Tex. Prop. Code §53.057 · §53.003 — Texas retainage notice service
Your Texas
retainage notice.
$39 flat, owner and contractor included.
A Texas subcontractor or supplier whose contract holds retainage must send the Notice of Claim for Unpaid Retainage to the owner and the original contractor by the 30th day after the contract is completed, terminated, or abandoned — or lose the lien on the reserved funds (§53.057). A 3-minute wizard becomes the statutory form, submitted for certified mailing in minutes, with the proof archived permanently.
Statutory text pinned from statutes.capitol.texas.gov — cited on every document.
WARNING: This notice is provided to preserve lien rights. Owner's property may be subject to a lien if sufficient funds are not withheld from future payments to the original contractor to cover this debt.
The deadline, exactly
"Not later than the earlier of: (1) the 30th day after the date the claimant's contract is completed, terminated, or abandoned; or (2) the 30th day after the date the original contract is terminated or abandoned" (§53.057(a-1)).
Certified mail is an enumerated method, and deposit in the mail in the form required "constitutes compliance with the notice requirement" (§53.003(b)(2), (c)). Weekend deadlines roll to the next business day (§53.003(e)).
The notice is required "for a lien for unpaid retainage to be valid" to the extent the retainage is not in a §53.056 monthly notice (§53.057(a)). The pinned text states no cure for a late notice.
Not sure where you stand? Run the free deadline calculator — enter the date your contract ended and it cites each rule.
Who must be served
Served with the notice (§53.057(a-1)) — the party who withholds the reserved funds.
"A person contracting with an owner either directly or through the owner's agent" (§53.001(7)) — named on the notice and served with it.
An original contractor, and a claimant whose contract does not provide for retainage (§53.057(a)) — unpaid progress payments are the monthly notice's job. The wizard will not sell you a notice you do not need.
How it works
Answer a short wizard
The gating question, the parties, the project, the type of labor or materials, the retainage unpaid, and the date your contract ended — about 3 minutes. The document carries the statutory form and both WARNING sentences verbatim.
We certified-mail both recipients
Owner or reputed owner and the original contractor — submitted for certified mailing in minutes of payment. You verify every name and address before paying.
Your evidence archive
The PDF, the certified tracking number for each recipient, and a timestamped record of the deposit date — the fact §53.003(c) turns on — kept on a permanent page.
Questions, answered straight
Who has to send the Texas retainage notice?
Under Tex. Prop. Code §53.057(a), to the extent a claim for unpaid retainage is not included in a §53.056 monthly notice, a claimant other than an original contractor whose contract provides for retainage must give this notice for a lien for unpaid retainage to be valid. Whether that describes your job is a legal question we cannot answer.
When is it due?
Not later than the earlier of the 30th day after the date your contract is completed, terminated, or abandoned, or the 30th day after the date the original contract is terminated or abandoned (§53.057(a-1)). A deadline on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday extends to the next day that is none of those (§53.003(e)). Certified mail counts when it is deposited (§53.003(c)).
What does it get me?
A claimant who gives this notice and complies with Subchapter E, or files a timely lien affidavit, has a lien on the reserved funds, and the owner is personally liable to the claimant for them (§53.057(f)).
Is this legal advice?
No. NoticeSent is a document preparation and mailing service, not a law firm. We prepare and mail documents from the information you provide and give no advice or guarantees about outcomes.
What exactly do I get?
The notice in the statutory form with both WARNING sentences, USPS certified mailing with tracking to the owner and the original contractor, and a permanent archive page with a timestamped record of the deposit — for one flat $39.
The §53.056 monthly Notice of Claim for Unpaid Labor or Materials — owner and original contractor, by the 15th of the third month — for $39 flat.
Send the monthly notice — $39Run the calculator once per job and we'll email you 10, 5, and 2 days before the statutory deadline. No account; stop anytime.
Track a deadline freeThe clock is statutory. The proof should be too.
The 30th day after your contract ends. One flat $39.
Start your noticeMore for Texas
- Texas lien notices: the monthly notice, the retainage notice, and the copy of a filed affidavit
Guide · quoted from the statute
- Monthly notice of claim for unpaid labor or materials
$39 flat, certified-mailed · Tex. Prop. Code §53.056
- Notice of filed affidavit (copy)
$39 flat, certified-mailed · Tex. Prop. Code §53.055