Key takeaways
- Most states give you a set number of days after your last work or materials to file or record a lien, commonly 90 or 120 days.
- Many states also require a notice before the lien, sometimes within days of starting work. Missing it can cost you the lien.
- Write your deadline on the job the day you finish. Waiting on a promise past it can leave you with no lien at all.
What a mechanics lien is
When you improve a property and go unpaid, most states let you place a lien on that property for the amount owed. The lien sits on the title, so the owner cannot easily sell or refinance until it is resolved. That leverage is why a lien, or even a polite note that your deadline is coming, often gets an invoice paid.
Every state sets its own rules: who can file, what notices must come first, what the lien must say, when it must be filed and when you must sue to enforce it. The filing deadline is the one most often missed.
Filing deadlines by state
| State | Deadline to file or record the lien | Statute |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Original contractor: within 6 months. Journeyman or day laborer: within 30 days. Everyone else: within 4 months. Each runs from the last work or material. | Code of Alabama 35-11-215 |
| Alaska | Within 120 days after you finish the contract or stop furnishing, when the owner has not recorded a notice of completion. A recorded notice of completion can shorten this to as little as 15 days. | Alaska Statutes 34.35.068 |
| Arizona | Within 120 days after completion of the work, or within 60 days if a notice of completion has been recorded. | Arizona Revised Statutes 33-993 |
| California | Direct contractor: after finishing, and before the earlier of 90 days after completion or 60 days after the owner records a notice of completion or cessation. Everyone else: the earlier of 90 days after completion or 30 days after that notice. | California Civil Code 8412 and 8414 |
| Connecticut | Within 90 days after you stop performing services or furnishing materials, with notice to the owner. | Connecticut General Statutes 49-34 |
| Delaware | A contractor who dealt directly with the owner and furnished labor and material: within 180 days after completion of the structure. Everyone else: within 120 days from finishing their labor or last delivery. | Delaware Code title 25, 2711 |
| Florida | Not later than 90 days after your final furnishing of labor, services or materials. | Florida Statutes 713.08 |
| Hawaii | The application for a lien is filed not later than 45 days after the date of completion of the improvement. | Hawaii Revised Statutes 507-43 |
| Idaho | Within 90 days after completing your labor or services, or furnishing materials. | Idaho Code 45-507 |
| Illinois | A contractor records within 4 months after completion to keep the lien good against other creditors, lenders and buyers. | 770 ILCS 60/7 |
| Iowa | Posted to the state mechanics lien registry within two years and 90 days after the last labor or material. | Iowa Code 572.9 |
| Kansas | Contracting with the owner: within 4 months after the last labor or material. A subcontractor or supplier: within 3 months, or 5 months if a notice of extension is filed within the 3 months. | Kansas Statutes 60-1102 and 60-1103 |
| Maine | The lien is kept by filing a court action within 120 days after the last labor, services or materials. | Maine Revised Statutes title 10, 3255 |
| Maryland | A petition to establish the lien is filed within 180 days after the work is finished or the materials furnished. | Maryland Real Property 9-105 |
| Massachusetts | The statement of account is recorded by the earliest of 90 days after a notice of substantial completion, 120 days after a notice of termination, or 120 days after your last day of work. | Massachusetts General Laws chapter 254, section 8 |
| Michigan | Within 90 days after your last furnishing of labor or material. | Michigan Compiled Laws 570.1111 |
| Minnesota | Within 120 days after the last of the work or the last item furnished. | Minnesota Statutes 514.08 |
| Missouri | Within 6 months after the debt accrues. Rental equipment: within 60 days after it was last removed. | Missouri Revised Statutes 429.080 |
| Montana | Not later than 90 days after your final furnishing, or after the owner files a notice of completion. | Montana Code 71-3-535 |
| Nebraska | Not later than 120 days after your final furnishing of services or materials. | Nebraska Revised Statutes 52-137 |
| Nevada | Within 90 days after the latest of completion, your last delivery or your last work. Within 40 days after a notice of completion that is recorded and served. | Nevada Revised Statutes 108.226 |
| New York | Within 8 months after completion or your last work or material. Within 4 months for a single family home. | New York Lien Law 10 |
| North Carolina | Not later than 120 days after your last furnishing of labor or materials at the site. | North Carolina General Statutes 44A-12 |
| North Dakota | Within 90 days after all of your contribution is done. | North Dakota Century Code 35-27-13 |
| Ohio | One or two family home or a condominium unit: within 60 days after your last labor or material. Most other work: within 75 days. Some projects under section 1311.021: within 120 days. | Ohio Revised Code 1311.06 |
| Oregon | Not later than 75 days after you stop providing labor, equipment or materials, or 75 days after completion of construction, whichever is earlier. | Oregon Revised Statutes 87.035 |
| Rhode Island | A notice of intention is mailed and recorded before, or within 200 days after, the work or materials. | Rhode Island General Laws 34-28-4 |
| South Carolina | Within 90 days after you stop furnishing labor or materials, served on the owner and filed. | South Carolina Code 29-5-90 |
| South Dakota | Within 120 days after the last work or the last item furnished. | South Dakota Codified Laws 44-9-15 |
| Texas | Original contractor: by the 15th day of the fourth month after the month the work was completed, terminated or abandoned, or the third month on a residential project. Others: the 15th day of the fourth month after the month of last labor or materials, or the third month on a residential project. | Texas Property Code 53.052 |
| Utah | Within 180 days after final completion of the original contract when no notice of completion is filed, or 90 days after a notice of completion is filed. | Utah Code 38-1a-502 |
| Vermont | The lien lasts no more than 180 days from when payment for the last labor or materials became due unless a notice of lien is filed with the town clerk. | Vermont Statutes title 9, 1921 |
| Virginia | A memorandum of lien is filed not later than 90 days from the last day of the month in which you last worked or furnished material, and never later than 90 days after the building is completed. | Code of Virginia 43-4 |
| Washington | Not later than 90 days after you stop furnishing labor, services, materials or equipment. | Revised Code of Washington 60.04.091 |
| West Virginia | The lien is discharged 100 days after completion of the contract, subcontract or last materials unless it is perfected. | West Virginia Code 38-2-7 |
| Wisconsin | A claim for lien is filed within 6 months from your last labor, services or materials. | Wisconsin Statutes 779.06 |
| Wyoming | Contractor: within 150 days. Everyone else: within 120 days. Counted from the earlier of the last work or materials or substantial completion of the project. | Wyoming Statutes 29-2-106 |
Read from each state's official code on 2026-10-09. The summary covers the main filing deadline only. Most states also have preliminary notice steps, rules on what the lien must contain and a deadline to sue after filing.
