Get paid on a job with preliminary notice and a mechanic's lien

  1. Confirm your lien rights under your state's statute
    1 hour

    This step produces a yes-or-no verdict — with the statute cited — on whether your role can record a mechanic's lien for this job. The trap: “I did the work” is not the legal test. Every state grants lien rights to a specific list of people — usually contractors, subcontractors, and material suppliers — and then attaches conditions: a valid license, a direct or indirect contract, and sometimes a notice served within a window. If an exception excludes you, you stop here and keep the filing money.

    Run the check:

    • Write down your role (subcontractor, sub-sub, material supplier), your customer (owner, GC, or another sub), and the state where the property sits.
    • Open your state's mechanic's lien statute — the “Mechanics' Liens” chapter of the property or civil code (Texas Property Code Ch. 53, Florida Ch. 713, California Civil Code §§ 8400–8494, New York Lien Law).
    • Find the section titled “Who may lien” or “Persons entitled to lien” and confirm your role is on the list.
    • Read the exceptions next to it: license required? direct contract with the owner? notice required? residential work excluded?
    • Write the verdict on the job file — “Lien rights: yes, under [statute] § [section]” or “No, because…” — with the date.