Steps to File a Valid Pennsylvania Mechanics Lien Send Preliminary Notice Within 30 Days. Send Pre-Lien Notice at Least 30 Days Before Filing. File Your Lien Claim at Prothonotary's Office. Serve Notice of Filing on the Owner. Start Suit to Enforce Lien Within Two Years. File a Lien Bond to Remove the Lien.
To obtain a judgment lien, you must first record the judgment with the court of common pleas in the county where the debtor owns property. The lien will stay in effect for five years, but can be renewed, if the debtor does not sell the property within that time period.
Lien Claim—All claimants must file a Lien Claim in the prothonotary's (court clerk's) office within six months of last work and serve notice of the lien claim on owner within one month after that. An affidavit of service then must be filed with the court within 20 days after service of the written notice on the owner.
A payoff request allows a third party to receive the current balance due to release a lien or facilitate a business transfer (bulk sale transfer or liquor license). To release a lien or facilitate a bulk sale transfer, businesses must be in good standing to receive a payoff request.
Common notification methods include sending multiple unpaid bills in the mail but these bills can be lost or not reach the appropriate person before a lien is placed. They can also arrive when the previous homeowner was at the property but cease by the time a new homeowner moves in.
In Minnesota, an action to enforce a mechanics lien must be initiated within 1 year from the date of the lien claimant's last furnishing of labor or materials to the project. If a claimant records their lien close to Minnesota's 120-day filing deadline, they will have about 8 months to enforce the claim.