Unpaid on a Tacoma-area job? LevelSet Collections prepares and records Pierce County mechanics liens for contractors, subcontractors and suppliers on jobs in Tacoma, Lakewood, Puyallup, University Place, Gig Harbor, Bonney Lake, Spanaway and Frederickson. Since 2020 we’ve filed more than 1,100 liens, with one all-inclusive price for a Pierce County claim.
Quick answer: A Pierce County mechanics lien is a claim of lien recorded with the Pierce County Auditor, 2401 S. 35th Street, Room 200, Tacoma. The office closes from noon to 1 p.m., appointments are recommended for recording, and the first page needs a 3-inch top margin. It’s due 90 days after you last furnished. See the full Washington deadlines and statutes.
Where Pierce County liens are recorded
Pierce County claims of lien are recorded by the Auditor’s Office at 2401 S. 35th Street, Room 200, in Tacoma. The office is open 8:30 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays, so it closes for lunch. The Auditor says appointments are highly recommended for recording, and walk-ins may have to wait.
E-recording runs through the county’s contracted vendors, CSC, eRecording Partners Network and Simplifile, and every document type can be recorded electronically. We e-record Pierce County liens, which skips both the lunch hour and the appointment line.
Formatting and finding the owner
Pierce County spells out its format rules: a 3-inch top margin and 1-inch side and bottom margins on the first page, 1-inch margins after that, the assessor’s tax parcel number when the document has a legal description, and an abbreviated legal description that points to the page with the full one. If that information isn’t on page one, a cover sheet is required.
For the parcel and owner we use the Assessor-Treasurer Information Portal (ATIP), then pull the deed from the Auditor’s recorded documents search. The Auditor also offers property owners an Owner Alert Service, so the owner may hear about the lien from the county before our copy arrives.
Where we file across Pierce County
Pierce County’s cities and towns include Tacoma, Lakewood, Puyallup, University Place, Gig Harbor, Bonney Lake, Sumner, Fife, DuPont, Edgewood, Fircrest, Orting, Steilacoom, Buckley, Eatonville and Ruston. Large parts of the county are unincorporated, including Spanaway, Parkland, South Hill, Frederickson, Graham, Lake Tapps and Tehaleh, and they’re recorded with the same Auditor.
Two cities sit on the King County line. The county describes Pacific as nestled between King and Pierce counties, and Milton appears on both counties’ lists, so we check which county the parcel is in.
Pierce work runs from port and industrial jobs in Fife and the Frederickson manufacturing center to apartments in Tacoma, master-planned communities on South Hill and in Tehaleh, and housing near Joint Base Lewis-McChord. On the public side, the county awarded a $6.5 million runway reconstruction at Pierce County Airport–Thun Field in May 2026. Public projects in Washington are protected by retainage and bonds, not liens.
What sinks liens in Pierce County
- A first page without a 3-inch top margin. Pierce County’s format rules require it.
- No parcel number on page one. Without it, and the abbreviated legal description, the document needs a cover sheet.
- Arriving at noon. The Auditor’s Office closes from 12 to 1 on weekdays.
- A Pacific or Milton parcel in the wrong county. Both cities touch the King County line.
- Waiting more than 8 months to foreclose. A recorded claim that isn’t enforced in time expires. See the Washington deadline table.
How LevelSet handles a Pierce County lien
- Intake. Send us the job address, the company that hired you, your first and last dates furnishing, a copy of any Notice to Owner you sent and the unpaid balance.
- Statutory form. We pull the parcel from ATIP and the deed from the Auditor, then prepare the claim of lien in Pierce County’s format with the parcel number and abbreviated legal on page one.
- Notarization. Matt Rush, as the claimant’s agent, signs the claim under penalty of perjury before a notary.
- Recording. We e-record it with the Pierce County Auditor through a contracted vendor.
- Service. We send the owner a copy of the recorded claim within 14 days and copy the general contractor.
Example: a Pierce County deadline walk-through
Example: A general contractor hired directly by the owner finishes a kitchen and bath remodel in Gig Harbor on August 21. As a party in direct contract with the owner, it doesn’t send a Notice to Owner. Its claim has to be recorded with the Pierce County Auditor by November 19 (90 days), the owner’s copy has to follow within 14 days, and a foreclosure suit has to be filed within 8 months of recording.
Pierce County deadline already gone?
Whoever hired you still owes you. Our construction collections service pursues unpaid Pierce County construction invoices on contingency, 10% to 33%, and there’s no fee if nothing is collected.
Other Washington counties we file in
King County · Snohomish County
For the Notice to Owner lookback, the 90-day recording rule and the 8-month foreclosure window, see our Washington mechanics lien page. We record liens across Washington.
Pricing
Liens $199 to $500, including recording fees, notarizing and serving. Pre-lien notices $100. Typical turnaround 2 business days. No minimum. Call (469) 694-8003, Monday through Friday, 8am to 7pm.
Frequently asked questions
Where do you file a Pierce County mechanics lien?
With the Pierce County Auditor, 2401 S. 35th Street, Room 200, Tacoma, or by e-recording through CSC, eRecording Partners Network or Simplifile.
Do I need an appointment to record in Pierce County?
Appointments are highly recommended for recording, and walk-ins may have to wait. The office also closes from noon to 1 p.m.
What are Pierce County’s margin rules for recording?
The first page needs a 3-inch top margin and 1-inch margins on the sides and bottom. Later pages need 1-inch margins all around.
Is a Spanaway or South Hill job filed with a city?
No. Both are unincorporated, and every Pierce County lien is recorded with the County Auditor in Tacoma.
This page is general information, not legal advice. LevelSet Collections is not a law firm; we prepare and file liens and notices as agent for the claimant. Deadlines change and depend on the facts of your job. We'll check your dates against the statute before filing. Lien laws are constantly changing. Contact us for the most up-to-date information.
Owed money on a Pierce County job?
Pierce County liens $199 to $500, with recording, notarizing and the owner copy included. Recorded in Tacoma, usually in 2 business days. Call (469) 694-8003.
