Los Angeles County Preliminary Notice Form

Last validated May 20, 2026 by our Forms Development Team

Los Angeles County Preliminary Notice Form

Los Angeles County Preliminary Notice Form

Fill in the blank Preliminary Notice form formatted to comply with all California recording and content requirements.

Document Last Validated 5/19/2026
Los Angeles County Preliminary Notice Guide

Los Angeles County Preliminary Notice Guide

Line by line guide explaining every blank on the form.

Document Last Validated 5/20/2026
Los Angeles County Completed Example of the Preliminary Notice Document

Los Angeles County Completed Example of the Preliminary Notice Document

Example of a properly completed form for reference.

Document Last Validated 4/27/2026

All 3 documents above included • One-time purchase • No recurring fees

Immediate Download • Secure Checkout

Important: Your property must be located in Los Angeles County to use these forms. Documents should be recorded at the office below.

Where to Record Your Documents

Registrar-Recorder /County Clerk Headquarters /Mailing Address

Address:
12400 Imperial Hwy /Mail: PO Box 1250
Norwalk, California 90650

Hours: Mon-Fri 8:00 to 5:00

Phone: (800) 201-8999

Lancaster Recording Office

Address:
44509 16th St West, Suite 101
Lancaster, California 93534

Hours: Mon-Fri 8:30 to 3:30

Phone: (661) 945-6446

LAX / Courthouse

Address:
11701 S La Cienega Blvd, 6th floor
Los Angeles, California 90045

Hours: Mon-Fri 8:30 to 3:30

Phone: (310) 727-6142

Van Nuys Recording Office

Address:
14340 W Sylvan St
Van Nuys, California 91401

Hours: Mon-Fri 8:30 to 3:30

Phone: (818) 374-7176

Recording Tips for Los Angeles County:
  • Ensure all signatures are in blue or black ink
  • Ask if they accept credit cards - many offices are cash/check only
  • Make copies of your documents before recording - keep originals safe
  • Bring extra funds - fees can vary by document type and page count

Cities and Jurisdictions in Los Angeles County

Properties in any of these areas use Los Angeles County forms:

  • Acton
  • Agoura Hills
  • Alhambra
  • Altadena
  • Arcadia
  • Artesia
  • Avalon
  • Azusa
  • Baldwin Park
  • Bell
  • Bell Gardens
  • Bellflower
  • Beverly Hills
  • Burbank
  • Calabasas
  • Canoga Park
  • Canyon Country
  • Carson
  • Castaic
  • Cerritos
  • Chatsworth
  • City Of Industry
  • Claremont
  • Compton
  • Covina
  • Culver City
  • Diamond Bar
  • Downey
  • Duarte
  • El Monte
  • El Segundo
  • Encino
  • Gardena
  • Glendale
  • Glendora
  • Granada Hills
  • Hacienda Heights
  • Harbor City
  • Hawaiian Gardens
  • Hawthorne
  • Hermosa Beach
  • Huntington Park
  • Inglewood
  • La Canada Flintridge
  • La Crescenta
  • La Mirada
  • La Puente
  • La Verne
  • Lake Hughes
  • Lakewood
  • Lancaster
  • Lawndale
  • Littlerock
  • Llano
  • Lomita
  • Long Beach
  • Los Angeles
  • Lynwood
  • Malibu
  • Manhattan Beach
  • Marina Del Rey
  • Maywood
  • Mission Hills
  • Monrovia
  • Montebello
  • Monterey Park
  • Montrose
  • Mount Wilson
  • Mt Baldy
  • Newhall
  • North Hills
  • North Hollywood
  • Northridge
  • Norwalk
  • Pacific Palisades
  • Pacoima
  • Palmdale
  • Palos Verdes Peninsula
  • Panorama City
  • Paramount
  • Pasadena
  • Pearblossom
  • Pico Rivera
  • Playa Del Rey
  • Pomona
  • Porter Ranch
  • Rancho Palos Verdes
  • Redondo Beach
  • Reseda
  • Rosemead
  • Rowland Heights
  • San Dimas
  • San Fernando
  • San Gabriel
  • San Marino
  • San Pedro
  • Santa Clarita
  • Santa Fe Springs
  • Santa Monica
  • Sherman Oaks
  • Sierra Madre
  • Signal Hill
  • South El Monte
  • South Gate
  • South Pasadena
  • Stevenson Ranch
  • Studio City
  • Sun Valley
  • Sunland
  • Sylmar
  • Tarzana
  • Temple City
  • Toluca Lake
  • Topanga
  • Torrance
  • Tujunga
  • Universal City
  • Valencia
  • Valley Village
  • Valyermo
  • Van Nuys
  • Venice
  • Verdugo City
  • Walnut
  • West Covina
  • West Hills
  • West Hollywood
  • Whittier
  • Wilmington
  • Winnetka
  • Woodland Hills

View Complete Recorder Office Guide

Hours, fees, requirements, and more for Los Angeles County

How do I get my forms?

