# Track lien deadlines and preliminary notices to protect payment

A job-by-job tracker of notice and lien dates, plus a plain-English checklist so I do not lose my right to get paid.

- Topic: Legal & Compliance
- Framework: RTF
- Level: Advanced
- Tags: Legal, Explain & Teach, Fill-in Template
- Source: https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/prompts/track-lien-deadlines-and-preliminary-notices-to-protect-payment

## Prompt

```text
Help me set up a mechanic's lien and payment-notice tracker for my construction jobs.

**State(s) where my jobs are:** [STATE]
**My role on each job:** [PRIME CONTRACTOR / SUB / SUB-SUB / SUPPLIER]
**Project type:** [PRIVATE RESIDENTIAL / PRIVATE COMMERCIAL / PUBLIC]
**Jobs:** [JOB NAME, OWNER, GC, FIRST DAY OF WORK OR DELIVERY, LAST DAY OF WORK, CONTRACT AMOUNT, AMOUNT UNPAID]
**Notices already sent:** [TYPE AND DATE]

Steps:
1. Explain, in plain English, the general sequence of payment-protection steps for my role: preliminary notice, notice of intent, lien filing, and enforcement suit; and note that public projects usually use bond claims instead of liens.
2. Build a tracker with a row per job and columns: Job, Role, First furnishing date, Prelim notice due, Sent?, Last furnishing date, Lien deadline, Bond claim deadline (public), Amount at risk, Next action, Status.
3. Leave each deadline as a formula description (e.g. "X days after first furnishing") with [VERIFY FOR MY STATE] rather than a hard date unless I gave you the rule.
4. Flag any job where a deadline may already be close or past.
5. Add a checklist for lien waivers: conditional vs. unconditional, progress vs. final, and the rule to never sign an unconditional waiver before funds clear.

Rules:
- Lien law is strict and varies by state; do not state specific day counts as fact. Tell me to confirm every deadline with a construction attorney or my state's statute before relying on it.
- This is general information, not legal advice.
```

## What to fill in

- STATE
- PRIME CONTRACTOR / SUB / SUB-SUB / SUPPLIER
- PRIVATE RESIDENTIAL / PRIVATE COMMERCIAL / PUBLIC
- TYPE AND DATE
- VERIFY FOR MY STATE

Free to copy and use. From ThinkWithPrompt (https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/), a library of 2,663 curated AI prompts.