New Law Reshapes Local Construction Business
A legislative change forces material men to provide duplicate invoices, altering building financial practices in Tacoma.
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Local material men and contractors have just received copies of a new law passed by the recent legislature that will cause quite a change in the methods of doing business in building operations. The law provides that in furnishing materials for buildings or structural work of any kind subject to lien, the material men must send duplicate invoices of all material supplied to the contractor to the owner of the property. Unless this is done, no lien against the property will be valid. Material men say it will cost several thousand dollars additional in Tacoma for them to conform with the new law. It will protect property owners better, however, and they will be in a position to know what has gone into their building and can then demand that it be paid for before they settle with the contractor.
“It will protect property owners better, however, and they will be in a position to know what has gone into their building.”
Construction lien laws remain a critical point of friction in Tacoma's real estate development today, mirroring these early efforts to balance the rights of material suppliers against the protection of property owners.
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