Mechanics Lien Deadlines by State

Published October 3, 2026.

A mechanics lien deadline is the last day you can record a lien against the property you improved. Miss it and the lien right is gone, even if the work was done and the invoice is fair.

In most states the clock starts when you last furnish labor or materials to the project. Some states count from completion of the whole project instead, and Texas counts to the 15th day of a later month. The deadline can also depend on who you are. A general contractor hired by the owner may have a different deadline than a subcontractor or supplier further down the chain. Some states also set one deadline for homes and another for commercial work.

Many states require earlier steps to keep the right alive. A preliminary notice may be due soon after you start, and some states require a notice of intent to lien before the lien is recorded. Once the lien is recorded, you must enforce it with a lawsuit within a set time, or it expires.

The table shows each state's headline lien deadline with its notice and enforcement rules. Where the deadline varies, the table says by what. Each state page has the full schedule for every role and project type, and the statute behind it.

Mechanics lien deadlines in all 50 states

Mechanics lien deadline, preliminary notice, notice of intent and enforcement deadline by state
State	Lien deadline	Preliminary notice	Notice of intent	Enforcement
Alabama	Within 6 months after last furnishing labor or materials (varies by role)	Not required to preserve lien rights	Required before filing	See the statute
Alaska	Within 120 days after last furnishing labor or materials	Not required to preserve lien rights	Not required	6 months after recording
Arizona	Within 120 days after completion of the project	Required for every claimant, including the general contractor	Not required	6 months after recording
Arkansas	Within 120 days after last furnishing labor or materials	Required for every claimant, including the general contractor	Required, at least 10 days before filing	15 months after recording
California	Within 90 days after completion of the project	Required for subcontractors, sub-subcontractors, and suppliers	Not required	90 days after recording
Colorado	Within 4 months after last furnishing labor or materials	Not required to preserve lien rights	Required, at least 10 days before filing	6 months after last furnishing
Connecticut	Within 90 days after last furnishing labor or materials	Required for every claimant, including the general contractor	Not required	1 year after recording
Delaware^†	Within 6 months after completion of the project (varies by role)	Not required to preserve lien rights	Not required	See the statute
Florida	Within 90 days after last furnishing labor or materials	Required for subcontractors, sub-subcontractors, and suppliers	Not required	1 year after recording
Georgia	Within 90 days after last furnishing labor or materials	Required for subcontractors, sub-subcontractors, and suppliers	Not required	365 days after recording
Hawaii^†	Within 45 days after completion of the project	Not required to preserve lien rights	Not required	See the statute
Idaho	Within 90 days after last furnishing labor or materials	Required for every claimant, including the general contractor	Not required	6 months after recording
Illinois	Within 4 months after completion of the project	Required for subcontractors, sub-subcontractors, and suppliers	Not required	2 years after completion
Indiana	Within 60 days after last furnishing labor or materials (varies by project type)	Required for subcontractors, sub-subcontractors, and suppliers	Not required	1 year after recording
Iowa	Within 90 days after last furnishing labor or materials	Required for every claimant, including the general contractor	Not required	820 days after last furnishing
Kansas	Within 4 months after last furnishing labor or materials (varies by role)	Required for subcontractors, sub-subcontractors, and suppliers	Not required	1 year after recording
Kentucky	Within 6 months after last furnishing labor or materials	Not required to preserve lien rights	Required, at least 120 days before filing	1 year after recording
Louisiana	Within 60 days after completion of the project	Required for every claimant, including the general contractor	Required, at least 10 days before filing	1 year after recording
Maine	Within 90 days after last furnishing labor or materials	Not required to preserve lien rights	Not required	120 days after last furnishing
Maryland^†	Within 180 days after last furnishing labor or materials	Not required to preserve lien rights	Required, at least 120 days before filing	See the statute
Massachusetts	Within 120 days after last furnishing labor or materials	Required for every claimant, including the general contractor	Not required	90 days after recording
Michigan	Within 90 days after last furnishing labor or materials	Required for subcontractors, sub-subcontractors, and suppliers	Not required	1 year after recording
Minnesota	Within 120 days after last furnishing labor or materials	Required for every claimant, including the general contractor	Not required	1 year after last furnishing
Mississippi	Within 90 days after last furnishing labor or materials	Required for subcontractors, sub-subcontractors, and suppliers	Not required	180 days after recording
Missouri	Within 6 months after last furnishing labor or materials	Required for every claimant, including the general contractor	Required, at least 10 days before filing	6 months after recording
Montana	Within 90 days after last furnishing labor or materials	Required for subcontractors, sub-subcontractors, and suppliers	Not required	2 years after recording
Nebraska	Within 120 days after last furnishing labor or materials	Not required to preserve lien rights	Not required	2 years after recording
Nevada	Within 90 days after last furnishing labor or materials	Required for subcontractors, sub-subcontractors, and suppliers	Required, at least 15 days before filing	6 months after recording
New Hampshire	Within 120 days after last furnishing labor or materials	Required for subcontractors, sub-subcontractors, and suppliers	Not required	120 days after last furnishing
New Jersey	Within 120 days after last furnishing labor or materials (varies by project type)	Not required to preserve lien rights	Required, at least 60 days before filing	1 year after last furnishing
New Mexico	Within 120 days after completion of the project (varies by role)	Required for sub-subcontractors and suppliers	Not required	2 years after recording
New York	Within 4 months after last furnishing labor or materials (varies by project type)	Not required to preserve lien rights	Not required	1 year after recording
North Carolina	Within 120 days after last furnishing labor or materials	Required for subcontractors, sub-subcontractors, and suppliers	Not required	180 days after last furnishing
North Dakota	Within 90 days after last furnishing labor or materials	Not required to preserve lien rights	Required, at least 10 days before filing	3 years after recording
Ohio	Within 60 days after last furnishing labor or materials (varies by project type)	Required for subcontractors, sub-subcontractors, and suppliers	Not required	6 years after recording
Oklahoma	Within 4 months after last furnishing labor or materials (varies by role)	Required for subcontractors, sub-subcontractors, and suppliers	Not required	1 year after recording
Oregon	Within 75 days after last furnishing labor or materials (varies by project type)	Required for subcontractors, sub-subcontractors, and suppliers	Not required	120 days after recording
Pennsylvania	Within 6 months after completion of the project	Not required to preserve lien rights	Not required	2 years after recording
Rhode Island	Within 200 days after last furnishing labor or materials	Not required to preserve lien rights	Not required	40 days after the notice of intention is filed
South Carolina	Within 90 days after last furnishing labor or materials	Not required to preserve lien rights	Not required	6 months after last furnishing
South Dakota	Within 120 days after last furnishing labor or materials	Not required to preserve lien rights	Not required	6 years after last furnishing
Tennessee	Within 90 days after completion of the project	Not required to preserve lien rights	Required, at least 90 days before filing	1 year after completion
Texas	By the 15th day of the 3rd month after the month of completion of the project (or delivery of specially fabricated materials, whichever is later) (varies by role)	Required for subcontractors, sub-subcontractors, and suppliers	Not required	1 year after the last day to file the lien
Utah	Within 180 days after completion of the project	Required for every claimant, including the general contractor	Not required	180 days after recording
Vermont	Within 120 days after last furnishing labor or materials	Not required to preserve lien rights	Not required	180 days after recording
Virginia	Within 90 days after the end of the month of last furnishing labor or materials (or termination of the contract, whichever is later)	Not required to preserve lien rights	Not required	6 months after recording
Washington	Within 90 days after last furnishing labor or materials	Required for subcontractors, sub-subcontractors, and suppliers	Not required	8 months after recording
West Virginia	Within 100 days after last furnishing labor or materials	Not required to preserve lien rights	Not required	6 months after recording
Wisconsin	Within 6 months after last furnishing labor or materials	Required for subcontractors, sub-subcontractors, and suppliers	Not required	2 years after recording
Wyoming	Within 150 days after completion of the project (varies by role)	Not required to preserve lien rights	Not required	180 days after recording

