# Alabama — Mechanics lien filing deadlines, preliminary notice requirements, and enforcement windows by US state and party role

For Alabama, preliminary notice required is conditional — not required for GC; subs/suppliers must serve Notice of Unpaid Balance on owner before filing the lien; notice name is Notice of Unpaid Balance; notice deadline — gc (days) is not required; notice deadline — sub/supplier (days) is before filing lien (no specific day deadline stated); lien recording deadline — gc (days) is 6 months, recorded from its source on 2026-08-14.

- **State:** Alabama _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Preliminary notice required:** conditional — not required for GC; subs/suppliers must serve Notice of Unpaid Balance on owner before filing the lien _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Notice name:** Notice of Unpaid Balance _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Notice deadline — GC (days):** not required _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Notice deadline — sub/supplier (days):** before filing lien (no specific day deadline stated)
- **Lien recording deadline — GC (days):** 6 months _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Lien recording deadline — sub/supplier (days):** 4 months _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Enforcement deadline (days):** 6 months after the date the entire amount became due _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Lien scope:** unpaid balance _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Late notice consequence:** forfeiture _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Statute:** Alabama Code §35-11-210 et seq.

## What the source says

> Not required. An original contractor in direct contract with the owner has no preliminary notice obligation. Mechanic Lien: File the Verified Statement of Mechanic Lien with the judge of probate in the county where the property is located within 6 months after the last item of work or labor has been performed. Enforcement: Commence suit to enforce the mechanic lien within 6 months after the date the entire amount became due. Subcontractors & Suppliers Preliminary Notice: A Notice of Unpaid Balance must be served on the owner before filing the mechanic lien. Alabama law does not set a specific deadline; the only requirement is that the notice is delivered before the Verified Statement is filed. Failure to serve it invalidates the lien. Material suppliers have an optional Notice to Owner Before Work. If a material supplier delivers this notice to the owner before furnishing any materials, the supplier obtains full-price lien rights equivalent to an original contractor. Subcontractors cannot use this notice. Best practice is to serve the Notice of Unpaid Balance as early as possible. The lien is limited to the unpaid balance owed by the owner to the original contractor at the time the notice is served, so earlier service protects a larger amount. Mechanic Lien: Subcontractors and materialmen file the Verified Statement of Mechanic Lien within 4 months after the last date of furnishing labor or materials.

## Source

- https://mechanicslien.com/alabama

Last verified: 2026-08-14. Review by: 2027-08-14.
Part of [Mechanics lien filing deadlines, preliminary notice requirements, and enforcement windows by US state and party role](https://referencesource.org/mechanics-lien-deadlines-by-state/).