Shelby County Notice of Contractual Retainage Form

Last validated June 9, 2026 by our Forms Development Team

Shelby County Notice of Contractual Retainage Form

Shelby 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 6/1/2026
Shelby County Notice of Contractual Retainage Guide

Shelby County Notice of Contractual Retainage Guide

Line by line guide explaining every blank on the form.

Document Last Validated 6/9/2026
Shelby County Completed Example of the Notice of Contractual Retainage Document

Shelby County Completed Example of the Notice of Contractual Retainage Document

Example of a properly completed form for reference.

Document Last Validated 6/3/2026

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

Immediate Download • Secure Checkout

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

Where to Record Your Documents

Shelby County Clerk

Address:
124 Austin St / PO Box 1987
Center, Texas 75935

Hours: 8:00 to 4:30 Monday through Friday

Phone: (936) 598-6361

Recording Tips for Shelby County:
  • Ask if they accept credit cards - many offices are cash/check only
  • Recorded documents become public record - avoid including SSNs
  • Leave recording info boxes blank - the office fills these
  • Some documents require witnesses in addition to notarization

Cities and Jurisdictions in Shelby County

Properties in any of these areas use Shelby County forms:

  • Center
  • Joaquin
  • Shelbyville
  • Tenaha
  • Timpson

View Complete Recorder Office Guide

Hours, fees, requirements, and more for Shelby County

How do I get my forms?

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

Yes. Our form blanks are guaranteed to meet or exceed the applicable formatting requirements used for recording in Shelby 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 Shelby 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 Shelby County?

Recording fees in Shelby County vary. Contact the recorder's office at (936) 598-6361 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 Shelby County to use these forms. Documents should be recorded at the office below.

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

Our Promise

The documents you receive here are guaranteed to meet or exceed the applicable Shelby 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 Shelby 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 - ( 4738 Reviews )

Thomas M.

August 24th, 2021

Great Service. I had to record 13 deeds in various Oregon counties, with o previous experience, and the process was straightforward with excellent instruction. Thank you.

Reply from Staff

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

Donald B.

November 21st, 2021

Pretty good forms, they would probably be better if I read the directions but...

Reply from Staff

Thank you!

Patricia C.

February 6th, 2020

They had exactly what I was looking for. Easy to follow instructions and very helpful.

Reply from Staff

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

EMMA J.

January 28th, 2022

I am still learning how this work. Right now this is the form I need. I thank you. I will give survey again once I have completed this form.

Reply from Staff

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

Paul F.

December 26th, 2018

Excellent - no reservations. I used them on a Sunday and had my info on Monday. Not only did they execute the order flawlessly, the fixed my screw up* immediately. *I hit refresh before the "secured" page transmitted, so I created (2) two orders of the same item.

Reply from Staff

Thanks for the review Paul, glad you were happy with the service and staff. Our staff is pretty good at catching the few duplicate orders that get through.

Johanna R.

April 21st, 2022

As soon as payment was received the forms were downloaded, printed and were useable. The guide was helpful and I was able to get my forms filled out and filed with no problem here in Linn County Oregon. I would recommend the site to anyone.

Reply from Staff

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

Carl T.

May 21st, 2020

Very simple to download and manage. very Impressed!

Reply from Staff

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

George W.

April 2nd, 2020

The process was easy and the forms were a very complete package. FAST AND EASY DOWNLOAD

Reply from Staff

Thank you George.

James B.

June 9th, 2019

Reliable and fast. A great assest.

Reply from Staff

Thank you!

Pamela S.

January 6th, 2021

Great experience! Instructions are very clear and thorough. The completeness of the instructions really inspired confidence. Within minutes of uploading my document, I received a message that it had been prepared and submitted to the county for recording. Makes it so simple! Well worth it.

Reply from Staff

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

Craig H.

February 26th, 2022

Worked exactly like it was supposed to. No glitches

Reply from Staff

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

Stephen K.

July 5th, 2019

The forms were correct and the instructions and Completed sample were very helpful. I filled it out and filed it at the county office, they didn't question anything. Thank you.

Reply from Staff

Thank you!

Jane N.

February 17th, 2022

Good morning, It seems to be easy to navigate and print out the form I needed. Great!!! Jane

Reply from Staff

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

Cherene K.

February 19th, 2019

The process was easy and reasonable. My only problem was that, when I filled out my form on the computer, the writing I did overlapped with the pre-written words on the form, so that I had to end up doing it by hand. I've used DEEDS before and have not had that problem.

Reply from Staff

Thank you for your feedback Cherene. We've emailed you for some followup regarding the issue you reported.

Michael F.

March 12th, 2020

Very useful and right at your fingers when you need a form. Recommend these forms highly. Thank you!!!!!

Reply from Staff

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