Mechanics Lien Filing Deadlines by State
Thirty three states, and for each one the last day to file or record the lien, in the words of this site's own page for that state, copied across word for word. The page is the state's lien deadline calculator, or where there is none, its statutory lien claim form, or where there is neither, its lien waiver page, and each row names the section that page names and links every page this site has for the state.
When the lien has to be filed, in its own page's words
The third column is quoted, not summarized. The event the clock runs from changes from row to row, and in some rows one claimant gets longer than another, so read the whole cell rather than the number in it. Where the quote names who it applies to, the second column repeats those words; where it does not, the column says so, and the section in the fourth column is where to read who it covers.
| State | Claimant | When the lien is due | Section | Pages |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | original contractor; journeyman or day laborer; everybody else entitled to a lien | Under 35-11-215, six months for an original contractor, thirty days for a journeyman or day laborer, and four months for everybody else entitled to a lien. | 35-11-215 | Alabama lien waiver rules Alabama notice to owner before furnishing material Alabama verified statement of lien |
| Arizona | every claimant | Section 33-993(A) gives every claimant one hundred and twenty days after completion to record the notice and claim of lien. The owner can shorten that to sixty by recording a notice of completion, and subsection (E) says the owner may elect to record one at any time after completion for the purpose of shortening the lien period. | Section 33-993(A) | Arizona lien waiver forms Arizona preliminary twenty day notice Arizona lien deadline calculator Arizona SB 1189, what changed |
| California | direct contractor; everybody else | Civil Code section 8412 tells a direct contractor to record the claim of lien after completing the direct contract and before the earlier of two times: ninety days after completion of the work of improvement, or sixty days after the owner records a notice of completion or cessation. Section 8414 says the same thing to everybody else, except that the second figure is thirty days rather than sixty. | Civil Code section 8412; Section 8414 | California lien waiver forms California preliminary notice California lien deadline calculator California SB 61, what changed California SB 440, what changed California SB 33, what changed |
| Connecticut | Not named in the quote | Section 49-34 says a mechanics lien is not valid unless the person who performed the services or furnished the materials, within ninety days after he has ceased to do so, lodges a certificate in writing with the town clerk of the town where the property is. | Section 49-34 | Connecticut lien waiver rules |
| District of Columbia | Not named in the quote | DC perfects a lien with a notice of intent recorded in the land records, under 40-301.02. It goes in during construction or within 90 days after the earlier of completion or termination of the project, and if it is not recorded in that window the lien terminates at the end of it. | 40-301.02 | District of Columbia lien waiver rules |
| Florida | Not named in the quote | Section 713.08(5) says the claim of lien may be recorded at any time during the progress of the work or thereafter but not later than 90 days after the final furnishing. | Section 713.08(5) | Florida lien waiver forms Florida contractor's final payment affidavit Florida notice of commencement Florida notice to owner Florida construction lien law notice Florida lien deadline calculator Florida HB 683, what changed |
| Georgia | Not named in the quote | Ninety days after the completion of your work, or after the material or machinery was furnished, under O.C.G.A. 44-14-361.1(a)(2). | O.C.G.A. 44-14-361.1(a)(2) | Georgia lien waiver forms Georgia notice to contractor Georgia lien deadline calculator |
| Hawaii | Not named in the quote | 507-43(b) gives the deadline: the Application and Notice must be filed not later than forty five days after the date of completion of the improvement against which it is filed. | 507-43(b) | Hawaii lien waiver rules |
| Idaho | Not named in the quote | Ninety days after completion of the labor or services or the furnishing of materials, under Idaho Code 45-507, and a true and correct copy of the claim has to be served on the owner or reputed owner personally or by certified mail no later than five business days after filing. | Idaho Code 45-507 | Idaho lien waiver rules |
| Illinois | Not named in the quote | Section 7(a) gives the recording two separate deadlines. Four months protects you against any other creditor, incumbrancer or purchaser. Two years protects you as to the owner. | Section 7(a) | Illinois lien waiver rules Illinois lien deadline calculator |
| Maine | not in direct contract with the owner | If you are not in direct contract with the owner, 90 days after you stop work to file the sworn statement with the register of deeds under section 3253 and mail a copy to the owner. | section 3253 | Maine lien waiver rules |
| Massachusetts | Not named in the quote | Your notice of contract is due not later than the earliest of sixty days after a notice of substantial completion is filed, ninety days after a notice of termination is filed, or ninety days after the last day anyone in the general contractor's chain worked. Your statement of account is then due not later than the earliest of ninety, one hundred and twenty and one hundred and twenty measured from those same three events. | Chapter 254; Section 4; Section 8 | Massachusetts lien waiver forms Massachusetts notice of contract Massachusetts notice of identification Massachusetts notice of contract, direct contract Massachusetts notice of substantial completion Massachusetts notice of termination Massachusetts design professional's notice of contract Massachusetts notice of contract for a subconsultant to a design professional Massachusetts lien deadline calculator |
