Santa Cruz County Recorder Mechanics Lien Filing

The Santa Cruz County Recorder’s Address is:

2150 N. Congress Drive
Suite 101
Nogales, AZ 85621
Phone: 520.375.7990
Fax: 520.375.7996

Hours: Monday-Friday, 8am-5pm

The Santa Cruz County Recorder does not publicly disclose inforamtion regarding recording backlogs.

If the project is located in Santa Cruz County, then you should file your mechanics lien in Santa Cruz County.

The Santa Cruz County Recorder follows the State of Arizona’s recording requirements. They are as follows:

“A. Only an instrument which upon presentation to a county recorder for recordation
fails to meet any of the following conditions may be rejected for recordation at the
time of presentation for recordation:

1. Each instrument shall have a caption briefly stating the nature of the instrument,
such as warranty deed, release of mortgage and like captions. The county recorder
shall have no obligation to index any instrument under any subject index category
maintained by the county recorder unless that category is included in the caption to
the instrument.

2. Each instrument shall be an original or a copy of the original and shall be
sufficiently legible for the recorder to make certified copies from the photographic
or micrographic record.

3. Each instrument shall have original signatures except when otherwise provided
by law.

4. Each instrument dated and executed on or after January 1, 1991, shall be no
larger than eight and one-half inches in width and no longer than fourteen inches
and shall have a print size no smaller than ten point type.

B. Each instrument dated and executed on or after January 1, 1991, shall have at
least a one-half inch margin across the top, bottom and the left and right sides
from the top to the bottom. Any markings, entries or text which are within the onehalf inch margin shall be deemed not to impart the notice otherwise imparted by
recordation unless such markings, entries or text appear in the reproduction
produced under the direction and control of the county recorder. Failure to meet the
one-half inch margin requirement of this subsection may affect notice imparted by
the document but shall not constitute grounds for rejection for recordation pursuant
to subsection A.

C. The first page shall have a top margin of at least two inches which shall be
reserved for recording information. The left three and one-half inches of the top
margin of the first page or sheet may be used by the public to show the name of
the person requesting recording and the name and address to which the document
is to be returned following recording. If the first page of the instrument does not
comply with the top margin requirements, a separate sheet that meets the
requirements and that reflects the title of the document as required by subsection
A, paragraph 1 shall be attached to the front of the document by the party
requesting recording.

D. Any instrument presented to a county recorder for recordation which modifies in
any way the provisions of a previously recorded document must state the date of
recordation and the docket and page of the document being modified.

E. Any instrument accepted for recordation is not subject to a later claim of invalidity for failure to
comply with the requirements of this section.”

In addition to meeting these requirements, you should also include the following information in you mechanics lien claim:

1. The legal description of the property.

2. Your name and address, along with the names and addresses of the hiring party, the property owner, and your attorney.

3. The lien amount.

4. Provide a statement of the contract terms. If there is no contract, a description of terms, time of performance, and conditions of the agreement should suffice.

5. Include the date of completion of the project.

6. In Arizona, contractors are required to send a 20-day preliminary notice in order to secure their right to file a mechanics lien. Along with the statement for the preliminary notice, you’re also required to attach a return receipt or a proof of mailing to the owner.

7. Get your lien claim signed and notorized.

Mechanics liens filed in Santa Cruz County must meet the following formatting requirements:

1. The top of the first page must include a 2 inch margin at the top and a .5 inch margin on the sides and bottom.
2. All subsequent pages must have a margin of .5 inch on all sides.
3. Pages must be no smaller than 8.5 x 11 and no larger than 8.5 x 14.
4. Font size must be 10 point, and black ink should be used.

The Santa Cruz County Recorder accepts the following forms of payment:

1. Credit cards (by phone or in person)
2. Cash
3. Check

The Santa Cruz County recording fees are as follows:

Recording

$30 for each document

Copies

$1 per page
$3 for certification

You can get a recorded copy of your mechanics lien in Santa Cruz County by going into the office in person at:

2150 N. Congress Drive
Suite 101
Nogales, AZ 85621
Phone: 520.375.7990
Fax: 520.375.7996

You can also visit Santa Cruz’s Online Index to search public records and get a copy of your lien.

Lastly, you can request a recorded copy by mail. The copy request page can be found here.

Much like obtaining a recorded copy of your lien, you have the same options to obtain the property’s legal description.

Go into the office in person located at:

2150 N. Congress Drive
Suite 101
Nogales, AZ 85621
Phone: 520.375.7990
Fax: 520.375.7996

Search Santa Cruz’s Public Records at:

https://www.thecountyrecorder.com/Introduction.aspx?CountyKey=8.

Determining whether you have the right to file a mechanics lien in Santa Cruz County depends on your situation. Generally speaking, every state gives those who have furnished labor and/or materials to a construction project the right to file a mechanics lien if unpaid for the furnishing. The same is true in Arizona. However, there are some state-specific limitations as to who is qualified to file a mechanics lien that is important when considering whether you have the right to file a mechanics lien in Santa Cruz County, AZ.

You can read more about lien rights and if you have the right to file a lien on our Arizona Mechanics Lien Resources page.

Once a Notice of Completion or Cessation has been filed by the property owner, contractors have 60 days to record a mechanics lien. Additionally, contractors have 120 days to file after the completion of the work of improvement.

In Santa Cruz County, the time to file a mechanics lien is triggered by the completion of improvements, not the last furnishing of labor and/or materials for a project.