Law Brief: Lien Times: Securing Mechanics Liens for Preconstruction Services
Benefits of a Stop Notice for Construction Contractors
Hot to Get Paid: Tips and Tricks for Construction Companies in DC, MD, and VA
Whether you’re a homeowner, contractor, or subcontractor working on a construction project in Massachusetts, it’s important to understand how mechanic’s liens work. This legal tool plays a key role in ensuring that those who...more
The Texas Legislature is currently in session and is scheduled to adjourn on June 2, 2025. Porter Hedges is actively monitoring any legislation that influences Texas construction law and impacts construction projects,...more
Liens provide a means of recourse for contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers who have not been paid. In Washington, there are specific disclosure requirements that must be met before a licensed and registered contractor...more
In an unpublished opinion, a California appeals court has upheld a subcontractor’s mechanics lien claim despite the subcontractor’s failure to strictly follow the procedural requirements set forth in the mechanics lien...more
A mechanics’ lien is a powerful remedy that provides a contractor with a priority lien on a property and a fast means of being made whole if payment is not rendered at the completion of a job. In order to successfully obtain...more
The Superior Court of Pennsylvania concluded 2023 by issuing two opinions that clarify (1) the costs recoverable under the Lien Law and (2) the requirements for perfecting service of a lien claim. Two key takeaways are...more
Mechanic’s liens have long been a valuable tool for mechanics and materialmen in the Commonwealth to secure their rights to payment. Yet, despite mechanic’s liens having been in existence for well over a century, properly...more
In Alabama, a lien claimant must file a lawsuit to enforce its mechanic’s lien within six months of the maturation of the entire indebtedness in the Alabama state circuit court in the county where the subject property is...more
Mechanics' liens on public construction projects are a fact of life. Although they may seem familiar, it does not pay to regard them too casually. Mechanics' liens are statutory creatures, and anyone dealing with them needs...more
Lien claims can pose serious challenges—and immense frustration—for any owner or developer of a private construction project, particularly for those wishing to refinance or sell the property. An owner with a finance...more
How can a contractor, subcontractor, or supplier secure payment for its work? One solution is to file a mechanics’ lien against a project’s property. Lien laws vary widely from state to state and time to time because...more
Welcome to the DMV Construction Law Series, where each month we examine a different set of legal issues important to contractors. Our fourth installment briefly examines certain key parts of Virginia’s Mechanic’s Lien Law...more
In early June 2021, Governor Abbott signed into law House Bill 2237 (the Bill) that makes substantial changes to the law that establishes the requirement for mechanic’s and materialmen’s liens and bond claims in Texas. ...more
What recourse does an owner (or other aggrieved party, such as a general contractor who is contractually obligated to remove sub-contractors’ mechanic’s liens) have for removing a mechanic’s lien from the property on which it...more
On May 15, 2020, in Geo-technology Associates Inc. v. Capital Station Dover, LLC, the Delaware Supreme Court dismissed an action to enforce a mechanic’s lien because the geotechnical and construction observation services...more
A recent New York appellate court decision highlights the danger of contractors, subcontractors and suppliers not having a complete understanding of Section 38 of the Lien Law. It allows the party against whom a mechanic's...more
Whether you are the owner or the general contractor, dealing with mechanic’s liens filed by subcontractors or suppliers can be frustrating and, in some cases, present the very real threat of having to pay twice for work or...more
Contractors and suppliers are sometimes challenged to secure a claim for past due payment with a lien on the project, all subject to lien laws that vary throughout the United States. In Arizona, as in most states, the...more
New legislation (SB 1304) is amending A.R.S. § 33-992.01 (governing “preliminary twenty-day notices”) to increase the “lien reach” of Arizona 20-day Preliminary Notices to 30% (up from the 20% we’ve known for decades). This...more
The subcontractor's sworn statement is one of most effective tools that contractors can use to ensure that lower-tier subcontractors and suppliers receive adequate payment throughout the job, yet many contractors either fail...more
Effective December 31, 2016, Pennsylvania’s Mechanics’ Lien Law of 1963 (lien law) was amended to allow for an online State Construction Notices Directory (directory) to provide notice to parties involved in projects costing...more
Recently, in Marco Crane & Rigging Co. v. Masaryk, 703 Ariz. Adv. Rep. 29 (Dec. 30, 2014), the Arizona Court of Appeals established that a subcontractor on a residential project has no lien rights against an owner-occupant,...more
In an opinion published in September 2014, entitled Moorefield Construction, Inc. v. Intervest Mortgage Investment Company, et al., D065464, the California Court of Appeal held an original contractor can contractually waive...more
On August 27, in In re Heritage Consolidated, L.L.C., the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals granted subcontractor’s lien rights to two oil and gas drilling contractors. The Court reversed a district court ruling which upheld a...more
The smoke has finally cleared in a hard and long-fought battle between a bank and contractor both claiming priority to foreclose millions of dollars on a Phoenix condominium project. The project, well-known as Summit at...more