• Project Information: Owner, name of project, common address (or legal property description), county where the project is located.
• Subcontractors: Name (or company name) and mailing address of the General (Prime) Contractor.
• Sub-subcontractors: It is not required but preferred to have the name and mailing address of all Subcontractors involved in the contract chain.
• Work: Invoice dates, description of the unpaid work performed and the amount owed per each individual month.
Related questions and answers
The deadline to file a mechanic's lien depends on a contractor's role and the type of project. For Commercial Projects (Private), the following charts specify the required documents and the last date to submit them. We have separated the charts by type of contractor. It is essential to know that the last day to file or submit a lien document is always the 15th day of every month.
FOR CLAIMS RESULTING FROM A CONTRACT SIGNED BEFORE DECEMBER 31ST, 2021
IF THE 15th OF THE MONTH FALLS ON A WEEKEND OR A HOLIDAY, THE LAST DAY TO FILE A VALID LIEN WILL BE THE EARLIEST BUSINESS DAY.
FOR CLAIMS RESULTING FROM A CONTRACT SIGNED AFTER JANUARY 1ST, 2022
IF THE 15th OF THE MONTH FALLS ON A WEEKEND OR A HOLIDAY, THE LAST DAY TO FILE A VALID LIEN WILL EXTEND TO THE NEXT BUSINESS DAY AFTER THAT WEEKEND OR HOLIDAY.
Original (General) Contractor - Constitutional - Mechanic’s Lien Requirements | |||
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Chart of Filing Deadlines | |||
Month of: a) Written Termination b) Abandonment of Project c) Settlement or: d) Completion of the Contract | Commercial Projects (Private) 🔗 | ||
Pre-lien Notice to Property Owner is Not Required |
File the Lien Affidavit On or Before: | ||
January | None | May 15th | |
February | None | June 15th | |
March | None | July 15th | |
April | None | August 15th | |
May | None | September 15th | |
June | None | October 15th | |
July | None | November 15th | |
August | None | December 15th | |
September | None | January 15th | |
October | None | February 15th | |
November | None | March 15th | |
December | None | April 15th |
Subcontractor (1st Tier) Lien Requirements | |||
---|---|---|---|
Chart of Filing Deadlines | |||
Month of Activity | Commercial Projects (Private) 🔗 | ||
Send Invoice by: | Send Pre-lien Notice to Property Owner and Original Contractor by: |
File the lien by the following date OR within 30 days after the overall project is complete**. | |
January | March 15th | April 15th | May 15th |
February | April 15th | May 15th | June 15th |
March | May 15th | June 15th | July 15th |
April | June 15th | July 15th | August 15th |
May | July 15th | August 15th | September 15th |
June | August 15th | September 15th | October 15th |
July | September 15th | October 15th | November 15th |
August | October 15th | November 15th | December 15th |
September | November 15th | December 15th | January 15th |
October | December 15th | January 15th | February 15th |
November | January 15th | February 15th | March 15th |
December | February 15th | March 15th | April 15th |
IMPORTANT:
**You can file a lien affidavit 30 days after completing the overall project only if you sent the pre-lien notice for that specific month on time.
|
Sub-subcontractor (2nd Tier) Lien Requirements | |||
---|---|---|---|
Chart of Filing Deadlines | |||
Month of Activity | Commercial Projects (Private) 🔗 | ||
Send Invoice by: | Send Pre-lien Notice to Property Owner and Original Contractor by: |
File the lien by the following date OR within 30 days after the overall project is complete**. | |
January | March 15th | April 15th | May 15th |
February | April 15th | May 15th | June 15th |
March | May 15th | June 15th | July 15th |
April | June 15th | July 15th | August 15th |
May | July 15th | August 15th | September 15th |
June | August 15th | September 15th | October 15th |
July | September 15th | October 15th | November 15th |
August | October 15th | November 15th | December 15th |
September | November 15th | December 15th | January 15th |
October | December 15th | January 15th | February 15th |
November | January 15th | February 15th | March 15th |
December | February 15th | March 15th | April 15th |
IMPORTANT:
**You can file a lien affidavit 30 days after completing the overall project only if you sent the pre-lien notice for that specific month on time.
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Any subcontractor or sub-subcontractor who provides work under a written or an oral agreement can file a bond claim to secure payment on unpaid labor or supplied materials on a public project.
The lien release should be signed and notarized by the same person (contractor) who filed the mechanic’s lien. Preparing and filing the document itself can be done by the interested party (i.e. the project owner) or any other individual.
If you are unable to settle your dispute, you must seek the assistance of an attorney and file a lawsuit. Your lien rights will generally expire if a lawsuit to foreclose is not filed within 2 years of the last day you were able to file a lien under the rules, or within 1 year after completion, termination, or abandonment of the work under the original contract under which the lien is claimed, whichever is later.
All lien affidavits (construction liens), Sworn Statement of Accounts (document attached to a bond claim), and lien releases must be notarized and filed. Bond Claim Sworn Statement of Accounts are filed with the Surety Company on record, and they should be mailed via Certified Mail with Return Receipt Requested.