The cost to have Texas Easy Lien notarize and file your document with the county is $73.00 (this cost is in addition to your original document preparation cost). This amount covers the filing fees charged by the counties, as well as notary charges.
Related questions and answers
No, you do not need to have a written contract to file a bond claim. The content of the claim will change depending if you have a written or an oral agreement and the documents prepared by Texas Easy Lien provide the required information.
No. Texas Easy Lien system is currently designed to prepare lien and bond documents for commercial and Texas government public projects.
Yes, you do not have to leave your office to file your liens anymore. Texas Easy Lien now has the capability of notarizing and filing your documents online.
The county appraisal district websites are free and can provide you with the project owner’s name, mailing address, and legal description of the property. Make sure to search the real property records and not the business/personal property records. To locate a county appraisal district website search online by typing (county name) Texas tax appraisal district website. For example: “Harris County, Texas, tax appraisal district website” or “Harris CAD.” Then select their “Property Search” link and enter owner’s name and/or street address to search for property information. Make sure you have identified the correct legal name of the owner of the property, it could also be a company name. Finding property information in the tax appraisal websites is sometimes difficult and although having the legal description in the lien documents is preferred, if you know the actual street address of the project, you may use that instead and your lien will still be valid.
This is an important issue that is often misunderstood. The dates and deadlines related for lien and bond claims are based off the month and year in which the work was actually performed. The invoice date and company accounting methods are irrelevant for these claims. The important issues are when the work was actually performed and the value of the work for each individual month. A helpful example? Assume that a contractor completed a three-month painting project that lasted from January to March. The contractor would need to separately identify the value of the work performed for January, February, and March. It would not matter if only one invoice was issued at the end of the project. The deadlines will vary depending on the type of document and the type of contractor or supplier. General deadlines can be found in the chart below.
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 | |||
---|---|---|---|
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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