It is well known that public property is not lienable in most states, including Washington. However, it has been generally assumed that under Washington’s mechanic’s lien statute (RCW 60.04), improvements constructed on public property are lienable. In Estate of Haselwood v. Bremerton Ice Arena, Inc., No. 80411-7 (June 25, 2009) the Supreme Court of Washington…

In a case of first impression, the Second Appellate District Court of California recently considered whether an entity that provided construction management services to a private owner was required to be licensed under California’s Contractor’s State Licensing Law. (The Fifth Day, LLC v. Bolotin (2009) 172 Cal.App.4th 939.) The Court’s response was a surprising…

On June 18, 2009 the Washington Supreme Court issued its decision in Cambridge Townhomes, et al. v. Pacific Star Roofing, Inc., et al., 81003-6. The decision touches on several issues of interest to the construction industry in Washington. In particular, the Court clarified the law about when a corporation may be held liable as…

The Washington statute governing registration of engineers, RCW 18.43, establishes a licensing board with jurisdiction over disciplinary proceedings against engineers. Under RCW 18.43.130, a corporation may engage in engineering if the corporation submits an application to the board that designates a licensed engineer as “responsible for the practice of engineering by the corporation in this…

Ahead of Schedule focuses on legal matters critical to the construction industry, offering insights, analysis, tips and updates regarding the law of project development, design and construction.  The authors have well over 100 years combined experience in construction litigation and contract negotiation, along with prior office and field experience in engineering, construction and accounting. Stoel Rives’ work…