Guide for Banks & Title Companies

The State Construction Registry (SCR) helps Banks and Title Companies stay informed about who is working on their project. The SCR provides a list of all parties that have provided goods, services and/or equipment to a project, and have preserved their lien rights by filing a Preliminary Notice. Contractors can minimize liability and risk through joint check arrangements and/or lien waivers.

Banks and Title Companies should file

Notice of Construction Loan: Banks or Title companies should file a Notice of Construction promptly after recording a mortgage or trust deed securing a construction loan on a private project.

Notice of Completion: Title Companies along with Contractors or Owners may file a Notice of Completion after the final inspection, certificate of occupancy, or all substantial work is complete. After a Notice of Completion is filed, all remaining Preliminary Notices must be filed within 10 days after the Notice of Completion is filed and the time to file a lien is reduced to 90 days instead of 180 days.

Track a Project: Be alerted if someone files a Preliminary Notice and breaks priority before the deed of trust is recorded.

Filing Tips

• Track a Project before recording the deed of trust to be alerted if priority has been broken.
• File a Notice of Construction Loan Promptly. This filing will likely have the most correct information about the property, including the correct Tax Parcel IDs. If the Notice of Construction Loan exists, all other parties are likely to use it as a basis for their Preliminary Notices. This will allow Banks and Title Companies to more completely create a list of all parties working on the project.
• Search by Tax Parcel ID to find all filings tied to a Private Job.
• Search by Entry Number to find all Notices tied to a Government Job. If you use the entry number search for "Non Government" jobs, you may not see all filings tied to that property.