Hays County Notice of Contractual Retainage Form

Last validated October 20, 2026 by our Forms Development Team

Formatted for recording in Hays County, for property anywhere in the county: rural and unincorporated areas as well as Austin, Buda, Driftwood, Dripping Springs, Kyle, San Marcos, Wimberley.

$3997
One-time purchase. No subscription.
  • 3 documents included
  • Immediate PDF download
  • Formatting guarantee

Hays County Notice of Contractual Retainage Form

Hays County Notice of Contractual Retainage Form

Fill in the blank Notice of Contractual Retainage form formatted to comply with all Texas recording and content requirements.

Document last validated 10/20/2026
Hays County Notice of Contractual Retainage Guide

Hays County Notice of Contractual Retainage Guide

Line by line guide explaining every blank on the form.

Document last validated 10/7/2026
Hays County Completed Example of the Notice of Contractual Retainage Document

Hays County Completed Example of the Notice of Contractual Retainage Document

Example of a properly completed form for reference.

Document last validated 9/9/2026

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

Immediate Download • Secure Checkout

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

Where to Record Your Documents

County Clerk's Main Office

Address:
Government Center - 712 S Stagecoach Trail, Suite 2008
San Marcos, Texas 78666

Hours: Mon - Fri 8:00am - 4:30pm / Wed until 6:00pm

Phone: (512) 393-7738

County Clerk Precinct 2 Substation

Address:
5458 FM 2770 (co-located with Commissioner)
Kyle, Texas 78666

Hours: Monday - Friday 8:00am - 12:00 & 1:00 - 4:30pm

Phone: (512) 393-7330

Recording Tips for Hays County:
  • Bring your driver's license or state-issued photo ID
  • Ensure all signatures are in blue or black ink
  • Ask about their eRecording option for future transactions
  • Avoid the last business day of the month when possible
  • Both spouses typically need to sign if property is jointly owned

Cities and Jurisdictions in Hays County

Properties in any of these areas use Hays County forms:

  • Austin
  • Buda
  • Driftwood
  • Dripping Springs
  • Kyle
  • San Marcos
  • Wimberley

View Complete Recorder Office Guide

Hours, fees, requirements, and more for Hays County

How do I get my forms?

Forms are available for immediate download after payment. The Hays 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 Hays County?

Yes. Our form blanks are guaranteed to meet or exceed the applicable formatting requirements used for recording in Hays 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 Hays 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. The free Adobe Acrobat Reader is recommended, and most PDF apps also work. 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 Hays County?

Recording fees in Hays County vary. Contact the recorder's office at (512) 393-7738 for current fees.

Questions answered? Let's get started!

As a contractor, it's important to send out early notice forms shortly after beginning work on a construction job. By putting all interested parties on notice, claimants can help protect their lien rights. One important early notice form is called a Notice of Contractual Retainage, as defined at Sec. 53.057 of the Texas Property Code.

Retainage means an amount representing part of a contract payment that is not required to be paid to the claimant within the month following the month in which labor is performed, material is furnished, or specially fabricated material is delivered. TEX. PROP. CODE 53.001(11). Simply put, it is a portion of the agreed upon contract price that is deliberately withheld until the work reaches substantial completion to assure that contractor or subcontractor will satisfy its obligations and complete a construction project. If the job is not up to par, the retainage amount is used to make any changes or fixes.

Give this notice to all other interested parties to make them aware that the person who hired you is withholding a retainage amount from you under your contract. Therefore, once provided with the notice, the other parties above you can withhold a matching retainage amount. If you are an original contractor on the job, the notice is not required since the owner already has such notice of any retainage agreement.

Use this form if you do not have a direct contract with the owner or the original contractor. Thus, you need to provide this notice to these parties to make them aware of the existing retainage agreement. The claimant must give the owner or reputed owner the notice of contractual retainage no later than the earlier of: (a) the 30th day after the date the claimant's agreement providing for retainage is completed, terminated, or abandoned; or (b) the 30th day after the date the original contract is terminated or abandoned. TEX. PROP. CODE 53.057(b).

The Notice of Contractual Retainage does not need to be notarized or recorded. Instead, deliver it to relevant parties via certified or registered US mail, with return receipt requested.

Each case is unique, and the Texas lien law is complicated. Contact an attorney for complex situations, with specific questions about sending a notice of contractual retainage, or any other issue about mechanic's liens.

Important: Your property must be located in Hays County to use these forms. Documents should be recorded at the county recording office listed above.

