Washington’s Little Miller Act
When you perform work on a state construction project in Washington, and are not paid, you can file a “lien” against the project pursuant to Washington’s Little Miller Act. Since the claim is not against the state or county’s actual property, but instead against a posted bond, the claim is not really called a “lien” but is more frequently referred to as a “bond claim” or “little miller act claim.”
Washington’s Little Miller Act is found in Revised Code of Washington, Title 39, Chapter 39.08, and is reproduced below.
- 39.08.010 Bond required — Conditions — Retention of contract amount in lieu of bond — Contracts of one hundred thousand dollars or less.
- 39.08.015 Liability for failure to take bond.
- 39.08.030 Conditions of bond — Notice of claim — Action on bond — Attorney's fees.
- 39.08.065 Notice to contractor condition to suit on bond when supplies are furnished to subcontractor.
- 39.08.080 Liens for labor, materials, taxes, on public works.
- 39.08.100 Marine vessel construction — Security in lieu of bond.
39.08.010 Bond required — Conditions — Retention of contract amount in lieu of bond — Contracts of one hundred thousand dollars or less.
Whenever any board, council, commission, trustees, or body acting for the state or any county or municipality or any public body shall contract with any person or corporation to do any work for the state, county, or municipality, or other public body, city, town, or district, such board, council, commission, trustees, or body shall require the person or persons with whom such contract is made to make, execute, and deliver to such board, council, commission, trustees, or body a good and sufficient bond, with a surety company as surety, conditioned that such person or persons shall faithfully perform all the provisions of such contract and pay all laborers, mechanics, and subcontractors and material suppliers, and all persons who supply such person or persons, or subcontractors, with provisions and supplies for the carrying on of such work, which bond in cases of cities and towns shall be filed with the clerk or comptroller thereof, and any person or persons performing such services or furnishing material to any subcontractor shall have the same right under the provisions of such bond as if such work, services, or material was furnished to the original contractor: PROVIDED, HOWEVER, That the provisions of RCW 39.08.010 through 39.08.030 shall not apply to any money loaned or advanced to any such contractor, subcontractor or other person in the performance of any such work: PROVIDED FURTHER, That on contracts of thirty-five thousand dollars or less, at the option of the contractor the respective public entity may, in lieu of the bond, retain fifty percent of the contract amount for a period of thirty days after date of final acceptance, or until receipt of all necessary releases from the department of revenue and the department of labor and industries and settlement of any liens filed under chapter 60.28 RCW, whichever is later: PROVIDED FURTHER, That for contracts of one hundred thousand dollars or less, the public entity may accept a full payment and performance bond from an individual surety or sureties: AND PROVIDED FURTHER, That the surety must agree to be bound by the laws of the state of Washington and subjected to the jurisdiction of the state of Washington.
39.08.015 Liability for failure to take bond.
If any board of county commissioners of any county, or mayor and common council of any incorporated city or town, or tribunal transacting the business of any municipal corporation shall fail to take such bond as herein required, such county, incorporated city or town, or other municipal corporation, shall be liable to the persons mentioned in RCW 39.08.010, to the full extent and for the full amount of all such debts so contracted by such contractor.
39.08.030 Conditions of bond — Notice of claim — Action on bond — Attorney’s fees.
(1) The bond mentioned in RCW 39.08.010 shall be in an amount equal to the full contract price agreed to be paid for such work or improvement, except under subsections (2) and (3) of this section, and shall be to the state of Washington, except as otherwise provided in RCW 39.08.100, and except in cases of cities and towns, in which cases such municipalities may by general ordinance fix and determine the amount of such bond and to whom such bond shall run: PROVIDED, The same shall not be for a less amount than twenty-five percent of the contract price of any such improvement, and may designate that the same shall be payable to such city, and not to the state of Washington, and all such persons mentioned in RCW 39.08.010 shall have a right of action in his, her, or their own name or names on such bond for work done by such laborers or mechanics, and for materials furnished or provisions and goods supplied and furnished in the prosecution of such work, or the making of such improvements: PROVIDED, That such persons shall not have any right of action on such bond for any sum whatever, unless within thirty days from and after the completion of the contract with an acceptance of the work by the affirmative action of the board, council, commission, trustees, officer, or body acting for the state, county or municipality, or other public body, city, town or district, the laborer, mechanic or subcontractor, or material supplier, or person claiming to have supplied materials, provisions or goods for the prosecution of such work, or the making of such improvement, shall present to and file with such board, council, commission, trustees or body acting for the state, county or municipality, or other public body, city, town or district, a notice in writing in substance as follows:
To (here insert the name of the state, county or municipality or other public body, city, town or district):
Notice is hereby given that the undersigned (here insert the name of the laborer, mechanic or subcontractor, or material supplier, or person claiming to have furnished labor, materials or provisions for or upon such contract or work) has a claim in the sum of . . . . . . dollars (here insert the amount) against the bond taken from . . . . . . (here insert the name of the principal and surety or sureties upon such bond) for the work of . . . . . . (here insert a brief mention or description of the work concerning which said bond was taken).