Forms are available for immediate download after payment. The Los Angeles County forms will be in your account ready to download to your computer. An account is created for you during checkout if you don't have one. Forms are NOT emailed.

Are these forms guaranteed to be recordable in Los Angeles County?

Yes. Our form blanks are guaranteed to meet or exceed the applicable formatting requirements used for recording in Los Angeles County, including margin requirements, font requirements, and other layout standards. This guarantee applies to formatting, not to the legal sufficiency of information entered by the user or the suitability of a form for a particular transaction.

Can I reuse these forms?

Yes. You can reuse the forms for your personal use. For example, if you have multiple properties in Los Angeles County you only need to order once.

What do I need to use these forms?

The forms are PDFs that you fill out on your computer. You'll need Adobe Reader (free software that most computers already have). You do NOT enter your property information online - you download the blank forms and complete them privately on your own computer.

Are there any recurring fees?

No. This is a one-time purchase. Nothing to cancel, no memberships, no recurring fees.

How much does it cost to record in Los Angeles County?

Recording fees in Los Angeles County vary. Contact the recorder's office at (800) 201-8999 for current fees.

Questions answered? Let's get started!

A claimant other than a laborer or direct contractor must serve preliminary notice under Civ. Code 8200 in order reserve the right to to claim a future mechanic's lien on a property. The notice must be served to the owner, direct contractor, and construction lender, if any.

California law requires notice to be served within 20 days of first furnishing labor, materials, services, or equipment in a work of improvement. A claimant may give late notice, but this limits the claimant's lien to only work performed within 20 days prior to giving the late notice, and work from that point forward (Civ. Code 8204).

Notices in relation to mechanic's liens must follow requirements under Civ. Code 8102, which include the names and addresses of the owners, direct contractor, and construction lender, if any, a description of the job site and job site address, and the name, address, and relationship to the parties of the claimant providing notice.

In addition to these requirements, the preliminary notice under Civ. Code 8200 requires a general description of the work provided by the potential claimant, an estimate of the total price of the work, and a verbatim notice to the property owner established by statute. If a preliminary notice is given by a subcontractor who has not paid all compensation due to a laborer, the notice also requires the name and address of all laborers to whom payment is due (Civ. Code 8202).

Pursuant to Civ. Code 8106, notice can be served by personal delivery, mail (as provided by Civ. Code 8110), or leaving a notice and mailing a copy according to the Code of Civil Procedure for service of summons in a civil action.

While this notice is typically not recorded, it may be filed with the county recorder for the limited purpose of facilitating the recorder's mailing of notices. When recorded, the preliminary notice does not constitute a recorded document and is maintained in a separate index. It does not function to provide constructive notice to third parties (Cal Civ. Code 8214).

Consult a lawyer with questions about preliminary notices, mechanic's lien laws, or any other issues related to real property in the State of California.

Important: Your property must be located in Los Angeles County to use these forms. Documents should be recorded at the office below.

This Preliminary Notice meets all recording requirements specific to Los Angeles County.

Our Promise

The documents you receive here are guaranteed to meet or exceed the applicable Los Angeles County recording format requirements. If there is a rejection caused by our formatting, we will correct the issue or refund your payment. This guarantee applies to document formatting only and does not extend to information entered by the user, the selection of the form, or the legal effect of the completed document.

Save Time and Money

Get your Los Angeles County Preliminary Notice form done right the first time with Deeds.com Uniform Conveyancing Blanks. At Deeds.com, we understand that your time and money are valuable resources, and we don't want you to face a penalty fee or rejection imposed by a county recorder for submitting nonstandard documents. We constantly review and update our forms to meet rapidly changing state and county recording requirements for roughly 3,500 counties and local jurisdictions.

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May 28th, 2021

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July 28th, 2021

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