Construction law, from the bid to the final payment.

A direct contractor (one hired by the owner) must record after finishing its contract and before the earlier of 90 days after the project is completed or 60 days after the owner records a notice of completion or cessation (Civ. Code § 8412). Subcontractors and suppliers must record before the earlier of 90 days after completion or 30 days after that notice (Civ. Code § 8414). A lawsuit to enforce the lien must then be filed within 90 days of recording it, or the lien expires (Civ. Code § 8460).

If you did not contract directly with the owner, almost certainly: subcontractors and suppliers must give a preliminary notice to keep their lien, stop payment notice, and payment bond rights (Civ. Code § 8200). Give it within 20 days of first furnishing work. A late notice still protects work furnished from 20 days before it was given onward (Civ. Code § 8204). Laborers are exempt, and a contractor hired directly by the owner must give notice only to the construction lender, if there is one.

Generally, no. A contractor without a required CSLB license cannot sue to be paid, whatever the merits, and the customer can sue to recover everything it paid (Bus. & Prof. Code § 7031). The minor-work exemption is narrow: since January 1, 2025, it covers only jobs under $1,000 in total, including labor and materials, that need no building permit, are not part of a larger project, and are done without employees or helpers (Bus. & Prof. Code § 7048).