We have not yet confirmed Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee against their official code, so they are not in the table. For those states, read the state's lien law or ask a construction attorney.
Notices that come before the lien
Many states require a preliminary notice, notice to owner or notice of intent before a lien is valid, and some start the clock on the first day of work, not the last. Subcontractors and suppliers are the most exposed, since the owner never signed anything with them. Find out your state's notice rule before you start a job, not after a payment is missed.
How to count the days
- Find the starting event in your state's statute: your last work, completion of the whole project, or a recorded notice of completion.
- Warranty and punch list visits usually do not restart the clock. Do not count on them.
- Count calendar days unless the statute says otherwise, and file early. Recording offices close on weekends and holidays.
- Write the deadline on the job the day you finish, and on your calendar.
Lien waivers and your deadline
Each payment usually comes with a lien waiver. A waiver gives up lien rights for the work it covers, so read it before you sign, and never sign an unconditional waiver before the money clears. 8 states we have checked set the waiver wording in the statute: California, Texas, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Michigan, Florida, Wyoming.
This page is general information, not legal advice. Lien law is strict and changes. Before you file, read your state's statute and talk to a construction attorney in that state.
Sources
- Code of Alabama 35-11-215, checked October 9, 2026
- Alaska Statutes 34.35.068, checked October 9, 2026
- Arizona Revised Statutes 33-993, checked October 9, 2026
- California Civil Code 8412 and 8414, checked October 9, 2026
- Connecticut General Statutes 49-34, checked October 9, 2026
- Delaware Code title 25, 2711, checked October 9, 2026
- Florida Statutes 713.08, checked October 9, 2026
- Hawaii Revised Statutes 507-43, checked October 9, 2026
- Idaho Code 45-507, checked October 9, 2026
- 770 ILCS 60/7, checked October 9, 2026
- Iowa Code 572.9, checked October 9, 2026
- Kansas Statutes 60-1102 and 60-1103, checked October 9, 2026
- Maine Revised Statutes title 10, 3255, checked October 9, 2026
- Maryland Real Property 9-105, checked October 9, 2026
- Massachusetts General Laws chapter 254, section 8, checked October 9, 2026
- Michigan Compiled Laws 570.1111, checked October 9, 2026
- Minnesota Statutes 514.08, checked October 9, 2026
- Missouri Revised Statutes 429.080, checked October 9, 2026
- Montana Code 71-3-535, checked October 9, 2026
- Nebraska Revised Statutes 52-137, checked October 9, 2026
- Nevada Revised Statutes 108.226, checked October 9, 2026
- New York Lien Law 10, checked October 9, 2026
- North Carolina General Statutes 44A-12, checked October 9, 2026
- North Dakota Century Code 35-27-13, checked October 9, 2026
- Ohio Revised Code 1311.06, checked October 9, 2026
- Oregon Revised Statutes 87.035, checked October 9, 2026
- Rhode Island General Laws 34-28-4, checked October 9, 2026
- South Carolina Code 29-5-90, checked October 9, 2026
- South Dakota Codified Laws 44-9-15, checked October 9, 2026
- Texas Property Code 53.052, checked October 9, 2026
- Utah Code 38-1a-502, checked October 9, 2026
- Vermont Statutes title 9, 1921, checked October 9, 2026
- Code of Virginia 43-4, checked October 9, 2026
- Revised Code of Washington 60.04.091, checked October 9, 2026
- West Virginia Code 38-2-7, checked October 9, 2026
- Wisconsin Statutes 779.06, checked October 9, 2026
- Wyoming Statutes 29-2-106, checked October 9, 2026
Published October 22, 2024. This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change and differ by state and city, so confirm with the agency named before you act.