| Michigan | Not named in the quote | Section 111(1) opens with the word Notwithstanding section 109. The ninety days runs from your own last furnishing of labor or material pursuant to your contract, whatever the owner did or failed to do, and the statute says the right to a construction lien shall cease to exist if you miss it. | Section 111(1) | Michigan lien waiver forms Michigan notice of furnishing Michigan lien deadline calculator |
| Minnesota | Not named in the quote | Section 514.08 ends the lien 120 days after the last of the work or the last item furnished unless, within that period, a statement of the claim is filed for record and a copy is served. | Section 514.08 | Minnesota lien waiver rules Minnesota pre-lien notice Minnesota contractor pre-lien notice Minnesota lien deadline calculator |
| Mississippi | every claimant | Section 85-7-405(1)(b) is the filing deadline and it is the same for every claimant in the article. Ninety days. | Section 85-7-405(1)(b) | Mississippi lien waiver forms Mississippi waiver deadline calculator Mississippi lien deadline calculator |
| Missouri | a lessor who rented machinery or equipment to somebody else; everyone else | Section 429.080 is the filing deadline and it carries two limbs in one sentence. The ordinary one is six months after the indebtedness shall have accrued. The other one is sixty days after the date the last of the rental equipment or machinery was last removed from the property, and it applies to a lessor who rented machinery or equipment to somebody else rather than using it himself. Sixty days is a third of the time everyone else gets, and the rental limb is the deadline most often missed in Missouri because the person missing it has read the six months figure and assumed it was his. | Section 429.080 | Missouri lien waiver forms Missouri notice to owner Missouri consent of owner Missouri lien deadline calculator |
| Nevada | Not named in the quote | NRS 108.226(1)(a) gives you 90 days after the date on which the latest of three things happens: the completion of the work of improvement, your last delivery of material or furnishing of equipment for it, or your last performance of work on it. | NRS 108.226(1)(a) | Nevada lien waiver forms Nevada notice of right to lien Nevada notice of lien |
| New Jersey | Not named in the quote | 2A:44A-6(a)(2) is the deadline: in all cases except those involving a residential construction contract, the lien claim form shall be lodged for record within ninety days following the date the last work, services, material or equipment was provided for which payment is claimed. | 2A:44A-6(a)(2) | New Jersey lien waiver rules New Jersey notice of unpaid balance New Jersey construction lien claim New Jersey amendment to construction lien claim |
| New Mexico | original contractor; everybody else | The second clock is 48-2-6. An original contractor files the claim of lien within one hundred twenty days after completion of the contract, and everybody else within ninety days after completion of the building, improvement or structure. | 48-2-6 | New Mexico lien waiver rules |
| New York | Not named in the quote | Section 10(1) gives you eight months from the last item of work or materials, four if there is a single family dwelling on the property, and ninety days if what you are liening is retainage. | Section 10(1) | New York lien waiver rules New York lien deadline calculator New York A5405, what changed |
| North Carolina | Not named in the quote | Not later than 120 days after the last furnishing of labor or materials at the site by you, under G.S. 44A-12(b). | G.S. 44A-12(b) | North Carolina lien waiver rules North Carolina claim of lien on real property |
| North Dakota | Not named in the quote | Then record within ninety days after all your contribution is done, under 35-27-13, stating the amount due, the dates of the first and last contribution and the party you contracted with. | 35-27-13 | North Dakota lien waiver rules |
| Ohio | Not named in the quote | ORC 1311.06(B) gives you sixty days from your last day on a one- or two-family dwelling or a condominium residential unit, one hundred twenty days if the lien arises under section 1311.021, and seventy-five days on everything else, all measured from the last date you worked or delivered rather than from the invoice that went unpaid. | ORC 1311.06(B) | Ohio lien waiver rules Ohio notice of furnishing Ohio affidavit for mechanics' lien |
| Oklahoma | original contractor; subcontractor, artisan or day laborer | An original contractor files the verified statement within four months of the last material or labor under 42 O.S. 142. A subcontractor, artisan or day laborer files within ninety days under 42 O.S. 143. | 42 O.S. 142; 42 O.S. 143 | Oklahoma lien waiver rules |
| Rhode Island | Not named in the quote | Under 34-28-4 the notice of intention has to be mailed by registered or certified mail with return receipt to the owner of record, and a copy filed in the land evidence records of the city or town, before or within two hundred days after the work is done or the materials furnished. Miss it and any lien you could have claimed is void and wholly lost. | 34-28-4 | Rhode Island lien waiver rules |
| South Carolina | Not named in the quote | Under 29-5-90 the lien is dissolved unless, within ninety days after you cease to labor on or furnish labor or materials for the building or structure, you both serve the owner, or the person in possession if the owner cannot be found, and file a statement of a just and true account of the amount due, sworn to, with the register of deeds or clerk of court of that county. | 29-5-90 | South Carolina lien waiver rules |
