Picerne Constr. Corp. v. Castellino Villas
By Hector H. Espinosa and Benjamin Kussman, K&L Gates, Los Angeles
Under California’s mechanic’s lien laws, a general contractor has 90 days from “completion” of its work to record a claim of mechanic’s lien. Ca. Civ. Code §8412. Previously, it remained unsettled as to when this 90-day period began to run because some California courts held that the 90-day clock was triggered upon substantial completion of contractor’s work. In Picerne Constr. Corp., the California Court of Appeal rejected this interpretation of Ca. Civ. Code §3115[1], ruling that completion (for purposes of the 90-day window) only occurs upon “actual completion” of the work of improvement as defined by statute.