† Attorney filing. In Delaware, Hawaii and Maryland, the lien is filed through the courts by an attorney.

How to read this table

"Last furnishing" means the last day you performed work or delivered materials under your contract. Small corrections and warranty work often do not count, so use the last day of real work on the job.

Where the deadline varies by project type, the table shows the residential deadline. Where it varies by role, it shows the first claimant group in the state's schedule, usually the general contractor. The state page lists every combination.

If a deadline falls on a weekend or holiday, the statute decides whether it moves to the next business day. Some states extend it and some do not. Plan to record before the date the count lands on.

To turn these rules into calendar dates for your project, use the free mechanics lien deadline calculator. It applies your state's rule for your role and project type to the dates you enter. For the notice that comes first, see preliminary notice requirements by state.

Frequently asked questions

Which states have the shortest mechanics lien deadline?

Among deadlines counted in days or months, Hawaii has the shortest: 45 days. Indiana (residential projects), Louisiana and Ohio (residential projects) come next, at 60 days. The count starts from a different event in different states, so check the table for the trigger.

Which states require a preliminary notice from every claimant?

In 10 states, every claimant must send a preliminary notice, including the general contractor: Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri and Utah. Elsewhere the notice covers only some claimants, or is not required at all.

Which states require a notice of intent to lien?

Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, North Dakota and Tennessee require a notice of intent before the lien is recorded. The lead time differs by state, and the table shows it. In the other 39 states it is not required, although sending one is often what gets the invoice paid.

Does the lien deadline depend on my role or the project type?

In 38 states, one deadline applies to every claimant on every project. The deadline depends on the project type in Indiana, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Oregon. It depends on your role in Alabama, Delaware, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Wyoming. Each state page lists the full schedule.

Sources

Each row comes from that state's page on this site, which shows the full deadline schedule. These are the statutes those pages cite.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Lien rules turn on facts specific to your project. Confirm with counsel before relying on them.

Mechanics lien deadlines in all 50 states

How to read this table

Frequently asked questions

Sources

Related pages