipment, or materials to see a timing helper.

Need more context?

The form is ready to fill now. If you want supporting instructions, mailing notes, or source links, they are below.

What you need+
  • Your claimant or business contact information
  • The California project address and first furnishing date
  • A short description of the labor, service, equipment, or materials furnished
  • Owner or reputed owner mailing details unless you contracted directly with the owner
  • Direct contractor mailing details unless you contracted directly with the owner
  • Construction lender mailing details if known
  • Optional contracts, invoices, delivery tickets, or project records you want attached
  • Contracts, invoices, delivery tickets, or project records (optional) — Upload supporting PDFs or images you want appended behind the generated notice packet.
How it works+
  1. Answer guided questions about your role, first furnishing date, claimant details, project, and recipients.
  2. PostalForm generates the California preliminary notice packet and proof-of-notice summary.
  3. Review the generated PDF and included attachments before continuing.
  4. PostalForm creates one Certified Mail mailpiece for each recipient so you can check out and track proof.
Where it gets mailed+

Enter the recipient address during checkout.

Packet order+
  • Cover page
  • California 20-Day Preliminary Notice
  • Project and recipient summary
  • Proof-of-notice mailing summary
  • Exhibit index
  • Uploaded exhibits in normalized order
Common mistakes+
  • Waiting too long after the first furnishing date to prepare and mail the notice.
  • Leaving out a known owner, direct contractor, or construction lender recipient.
  • Using a job site address when the recipient needs notice at a business or mailing address.
  • Treating the deadline helper as legal advice instead of confirming the rule for the project.
FAQs+
Does PostalForm decide who must receive the California preliminary notice?

No. The workflow suggests owner, direct contractor, and construction lender roles from California Civil Code section 8200, but you are responsible for confirming the correct recipients.

Can I send to more than one recipient?

Yes. The workflow collects multiple recipients and creates one addressed Certified Mail piece for each selected recipient.

Is this legal advice?

No. PostalForm helps generate, print, mail, and track the packet based on information you provide. It is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.

Sources+
Related+
Last verified+

Last California owners, direct contractors, and construction lenders verification: April 26, 2026