| South Dakota | Not named in the quote | Under 44-9-15 the lien ceases at the end of one hundred twenty days after the last work, skill, services, material or machinery unless a statement of the claim is filed with the register of deeds of the county where the improved premises are situated. | 44-9-15 | South Dakota lien waiver rules |
| Texas | subcontractor; original contractor | Section 53.052(b) puts a subcontractor's affidavit on the fifteenth day of the fourth month after the later of the month the claimant last provided labor or materials and the month undelivered specially fabricated materials would normally have been required. Section 53.052(a)(1) puts an original contractor's on the fifteenth day of the fourth month after the month his work was completed, terminated, or abandoned. | Section 53.052(b); Section 53.052(a)(1) | Texas lien waiver forms Texas notice of claim for unpaid labor or materials Texas notice of claim for unpaid retainage Texas residential construction disclosure statement Texas waiver of the list of subcontractors and suppliers Texas lien deadline calculator Texas HB 3005, what changed |
| Utah | Not named in the quote | Section 38-1a-502(1)(a) reads as a pair. Limb (i) gives you one hundred and eighty days after final completion of the original contract if no notice of completion is filed. Limb (ii) gives you ninety days after a notice of completion is filed, but not later than one hundred and eighty days after final completion. | Section 38-1a-502(1)(a) | Utah lien waiver forms Utah lien deadline calculator |
| Vermont | Not named in the quote | Under 9 V.S.A. 1921(c) the lien does not continue in force for more than 180 days from the time payment became due for the last labor performed or materials furnished, unless a notice of lien is filed with the town clerk. | 9 V.S.A. 1921(c) | Vermont lien waiver rules |
| Washington | Not named in the quote | The claim of lien is filed for recording not later than ninety days after you ceased to furnish, under RCW 60.04.091, and a copy goes to the owner within fourteen days of recording. | RCW 60.04.091 | Washington lien waiver rules Washington notice of right to claim a lien Washington notice of furnishing professional services Washington claim of lien Washington notice to real property lender Washington lien deadline calculator |
| Wisconsin | Not named in the quote | Section 779.06 (1) has the claim for lien filed with the clerk of circuit court within 6 months from the last labor or materials, a copy served on the owner within 30 days after filing, and an action brought within 2 years from filing, and section 779.06 (2) requires a written notice of intent to file a lien claim at least 30 days before timely filing. | Section 779.06 (1) | Wisconsin lien waiver rules Wisconsin prime contractor notice Wisconsin notice to owner Wisconsin lien deadline calculator |
| Wyoming | contractor; everyone else | Section 29-2-106 gives a contractor one hundred fifty days to file and everyone else one hundred twenty, and section 29-1-201(a)(i)(A) quietly puts architects, professional engineers and surveyors inside the word contractor, so a design professional gets the longer window and the harsher notice rule at the same time. Then section 29-2-107 takes twenty days back out of whichever window you are in, because the notice of intention must be sent no later than twenty days prior to filing and the statute gives it no window of its own. | Section 29-2-106; section 29-2-107 | Wyoming lien waiver forms Wyoming lien deadline calculator |
Not covered yet: Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. This table quotes three kinds of page: a lien deadline calculator, a statutory lien claim form, and, where a state has neither, its lien waiver page, but only a sentence there that gives the filing deadline and names its section. For those eighteen this site has no calculator and no claim form yet, and no waiver page sentence that does both. Being on that list says nothing about the law there, only about this site. Each of them has a lien waiver page of its own, listed on lien waiver laws by state.
What this table is not
It is not the whole rule for any state. Each cell is the deadline wording from a longer page, and the rest of the rule, what the clock runs from, what has to be served and when, and what happens after the lien is recorded, is on that page or in the section it names rather than cut down into columns here. Several states also require a notice long before the lien itself, and missing that can cost the lien whatever this table says: preliminary notice deadlines by state quotes those the same way.
And it is not legal advice, and no page on this site is. Where real money is attached, read the section in the fourth column, and pay a lawyer once to confirm how the deadline is counted on the kind of job you do.
How the table is built
Nothing in the third column was typed for this page. Each cell names a field in the same data file its page is built from, the lien calculators, the notice forms or the lien waiver pages, and the build stops if the quote is not inside that field character for character, if a claimant in the second column is not in the quote, or if a section in the fourth is not named by the quote or by the same page. A row from a waiver page has to name its section inside the quote itself, and the build refuses one for any state that has a calculator or a claim form. A second check reads the finished table and the page each row was quoted from, and fails if a quote is on one and not the other.
The fourth column is the section as the quote names it, not a citation added for this table. Where a page sets out a rule over more than one section, the column lists each section that page names for it. How these forms are made says where every statute on this site was read from.