This Notice of Contractual Retainage meets all recording requirements specific to Hays County.

Our Promise

The documents you receive here are guaranteed to meet or exceed the applicable Hays 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 Hays County Notice of Contractual Retainage 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.

4.8 out of 5 - ( 4,836 Reviews )

julie S. 5 out of 5 stars

I love this company!! Excellent customer service and quick!! Thank you

Reply from Staff

We appreciate your business and value your feedback. Thank you. Have a wonderful day!

James C. 4 out of 5 stars

First time user and was directed there from a search on my home state for a state form. The downloaded form was complete with instructions and sample filled out form. I was not happy about the cost for the form, but it did the job.

Reply from Staff

Thank you for your feedback. We really appreciate it. Have a great day!

James N. 2 out of 5 stars

The purchasing process was very slick and my credit card was charged IMMEDIATELY. The deliver went well as the link was provided immediately. However I asked a question via the "Contact Us" link and days later I get a survey but no reply. I may have been directed to the wrong forms via my County and I wanted to confirm that...but still no answer. What would that deserve as a rating???

Reply from Staff

Also, your history on our site shows no messages sent via our contact us page.

katherine a. 5 out of 5 stars

loved the ease of use for the forms. went on line to find out about Adobe Reader, too. Had a test to see if I had it. Took few seconds. Then on to ordering and downloading which took only 5 minutes for the three forms I wanted. Thanks, Katie Anderson

Reply from Staff

Thank you for your feedback. We really appreciate it. Have a great day!

Christine M. 5 out of 5 stars

Forms were top notch, easy to complete, printed beautifully, recorded with no revisions. Highly recommend for anyone preparing their own deeds.

Reply from Staff

Thank you for the kind words Christine. Have an amazing day!

Burr A. 5 out of 5 stars

So far so good. Prompt and responsive. Thank you.

Reply from Staff

Thank you!

matthew h. 5 out of 5 stars

Totally awesome. Useless waste of time looking anywhere else for real estate deed forms. All the stars!!

Reply from Staff

Thank you!

Jack B. 5 out of 5 stars

All worked out well.

Reply from Staff

Thank you!

Jany F. 5 out of 5 stars

Great and quick service.

Reply from Staff

Thank you!

Allan y. 5 out of 5 stars

I liked the guide and example to follow to fill out the form. Very helpful!!

Reply from Staff

Thank you!

Janna V. 4 out of 5 stars

Very easy process!

Reply from Staff

Thank you!

Kevin C. 2 out of 5 stars

I like your service, but the error message I received yesterday was confusing. It said that Utah County does not record cover pages, so I should either remove the cover page or change the “order“ of the documents being submitted. This is ambiguous. I examined my package and it looked like the cover page was already being submitted separately, as a supporting document at the end, and there was no way to explicitly change the ordering of the submitted documents, that is up to your service. So I removed the cover page. But that makes me nervous, how will they know where to route it when it is done? So now I’m not sure if it was submitted correctly.

Reply from Staff

Thank you for the review, Kevin, and for laying out exactly what you saw.

The message you received ("Utah County does not accept cover pages for recording. Please remove or reorder to the back. Thank you.") came directly from the Utah County Recorder. We pass recorder rejection notes along as written, and we agree it was ambiguous. Rejection notes from recording offices often are, since they are written for people who file in that county every day.

Supporting documents always travel behind the main document they belong to, so there was nothing for you to reorder, and by your description the cover page was already at the back. With the cover page removed, the package matched what the recorder's note asked for.

On routing: nothing is mailed back with e-recording. The recorder records the document image, adds the recording information, and returns the recorded copy electronically through the e-recording system to us. It then appears on your package in your account and you get a message from us. A cover page plays no part in that, so leaving it out did not affect where your document goes.

ARACELI V. 5 out of 5 stars

AWESOME COMPANY RELIABLE FAST AND EASY, VERY ECONOMIC, LOVE TO WORK WITH THEM , GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE , THEY REPLY TO YOU FAST

Reply from Staff

Thank you for your feedback. We really appreciate it. Have a great day!

Kathy C. 5 out of 5 stars

It's worth the cost to download the fill in the blank forms. So quick and easy. The lady I spoke to on the phone was super nice and very helpful. She deserves a medal for being so patient with me.

Reply from Staff

Thank you!

Miles B. 5 out of 5 stars

Fast, professional work at a great price.

Reply from Staff

We appreciate your business and value your feedback. Thank you. Have a wonderful day!