Fort Bend County Preliminary Notice to Original Contractor Form

Last validated July 20, 2026 by our Forms Development Team

Fort Bend County Preliminary Notice to Original Contractor Form

Fort Bend County Preliminary Notice to Original Contractor Form

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

Document Last Validated 7/20/2026
Fort Bend County Preliminary Notice to Original Contractor Guide

Fort Bend County Preliminary Notice to Original Contractor Guide

Line by line guide explaining every blank on the form.

Document Last Validated 7/9/2026
Fort Bend County Completed Example of the Notice to Original Contractor Document

Fort Bend County Completed Example of the Notice to Original Contractor Document

Example of a properly completed form for reference.

Document Last Validated 7/8/2026

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

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

Where to Record Your Documents

East Annex Office

Address:
307 Texas Parkway at Hwy 90A
Missouri City, Texas 77489

Hours: Monday - Friday 8:00am - 11:45 & 1:00 - 4:00pm

Phone: (281) 341-8652 or 341-8685 (automated)

County Clerk - Main Office

Address:
301 Jackson St
Richmond, Texas 77469

Hours: Mon & Thu 8:00am - 5:00pm; Tue, Wed & Fri 8:00am - 4:00pm

Phone: (281) 341-8652 or 341-8685 (automated)

North Annex Office

Address:
22333 Grand Corner Dr
Katy, Texas 77494

Hours: Monday - Friday 8:00am - 11:45 & 1:00 - 4:00pm

Phone: (281) 341-8652 or 341-8685 (automated)

Recording Tips for Fort Bend County:
  • Documents must be on 8.5 x 11 inch white paper
  • White-out or correction fluid may cause rejection
  • Make copies of your documents before recording - keep originals safe
  • Both spouses typically need to sign if property is jointly owned
  • Avoid the last business day of the month when possible

Cities and Jurisdictions in Fort Bend County

Properties in any of these areas use Fort Bend County forms:

  • Beasley
  • Fresno
  • Fulshear
  • Guy
  • Houston
  • Katy
  • Kendleton
  • Missouri City
  • Needville
  • Orchard
  • Richmond
  • Rosenberg
  • Simonton
  • Stafford
  • Sugar Land
  • Thompsons

View Complete Recorder Office Guide

Hours, fees, requirements, and more for Fort Bend County

How do I get my forms?

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

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

Recording fees in Fort Bend County vary. Contact the recorder's office at (281) 341-8652 or 341-8685 (automated) for current fees.

Questions answered? Let's get started!

Texas Second Month Notice

According to Texas lien law, all claimants other than the original contractor must provide preliminary notice to establish a claim for a valid mechanic's lien. TEX. PROP. CODE 53.056. Use the preliminary notice form under 53.056(b) when lien claim arises from a debt incurred by a subcontractor.

A mechanic's lien is an encumbrance on an owner's title, used to guarantee payment to builders, contractors, and construction businesses which build or repair structures, by using the property where the work was completed as a form of collateral. Suppliers of materials and subcontractors may also claim a mechanic's lien. The lien ensures that the workmen are paid before anyone else if the property subject to the lien is eventually foreclosed upon.

The law states that before filing and recording a mechanic's lien, the claimant must give written notice of the unpaid balance to the original contractor. Texas requires prelien notice to be served on the owner and other interested parties. Prelien notices serve two purposes: to protect the interests of subcontractors and suppliers, and to give property owners a defense against having to pay twice for parts of the same project.

Deliver the notice to the original contractor no later than the 15th day of the second month following each month in which all or part of the claimant's labor was performed or material delivered. Id. This is also known as a "Second Month Notice." It identifies the parties, dates, materials/services, and amount due. For reference, include an invoice or statement to clarify billing details.

Send it by registered or certified mail, addressed to the original contractor at his or her last known business or residence address. TEX. PROP. CODE 53.056(e).

Remember that each case is unique and the mechanic's lien law in Texas can be complicated and unforgiving of mistakes. Therefore, contact an attorney for complex situations or with specific questions about the preliminary notice to the original contractor or about any other issues related to liens.

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

This Preliminary Notice to Original Contractor meets all recording requirements specific to Fort Bend County.

Our Promise

The documents you receive here are guaranteed to meet or exceed the applicable Fort Bend 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 Fort Bend County Preliminary Notice to Original Contractor 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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June 13th, 2019

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July 19th, 2024

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Your satisfaction with our services is of utmost importance to us. Thank you for letting us know how we did!

Gerry H.

July 29th, 2020

Very good instruction for filling out the forms!

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September 12th, 2020

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Reply from Staff

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Frankie A.

February 19th, 2021

Deeds.com recorded documents for me without any issue. It's a good service and provides a lot of assistance on its web site. However, I asked for a printed receipt (i.e. an pdf copy of one), but after a staff provided me with an obvious answer, they simply ignored my follow up requests. I also asked a simple formatting question that they should have been able to answer; instead, they passed the buck and referred me to the recorder, which currently is a very time-consuming venture. They also have no telephone number for any issue. Generally, the service saves me the time and effort of physically recording a document, but when you think about $19.00 per recording seems like a steep price for the services rendered.

Reply from Staff

We appreciate your feedback Frankie. We are glad that we were able to submit your documents as requested. Sorry to hear that we let you down in other areas. We do encourage you to shop around for services that may better suit your needs. Have a wonderful day.

Bill M.

September 21st, 2022

I found the path from the home page to actually ordering the document I wanted extremely convoluted and non-intuitive. I went around in circles several times before I figured out how to actually buy the document.

Reply from Staff

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November 6th, 2019

I was blown away by all the information I received for just $19.00!! I am still reading through it. Great job of explaining everything.

Reply from Staff

Thank you!

Joyce M.

July 28th, 2019

Great website, but not helpful in locating my deed dated 1747.

Reply from Staff

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June 8th, 2022

So easy, very simple to use. I was very pleased with the service Deeds provided. Would definely use again.

Reply from Staff

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TIFFANY C.

May 20th, 2020

It would be nice if the notary State was fillable, we are having to notarize in another State. Also, need more room to add 2 beneficiaries with two different addresses.

Reply from Staff

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May 13th, 2020

First time user but very pleased with user friendly service and reasonable cost.

Reply from Staff

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June 24th, 2021

Thought it was great, no issues. Very convenient especially dealing with difficult municipalities and a post COVID world. Thanks

Reply from Staff

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December 14th, 2018

Thanks for the service which was excellent and timely. Instructions were easy to follow and results worth the cost.

Reply from Staff

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Lawrence R.

February 4th, 2020

Forms do not allow enough space for fields and cutoff. Need to expand the fields to allow for more writing. I ended up re-typing to be able to include full property description. Would be nice if available in Word format rather than only PDF format.

Reply from Staff

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Tracey T.

July 19th, 2019

Lots of great information. Might need to view it again but found it very helpful!

Reply from Staff

Thank you!