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