Mechanic's Lien Deadlines by State

What an Illinois claim for lien must contain (770 ILCS 60/7)

Meeting the four-month date is only the first requirement. Section 7 of the Illinois Mechanics Lien Act imposes five requirements on the recorded claim, and Illinois courts enforce each one strictly. The Illinois Appellate Court listed them in National City Mortgage v. Bergman, 405 Ill. App. 3d 102 (2010):

1. File the claim within four months after completion of the work.
2. Verify the claim by affidavit of the claimant or the claimant's agent or employee. A signature alone is not a verification.
3. Include a brief, accurate statement of the claimant's contract.
4. State the balance due after all credits, not the gross contract price.
5. Give a sufficiently correct description of the property to identify it.

Strict construction cuts the other way too: a court will not add requirements the statute omits. Section 7 does not require the recorded claim to recite the completion date, though stating an accurate one is prudent. The full analysis, with the case that decided each requirement and a pre-recording checklist, is in Illinois Section 7 Mechanic's Lien: Five Requirements by Thomas Emalfarb of Emalfarb Law LLC.

• The four-month recording deadline (770 ILCS 60/7)
• How to file a mechanic's lien in Illinois
• Section 24 notice to owner for subcontractors
• The two-year foreclosure deadline (770 ILCS 60/9)
• The Section 34 30-day demand to sue
• Every Illinois mechanic's lien deadline

California public works: stop payment notices and payment bond claims (Cal. Civ. Code §§ 9000 to 9566)

No mechanics lien attaches to public property in California. An unpaid subcontractor or supplier on a public works project instead has two remedies, each with its own deadline: a stop payment notice served on the public entity, and a claim against the direct contractor's payment bond, which is required on every public works contract over $25,000 (§ 9550). Missing one deadline does not necessarily forfeit the other.

1. Preliminary notice. Where required, serve it on the public entity and the direct contractor. It covers work provided in the 20 days before service and all work afterward. A claimant in a direct contract with the direct contractor, and a laborer, need not give it (§§ 9300, 9304).
2. Stop payment notice. Give it within 30 days after a notice of completion, acceptance or cessation is recorded, or within 90 days after completion or cessation if none is recorded (§ 9356). Completion is acceptance by the public entity or a continuous 60-day cessation of labor (§ 9200), not your last day on the job.
3. Payment bond lawsuit. Sue on the bond no later than six months after the stop payment notice period expires (§ 9558). A claim submitted to the surety is not a lawsuit and does not stop the clock.

A worked example, with a deadline table built from a recorded notice of completion, is in Missed a California Public Works Stop Notice? Your Payment Bond Claim May Still Be Alive.

• California public works stop notices and payment bond claims
• Stop payment notice deadline (§ 9356)
• Payment bond lawsuit deadline (§ 9558)
• Public works preliminary notice (§ 9300)

Florida lien rights begin with the Notice of Commencement (Fla. Stat. ch. 713)

On most Florida private projects over $2,500, the owner records a Notice of Commencement under section 713.13 before work begins. It identifies the owner, the contractor, any surety, and the lender, and it is the document a subcontractor or supplier reads to learn whom to serve. Obtain a copy before you start work.

1. If you are not in privity with the owner, serve a Notice to Owner before you begin furnishing or within 45 days after you first furnish labor, services, or materials, and in any event before the owner makes final payment (section 713.06(2)(a)).
2. Record the claim of lien within 90 days after your final furnishing (section 713.08(5)), and serve a copy on the owner before recording or within 15 days after.
3. File suit to enforce the lien within one year after recording, unless the owner shortens that period with a Notice of Contest of Lien or an order to show cause (sections 713.21 and 713.22).

Contractors preparing for the Florida state licensing examination study these same Chapter 713 requirements in the Business and Finance portion of the exam. PassContractorExam.com publishes study material for the Florida contractor licence exam, including a guide to the Florida Notice to Owner deadline.