Unpaid on a Northern Kentucky job in Kenton County? LevelSet Collections prepares, records and mails Kenton County mechanics liens for contractors, subcontractors and suppliers on jobs from the Covington riverfront to Erlanger, Fort Mitchell, Edgewood and Independence. We have filed more than 1,100 liens since 2020, with one all-inclusive price for the whole Kenton filing.
Quick answer: A Kenton County mechanics lien is a sworn statement recorded with the Kenton County Clerk, whose recording drop-off is the Kenton County Government Center at 1840 Simon Kenton Way in Covington. It has to meet Kentucky’s recording format standards. The notice of intent, 6-month deadline and 7-day owner mailing all apply. See the full Kentucky deadlines and statutes.
Where Kenton County liens are recorded
Kenton County liens are recorded by the Kenton County Clerk’s real estate and recording office. Documents for recording are dropped off at the Government Center, 1840 Simon Kenton Way in Covington, between 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m., or mailed to the Clerk at P.O. Box 1109 in Covington. The Clerk also has a branch office at 5272 Madison Pike in Independence.
The Clerk’s office won’t prepare documents or provide blank forms, and it doesn’t give out recording information by phone, so a lien has to arrive complete. Kentucky’s county clerks adopted PRIA formatting standards on January 1, 2020, and Kenton publishes them: a 3-inch top margin on the first page, 1-inch margins everywhere else, no staples, printing on one side only and at least 10-point type.
Finding the legal owner and legal description in Kenton County
The Kenton County PVA, with offices at 1840 Simon Kenton Way (Suite 3300) in Covington and 5272 Madison Pike in Independence, keeps the owner and parcel records. Its parcel identification number (PIDN) is also the key to the Clerk’s records: the Kenton Records search finds documents recorded since January 1, 2020 by PIDN.
Older documents take more digging. Records from April 1991 to January 1, 2020 are on the Clerk’s public inquiry computers, and anything earlier starts in the index books. We trace the owner’s vesting deed back as far as the legal description requires.
Cities we file in across Kenton County
Covington is the county’s largest city. The others include Bromley, Crescent Springs, Crestview Hills, Edgewood, Elsmere, Erlanger, Fairview, Fort Mitchell, Fort Wright and Independence.
Kenton has a recording quirk most counties don’t. Until 2016 it had two recording districts, Covington and Independence. The Independence district recorded only deeds, mortgages and easements, and some subdivisions, including Grandview Summit, Horsebranch and Aosta Valley, have documents in both. Records before 1840 are in Campbell County.
Northern Kentucky addresses also cross county lines. Florence and the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky airport are in Boone County, and Newport and Fort Thomas are in Campbell County. A lien recorded in Kenton on a Boone or Campbell parcel doesn’t protect you.
The biggest job in the county right now is the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project. Its $4.05 billion first phase builds a companion bridge to Cincinnati, expected to open in 2031, plus about a mile of approach work on each side, with ramp changes in Covington and sewer and water line rebuilding on 3rd Street. Highway work like that runs on payment bonds and Kentucky’s lien on public funds, not a lien on the property; the private side of Kenton work is mostly multifamily, renovation and subdivision jobs.
What sinks liens in Kenton County
- Formatting problems. A lien without the 3-inch top margin on page one, or one that’s stapled or printed two-sided, doesn’t meet the standards Kenton publishes.
- Wrong Northern Kentucky county. Florence is in Boone County; Newport and Fort Thomas are in Campbell. Check the parcel, not the ZIP code.
- A chain of title split across the old districts. In subdivisions that crossed the Covington and Independence districts, the owner’s earlier deeds can be in either set of books.
- Mailing it in late. The Clerk takes mail at a P.O. box and won’t give recording information by phone, so a lien mailed near the 6-month date is a gamble.
- Missed notice of intent. Subs and suppliers on Kenton County jobs need the 75- or 120-day notice to the owner before the lien. See the Kentucky deadline table.
How LevelSet handles a Kenton County lien
- Intake. Send us the job address, the company that hired you, your unpaid invoices and the last date you worked or delivered.
- Statutory form. We get the owner and PIDN from the Kenton County PVA, pull the legal description from the Clerk’s records and draft the sworn Kentucky lien statement on a page that meets Kenton’s formatting standards.
- Notarization. Matt Rush signs and swears to the lien as agent for the claimant, in front of a notary.
- Recording. We submit it to the Kenton County Clerk and track it until it’s recorded.
- Service. Within 7 days of recording, the owner is mailed a copy at the last known address, and we send one to the general contractor as well.
Example: a Kenton County deadline walk-through
Example: A lumber yard makes its last delivery of framing packages to a for-sale townhome project in Independence on August 18 and is owed $22,500. Because the claim is over $1,000 and the units aren’t owner-occupied, the notice of intent to the owner is due by December 16 (120 days). The lien statement must be recorded with the Kenton County Clerk by February 18 (6 months), and the owner copy mailed within 7 days of recording.
Missed the lien deadline on a Kenton County job?
A blown lien deadline doesn’t erase the debt. We pursue the contractor or customer who owes you on a Northern Kentucky job through construction collections on contingency, 10% to 33%; if we don’t collect, you owe us nothing.
Other Kentucky counties we file in
Jefferson County · Fayette County
Our Kentucky mechanics lien page has the statewide notice, filing and mailing deadlines with statute citations. We handle liens in every Kentucky county, not just these three.
Pricing
Liens $199 to $500, including recording fees, notarizing and serving. Pre-lien notices $100. Typical turnaround 2 business days. No minimum. Call (469) 694-8003, Monday through Friday, 8am to 7pm.
Frequently asked questions
Where do you file a Kenton County mechanics lien?
With the Kenton County Clerk. Recordings are dropped off at the Kenton County Government Center, 1840 Simon Kenton Way in Covington, weekdays 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., or mailed to the Clerk at P.O. Box 1109, Covington.
Does Kenton County still have a separate Independence recording district?
No. Kenton County had separate Covington and Independence recording districts until 2016. Older documents for some subdivisions, like Grandview Summit and Horsebranch, can be in either district’s books, which matters when tracing a legal description.
What formatting does the Kenton County Clerk require?
Kentucky’s PRIA-based standards, adopted January 1, 2020: white paper, 8½ x 11 preferred, a 3-inch top margin on the first page, 1-inch margins elsewhere, no staples, one side only and at least 10-point type.
My job is near the airport in Northern Kentucky. Is it a Kenton County lien?
Usually not. Florence and the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky airport are in Boone County. We confirm the parcel’s county with the PVA before drafting, so the lien goes to the right clerk.
This page is general information, not legal advice. LevelSet Collections is not a law firm; we prepare and file liens and notices as agent for the claimant. Deadlines change and depend on the facts of your job. We'll check your dates against the statute before filing. Lien laws are constantly changing. Contact us for the most up-to-date information.
Owed money on a Northern Kentucky job?
Liens $199 to $500, recording, notarizing and serving included. Recorded with the Kenton County Clerk, usually in 2 business days. Call (469) 694-8003.
