Mechanic's liens · State comparisonMechanic's lien deadlines by state: how long after the work a lien can appear, and how long it lasts

A contractor or supplier who wasn't paid can still record a lien for a while after the last work – including after a sale – so the filing window is what a TC checks against the seller's recent projects. In these twenty states and D.C. the window is measured like this: 90 days in Florida (Fla. Stat. §713.08), Washington (RCW 60.04.091), Connecticut (Conn. Gen. Stat. §49-34), Maine for claimants without a contract with the owner (10 M.R.S. §3253), North Dakota (N.D. Cent. Code §35-27-13), Montana (MCA 71-3-535) and D.C., after completion (D.C. Code §40-301.02) and for full effect in Iowa (Iowa Code §§572.10–572.11); 90 days from the end of the month of last work, and no later than 90 days after completion, in Virginia (Va. Code §43-4); 120 days in North Carolina (N.C.G.S. 44A-12), Minnesota (Minn. Stat. §514.08), South Dakota (SDCL 44-9-15) and Alaska unless a notice of completion shortens it (AS 34.35.068); four months for a contractor and three for a subcontractor in Kansas (K.S.A. 60-1102, 60-1103); 150 days for a contractor and 120 for others in Wyoming (W.S. 29-2-106); 180 days after completion for a contractor and 120 days for others in Delaware (25 Del. C. §2711); 180 days after final completion, or 90 after a notice of completion, in Utah (Utah Code §38-1a-502); 90 days after completion, or 60 days for a direct contractor and 30 for others after a recorded notice of completion, in California (Cal. Civ. Code §§8412, 8414); eight months after the last work – four months for a single-family dwelling – in New York (N.Y. Lien Law §10); on Texas residential projects, the 15th day of the third month after the month the work was completed (Tex. Prop. Code §53.052); and six months after the debt accrued in Missouri (RSMo 429.080). Once filed, a lien must be enforced by suit within a limit – for example one year after the last item in Minnesota (§514.12), eight months after recording in Washington (RCW 60.04.141), six months after recording or 60 days after completion in Virginia (§43-17), six months after filing in Missouri (RSMo 429.170), one year after filing in Kansas (K.S.A. 60-1105), 90 days after recording in California (Cal. Civ. Code §8460), one year after filing in New York unless extended (N.Y. Lien Law §17), one year after recording with a lis pendens in Connecticut (§49-39), 120 days after the last work in Maine (10 M.R.S. §3255), six months after recording in Alaska (AS 34.35.080), two years after filing in Montana (MCA 71-3-562), 180 days after filing in Wyoming (W.S. 29-2-109) and 180 days after the notice of intent in D.C. (D.C. Code §40-303.13). Some states add notice systems that limit liens: a lien agent in North Carolina and on Virginia one- and two-family permits, an online registry in Iowa, and pre-lien notices in Minnesota.