---
title: "Check the pre-lien notice and the foreclosure limits on delinquent assessments"
url: "https://ailawframework.com/practice/strata-and-community-titles/confirm-the-levy-recovery-preconditions-and-the-earliest-date-proceeding/united-states"
type: "task_jurisdiction_version"
site: "AI Law Framework"
id: "A47-X20260927-8-US"
practice_area: "Strata & Community Titles"
tier: "red"
lawyer_review: "required"
jurisdictions: ["US"]
last_reviewed: "2026-10-22"
---

# Check the pre-lien notice and the foreclosure limits on delinquent assessments

> Compare the draft notice with the items § 5660 requires, and record whether the delinquent assessments are under or over $1,800 and whether they are more than 12 months delinquent, using the figures the lawyer…

Canonical page: https://ailawframework.com/practice/strata-and-community-titles/confirm-the-levy-recovery-preconditions-and-the-earliest-date-proceeding/united-states  
Last reviewed: 2026-10-22

Site index for agents: https://ailawframework.com/llms.txt

## Key facts

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Practice area | [Strata & Community Titles](https://ailawframework.com/practice/strata-and-community-titles.md) |
| Human involvement | Red: Lawyer writes; AI may check, clarify or collect data |
| How AI is used | Compare the draft notice with the items § 5660 requires, and record whether the delinquent assessments are under or over $1,800 and whether they are more than 12 months delinquent, using the figures the lawyer supplies. Write no notice, no lien, and no complaint. |
| What the lawyer must review | California Civil Code § 5660: at least 30 days before recording a lien for a debt past due under § 5650, which you open, the association notifies the owner of record in writing by certified mail. The notice includes a general description of the collection and lien procedures and the method of calculating the amount, a statement of the right to inspect records under § 5205, which you open, the statutory warning about sale without court action if the interest is placed in foreclosure, an itemized statement of the charges, a statement that the owner is not liable for charges, interest, and collection costs if the assessment was paid on time, the right to request a board meeting under § 5665, the right to dispute the debt under the meet-and-confer program, and the right to request alternative dispute resolution before foreclosure. You read §§ 5665 and 5205 before you describe them. Section 5720, for assessment debts arising on or after January 1, 2006: if the delinquent regular or special assessments are less than $1,800, not including accelerated assessments, late charges, fees and costs of collection, attorney's fees, or interest, the association may not collect that debt by judicial or nonjudicial foreclosure. It may record a lien, but it may not foreclose that lien until the delinquent assessments secured by it, exclusive of those additions, equal or exceed $1,800, or the assessments secured by the lien are more than 12 months delinquent. Before recording under that provision it offers dispute resolution under the article beginning at § 5900, which you open. The foreclosure limit does not apply to a lien securing assessments more than 12 months delinquent, to a time-share estate as defined in the statute, or to assessments owed by the developer. You decide which path applies. You write any notice or complaint. This is California. |
| Written for | United States |
| Applies to | [Confirm the levy recovery preconditions and the earliest date proceedings may start](https://ailawframework.com/practice/strata-and-community-titles/confirm-the-levy-recovery-preconditions-and-the-earliest-date-proceeding.md) |

## Checking plan

- What the AI does: Compare the draft notice with the items § 5660 requires, and record whether the delinquent assessments are under or over $1,800 and whether they are more than 12 months delinquent, using the figures the lawyer supplies. Write no notice, no lien, and no complaint.
- Basis: Checked against the linked sources on 22 October 2026. Confirm the current instrument before reliance.

## Notes

- No notice, lien, or complaint is written by the tool.
- The small-claims dollar cap is in the Code of Civil Procedure, which was not opened. Do not state it.

## Sources

- [California Civil Code § 5660 (pre-lien notice)](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CIV&sectionNum=5660) (checked 2026-10-22)
- [California Civil Code § 5720 (limits on foreclosure of assessment liens)](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CIV&sectionNum=5720) (checked 2026-10-22)

## Forms and precedents for this task

| Form or precedent | Kind | AI level | Summary |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Unpaid strata levies: reminder, 30-day debt recovery notice and pre-action checklist (NSW)](https://ailawframework.com/precedents/strata-and-community-titles/levy-arrears-debt-recovery-notice-nsw.md) | Letter | Yellow | A reminder letter and the 30-day written notice an NSW owners corporation must give before recovery action under s 86, with the interest calculation, payment-plan wording and a checklist of the… |
| [Owners corporation fee notice and final fee notice before VCAT recovery (Victoria): completion and checking guide](https://ailawframework.com/precedents/strata-and-community-titles/final-fee-notice-vic.md) | Form | Yellow | A guide to completing the approved fee notice and final fee notice under the Owners Corporations Act 2006 (Vic), with a penalty interest calculation, a covering letter and a checklist before a VCAT… |

Signed-in accounts can read the full text of each one.

*Practice guidance for planning and review. Confirm current primary sources and the requirements of the actual matter. This is general information, not legal advice.*