When you make your living as a contractor, subcontractor or laborer in Ohio, you have certain protections and remedies available to you if someone neglects to pay you for construction work you perform. A mechanic’s lien is a tool that gives you a means through which to collect payment for the work you did by placing a lien against the property.
Per the Franklin County Law Library, you have to abide by certain deadlines if you wish to file a mechanic’s lien to get what someone owes you.
When to file a mechanic’s lien
How long you have to file a mechanic’s lien depends on what type of project you worked on. For a residential project, you have 60 days from the last day you supplied labor or materials to file your mechanic’s lien. If you worked on a commercial project, you have 75 days from the date you last worked or supplied goods to file the lien.
Grounds for filing a mechanic’s lien
You may have reason to file a mechanic’s lien if you supplied materials used in a project or materials meant for use in a project. You may also be able to do so if you supplied materials fabricated exclusively for the project, or materials used to improve machinery or equipment used in the project. You may also move forward with filing a mechanic’s lien if you supplied or rented tools or equipment that have no value to you after the completion of the project.
There are important dates and deadlines associated with recoding a Notice of Commencement and serving a Notice to Commence Suit, among other efforts relating to the mechanic’s lien. Failing to adhere to these deadlines may leave you with limited options.