(here to be signed). . . . . . . . . . . .
Such notice shall be signed by the person or corporation making the claim or giving the notice, and said notice, after being presented and filed, shall be a public record open to inspection by any person, and in any suit or action brought against such surety or sureties by any such person or corporation to recover for any of the items hereinbefore specified, the claimant shall be entitled to recover in addition to all other costs, attorney’s fees in such sum as the court shall adjudge reasonable: PROVIDED, HOWEVER, That no attorney’s fees shall be allowed in any suit or action brought or instituted before the expiration of thirty days following the date of filing of the notice hereinbefore mentioned: PROVIDED FURTHER, That any city may avail itself of the provisions of RCW 39.08.010 through 39.08.030, notwithstanding any charter provisions in conflict herewith: AND PROVIDED FURTHER, That any city or town may impose any other or further conditions and obligations in such bond as may be deemed necessary for its proper protection in the fulfillment of the terms of the contract secured thereby, and not in conflict herewith.
(2) Under the job order contracting procedure described in RCW 39.10.420, bonds will be in an amount not less than the dollar value of all open work orders.
(3)(a) On highway construction contracts administered by the department of transportation with an estimated contract price of two hundred fifty million dollars or more, the department may authorize bonds in an amount less than the full contract price of the project. If a bond less than the full contract price is authorized by the department, the bond must be in the form of a performance bond and a separate payment bond. The department shall fix the amount of the performance bond on a contract-by-contract basis to adequately protect one hundred percent of the state’s exposure to loss. The amount of the performance bond must not be less than two hundred fifty million dollars. The payment bond must be in an amount fixed by the department but must not be less than the amount of the performance bond. The secretary of transportation must approve each performance bond and payment bond authorized to be less than the full contract price of a project. Before the secretary may approve any bond authorized to be less than the full contract price of a project, the office of financial management shall review and approve the analysis supporting the amount of the bond set by the department to ensure that one hundred percent of the state’s exposure to loss is adequately protected. All the requirements of this chapter apply respectively to the individual performance and payment bonds. The performance bond is solely for the protection of the department. The payment bond is solely for the protection of laborers, mechanics, subcontractors, and suppliers mentioned in RCW 39.08.010.
(b) The department shall develop risk assessment guidelines and gain approval of these guidelines from the office of financial management before implementing (a) of this subsection. The guidelines must include a clear process for how the department measures the state’s exposure to loss and how the performance bond amount, determined under (a) of this subsection, adequately protects one hundred percent of the state’s exposure to loss.
(c) The department shall report to the house of representatives and senate transportation committees by December 1, 2012: Each project where the department authorized bonds that were less than the full contract price; the difference between the project amount and the bond requirements; the number of bidders on the project; and other information that documents the effects of the reduced bond amounts on the project.
(expires June 30, 2016)
39.08.065 Notice to contractor condition to suit on bond when supplies are furnished to subcontractor.
Every person, firm or corporation furnishing materials, supplies or provisions to be used in the construction, performance, carrying on, prosecution or doing of any work for the state, or any county, city, town, district, municipality or other public body, shall, not later than ten days after the date of the first delivery of such materials, supplies or provisions to any subcontractor or agent of any person, firm or corporation having a subcontract for the construction, performance, carrying on, prosecution or doing of such work, deliver or mail to the contractor a notice in writing stating in substance and effect that such person, firm or corporation has commenced to deliver materials, supplies or provisions for use thereon, with the name of the subcontractor or agent ordering or to whom the same is furnished and that such contractor and his bond will be held for the payment of the same, and no suit or action shall be maintained in any court against the contractor or his bond to recover for such material, supplies or provisions or any part thereof unless the provisions of this section have been complied with.
39.08.080 Liens for labor, materials, taxes, on public works.
See chapter 60.28 RCW.
39.08.100 Marine vessel construction — Security in lieu of bond.
On contracts for construction, maintenance, or repair of a marine vessel, the department of transportation or any county may permit, subject to specified format and conditions, the substitution of one or more of the following alternate forms of security in lieu of all or part of the bond: Certified check, replacement bond, cashier’s check, treasury bills, an irrevocable bank letter of credit, assignment of a savings account, or other liquid assets specifically approved by the secretary of transportation or county engineer, for their respective projects. The secretary of transportation or county engineer, respectively, shall predetermine and include in the special provisions of the bid package the amount of this alternative form of security or bond, or a combination of the two, on a case-by-case basis, in an amount adequate to protect one hundred percent of the state’s or county’s exposure to loss. Assets used as an alternative form of security shall not be used to secure the bond. By October 1, 1989, the department shall develop and adopt rules under chapter 34.05 RCW that establish the procedures for determining the state’s exposure to loss on contracts for construction, maintenance, or repair of a marine vessel. Prior to awarding any contract limiting security to the county’s exposure to loss, a county shall develop and adopt an ordinance that establishes the procedure for determining the county’s exposure to loss on contracts for construction, maintenance, or repair of a marine vessel.
