Mechanics lien deadlines by state
2026-09-04 · 8 min read
Lien rights expire on a date set by statute. These are the dates for the states we read directly this session, each with its citation, and the events that quietly shorten them.
What we read, and what we did not
Every figure in the table below was read directly from the statute on 2026-09-04, and each row carries its citation. Where a state is not in the table, we did not read its statute in this session and will not print a number for it — a wrong lien deadline is worse than no lien deadline.
Two structural facts apply everywhere. Notice deadlines run from the day you first furnish work. Recording deadlines run from the day you last furnish it, or from a recorded notice of completion, whichever falls first.
The states we read directly
| State | Step | Deadline | Cite |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | Preliminary notice | 20 days from first furnishing | Civ. Code § 8204 |
| California | Lien — direct contractor | Earlier of 90 days after completion or 60 days after notice of completion | Civ. Code § 8412 |
| California | Lien — everyone else | Earlier of 90 days after completion or 30 days after notice of completion | Civ. Code § 8414 |
| California | Suit to enforce | 90 days after recording | Civ. Code § 8460 |
| Texas | Affidavit — original contractor | 15th day of the 4th month after the month work ended (3rd month residential) | Prop. Code § 53.052 |
| Texas | Notice — derivative claimant | Notice of claim to owner and original contractor | Prop. Code § 53.056 |
| Texas | Reserved funds | Affidavit by the 30th day after completion | Prop. Code § 53.103 |
| Florida | Notice to Owner | Before start, or within 45 days of starting | Fla. Stat. § 713.06(2)(a) |
| Florida | Claim of lien | Within 90 days of final furnishing | Fla. Stat. § 713.08(5) |
| Federal | Notice to prime (below 1st tier) | 90 days from last labour or material | 40 U.S.C. § 3133(b)(2) |
| Federal | Bond suit | No later than one year from last work | 40 U.S.C. § 3133(b)(4) |
Lien deadline
Texas counts to the 15th day of a later month, not a fixed number of days. Any calculator that gives you a day count for Texas — including ours — is approximating the outside edge. Read the section and file early.
What shortens a deadline
The most dangerous event is a recorded notice of completion. In California it cuts a direct contractor to 60 days and everyone else to 30, and nobody is obliged to tell you it happened. If you have work outstanding on a job that looks finished, watch the county recorder rather than your inbox.
Termination and abandonment do the same thing in Texas: the affidavit clock runs from the month the work was completed, terminated or abandoned. A job that stops being a job starts the clock even though nobody declared completion.
- Notice of completion recorded → California windows collapse to 60 / 30 days.
- Contract terminated → Texas clock starts from that month.
- Work abandoned → same, in Texas.
- Punch list and warranty work → usually does NOT extend the last-furnished date.
Using the table without getting burned
Take the earliest date the table gives you for your state and your tier, subtract two weeks, and put that in the calendar as the day you file. Recording offices close, notaries are unavailable, and legal descriptions take longer to pull than anyone expects.
Then diarise the suit date the same day you record. California's 90-day enforcement window is the one that quietly kills otherwise valid claims. Run your own dates through the deadline calculator and print the result.
Sources
- Cal. Civ. Code § 8204
The California preliminary notice is due no later than 20 days after the claimant first furnishes work. A late notice still works, but it reaches back only 20 days before service.
Read 2026-09-04
- Cal. Civ. Code § 8412
A California direct contractor must record its claim of lien before the earlier of 90 days after completion of the work of improvement, or 60 days after the owner records a notice of completion or cessation.
Read 2026-09-04
- Cal. Civ. Code § 8414
A California claimant who is NOT the direct contractor must record before the earlier of 90 days after completion, or 30 days after the owner records a notice of completion or cessation.
Read 2026-09-04
- Cal. Civ. Code § 8460
A California claimant must file suit to enforce the lien within 90 days of recording it, or the lien expires and is unenforceable.
Read 2026-09-04
- Tex. Prop. Code § 53.052
A Texas original contractor files its lien affidavit by the 15th day of the fourth month after the month work was completed, terminated or abandoned — the 15th day of the third month on residential projects.
Read 2026-09-04
- Tex. Prop. Code § 53.056
A Texas claimant who is not the original contractor must send a notice of claim for unpaid labor or materials to the owner and the original contractor for the lien to be valid.
Read 2026-09-04
- Tex. Prop. Code § 53.103
A Texas claimant reaches the reserved funds by sending the required notices and filing a lien affidavit no later than the 30th day after the work is completed, the contract terminated, or performance abandoned.
Read 2026-09-04
- Fla. Stat. § 713.06(2)(a)
A Florida lienor not in privity with the owner must serve the Notice to Owner before commencing, or not later than 45 days after commencing, to furnish labor, services or materials.
Read 2026-09-04
- Fla. Stat. § 713.08(5)
A Florida claim of lien may be recorded at any time during the work but not later than 90 days after the final furnishing of labor, services or materials by the lienor.
Read 2026-09-04
- 40 U.S.C. § 3133(b)(2)
A claimant with a contract with a subcontractor but none with the prime must give the prime written notice within 90 days of its last labor or material, stating the amount claimed and who it was furnished to.
Read 2026-09-04
- 40 U.S.C. § 3133(b)(4)
A Miller Act bond action must be brought no later than one year after the day the claimant last performed labor or supplied material.
Read 2026-09-04