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Construction Lien Documents by State
Every state's lien statute is different — different deadlines, different recording offices, different required clauses. We've coded each one into our generator and templates.
Why state-specific matters
Deadlines vary 30-180 days
California: 90 days. Texas: 15th of the month after work stopped. Florida: 90 days. Get it wrong = lose your lien rights.
Recording locations differ
County recorder, register of deeds, court clerk — each state has its own authority. We tell you exactly where to file.
Notarization rules
Some states require a notary, others just a sworn statement, others an attorney's signature. Our templates include the right block for your state.
Pick your state
Click any state to see its lien rules and start a state-specific template.
A
Alabama
Original/prime contractors: 6 months after last labor or materials furnished
Alaska
120 days from the date the claimant last furnished labor, materials, services, or equipment to the project
Arizona
120 days from completion of the project
Arkansas
120 days after the date of the last furnishing of labor, services, or materials to the project
C
California
Direct (prime) contractor: record within 90 days after completion of the work of improvement, OR within 60 days after the owner records a Notice of Completion/Cessation — whichever is EARLIER (Civ
Colorado
Standard claimants (GCs, subs, suppliers): record lien within 4 months after last day labor was performed or materials furnished
Connecticut
Lien certificate must be lodged with the town clerk within 90 days after the claimant ceases to perform services or furnish materials on the project (CGS § 49-34)
D
Delaware
General contractors with a direct contract with the owner: file Statement of Claim within 180 days after completion of the structure (25 Del
District of Columbia
Record the Notice of Mechanic's Lien in the DC land records during construction OR within 90 days after the earlier of completion or termination of the project
I
Idaho
Claim of lien must be recorded within 90 days after completion of labor/services or last furnishing of materials by the claimant (Idaho Code 45-507(2))
Illinois
Record the lien claim within 4 months of the claimant's last date of furnishing labor or materials to be enforceable against third-party purchasers, lenders, and other encumbrancers (770 ILCS 60/7)
Indiana
60 days from last date of furnishing labor/materials for Class 2 residential structures (single/double-family dwellings)
Iowa
90 days from the date the last labor was performed or last material furnished for a fully-secured lien (Iowa Code § 572
K
M
Maine
Subcontractors/suppliers (no direct contract with owner) must record a Notice of Lien (sworn certificate) in the county Registry of Deeds within 90 days after ceasing to labor, furnish materials, or perform services
Maryland
Petition to Establish Mechanic's Lien must be filed in circuit court within 180 days after the work has been finished or materials last furnished (Md
Massachusetts
Two-step filing
Michigan
Claim of Lien must be recorded within 90 days after the lien claimant's last actual furnishing of labor or material for the improvement (MCL 570
Minnesota
Lien statement must be recorded AND served on owner within 120 days after the claimant's last day of furnishing labor, skill, material, or machinery to the project (Minn
Mississippi
Claim of Lien must be filed within 90 days after the claimant's last day of furnishing labor, services, or materials to the project
Missouri
Six (6) months after the indebtedness accrued (i
Montana
Construction lien must be filed within 90 days after (a) the claimant's last day of furnishing labor or materials, or (b) the owner's filing of a Notice of Completion under MCA 71-3-533, whichever occurs first
N
Nebraska
Construction lien must be recorded within 120 days after the claimant's final furnishing of services, labor, materials, or equipment to the project
Nevada
Notice of lien must be recorded within 90 days after the LATEST of: (a) completion of the work of improvement, (b) last delivery of material/equipment by the claimant, or (c) last performance of labor by the claimant
New Hampshire
Lien must be PERFECTED within 120 days of last furnishing labor/materials by (a) filing an ex parte Petition to Attach in NH Superior Court AND (b) recording the court-issued writ of attachment at the county Registry of Deeds
New Jersey
Non-residential (commercial): lien claim must be lodged with the county clerk within 90 days from the last date the claimant provided work, services, materials, or equipment to the project
New Mexico
Original/prime contractors: 120 days after completion of the contract
New York
8 months after completion of contract / final performance of work or final furnishing of materials for commercial and multi-unit projects
North Carolina
Claim of Lien on Real Property must be both FILED with the Clerk of Superior Court AND SERVED on the owner (and general contractor, if claimant is a sub) within 120 days of the claimant's last furnishing of labor or materials at the project site
North Dakota
Construction lien must be recorded within 90 days after the claimant's last furnishing of labor or materials to preserve priority against subsequent purchasers/encumbrancers
O
Ohio
Residential (1-2 family dwelling): 60 days from last day of work or material delivery
Oklahoma
General contractors (direct contract with owner): file lien statement within 4 months after the date materials/equipment were last furnished or labor was last performed
Oregon
Claim of lien must be filed (perfected) within 75 days after the claimant ceased to provide labor, services, materials, or rented equipment, OR within 75 days after completion of construction — whichever occurs FIRST
S
T
Tennessee
Prime contractors: lien arises by operation of law at commencement of work and continues for 1 year after project completion/abandonment, but to preserve priority against subsequent purchasers/encumbrancers a Notice of Lien should be recorded within 90 days of completion or abandonment
Texas
Original/general contractor: file lien affidavit by the 15th day of the 4th month after the month the work was completed, terminated, or abandoned (commercial)
V
Vermont
Notice of lien (written memorandum) must be filed in the town clerk's land records within 180 days from when payment became due for the last labor performed or materials furnished (9 V
Virginia
Memorandum of lien must be recorded no later than 90 days from the last day of the month in which the claimant last performed labor or furnished materials, AND in no case later than 90 days from project completion (termination/abandonment), whichever is earlier
W
Washington
Claim of Lien must be recorded not later than 90 days after the claimant ceased to furnish labor, professional services, materials, or equipment (RCW 60
West Virginia
Lien must be recorded within 100 days of the claimant's last day furnishing labor or materials to the project
Wisconsin
Lien claim must be filed within 6 months from the date the claimant last performed, furnished, or procured labor, services, materials, plans, or specifications for the improvement
Wyoming
Prime/general contractors (those in direct contract with the owner): file within 150 days
What's state-specific in every template
- Filing deadline (auto-calculated from your last day of work)
- Recording office (county recorder, court clerk, or register of deeds)
- Preliminary notice requirements (if any)
- Notice of intent days-before-lien
- Notarization vs verified statement format
- Statutorily required content (legal description, claimant info, etc.)
- Post-recording service requirements (certified mail, personal service)
- State-specific warnings flagged in your delivery checklist
Ready to file in your state?
Pick your state above, or start a generic generator and we'll show your state-specific fields as you go.
Start Mechanic's Lien — $49