Unpaid on a job in Detroit or anywhere else in Wayne County? LevelSet Collections prepares, records and serves Wayne County mechanics liens, which Michigan calls a claim of lien, for contractors, subcontractors and suppliers on jobs from downtown Detroit and Dearborn to Livonia, Canton, Westland and the Downriver cities. We have filed more than 1,100 liens since 2020, and one all-inclusive price covers the whole Wayne filing.
Quick answer: A Wayne County mechanics lien is a claim of lien recorded with the Wayne County Register of Deeds within 90 days of your last furnishing, with proof of your Notice of Furnishing attached, and then served within 15 days of recording. The Register enforces strict format rules, including a 2.5-inch top margin. See the full Michigan deadlines and statutes.
Where Wayne County liens are recorded
Wayne County liens are recorded by the Wayne County Register of Deeds, Bernard J. Youngblood, whose office records deeds, mortgages, land contracts, financing statements and liens. Documents are accepted in person or by mail during business hours, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. The office doesn’t prepare documents or provide blank forms.
Wayne publishes a detailed list of recording requirements, and a claim of lien has to meet all of them: white 8.5 x 11 or 8.5 x 14 paper, black ink, at least 10-point type, a 2.5-inch top margin on the first page and half-inch margins elsewhere, the document title on the first line, the property tax ID number and property address, the drafter’s name and address, original signatures with printed names, a Michigan notary acknowledgment and a complete “Return To” name and address. Documents come back the same way they were sent in.
Finding the legal owner and legal description in Wayne County
In Michigan, property is assessed by each city and township, not by the county, so the owner of record comes from the local assessor where the job is, checked against the vesting deed at the Register of Deeds. On a Detroit job that means the city’s records; on a Livonia or Canton job, that city or township’s assessor.
Wayne County also has its own Mortgage and Deed Fraud Unit, formed in 2005 by the Register of Deeds with the Prosecutor and Sheriff and housed at 400 Monroe in Detroit. Because the county runs a dedicated deed-fraud unit, we confirm the current owner from the recorded deed, not just the tax roll, before naming anyone on a lien.
Cities we file in across Wayne County
Wayne County has 43 communities. Detroit is at the center, and the list includes Dearborn, Dearborn Heights, Livonia, Westland, Taylor, Southgate, Wyandotte, Romulus, Hamtramck, Highland Park, Canton, Plymouth, Northville and the five Grosse Pointes.
County lines matter at the edges. Grosse Pointe Shores appears on both Wayne’s and Macomb’s community lists, so the parcel decides where the lien goes. And jobs just across 8 Mile Road in Ferndale or Warren belong in Oakland or Macomb, not Wayne.
Wayne work ranges from industrial and plant jobs to medical, multifamily and residential rehab in Detroit and the inner-ring suburbs. The Gordie Howe International Bridge between Detroit and Windsor opened to traffic on July 27, 2026. Public projects like that can’t be liened.
What sinks liens in Wayne County
- A first page that breaks the format rules. The 2.5-inch top margin, document title and tax ID requirements are the first things to get right.
- No proof of the Notice of Furnishing. Subs and suppliers have to attach proof of service of the 20-day Notice of Furnishing to the claim.
- Recording but never serving. The claim of lien has to be served within 15 days after it’s recorded.
- Naming the wrong owner. The owner on the tax roll isn’t always the owner of record, so we check the recorded deed.
- A Grosse Pointe Shores parcel in the wrong county. Check whether the parcel is on the Wayne or Macomb side. See the Michigan deadline table for the statewide clocks.
How LevelSet handles a Wayne County lien
- Intake. You send the job address, who hired you, your invoices, your first and last days of furnishing, and your Notice of Furnishing with proof of service.
- Statutory form. We confirm the owner through the local assessor and the recorded deed, then prepare the Michigan claim of lien on a first page built to Wayne’s format rules.
- Notarization. Matt Rush signs the claim as agent for the claimant before a notary.
- Recording. We record it with the Wayne County Register of Deeds with your Notice of Furnishing proof attached.
- Service. Within 15 days after recording, we serve the designee or owner by certified mail, return receipt requested, and send a copy to the general contractor.
Example: a Wayne County deadline walk-through
Example: An electrical subcontractor starts work on a Dearborn retail build-out on March 2 and finishes May 29. Its Notice of Furnishing to the designee and general contractor was due March 22 (20 days). The claim of lien has to be recorded with the Wayne County Register of Deeds by August 27 (90 days after May 29). If it’s recorded on August 20, it has to be served by September 4 (15 days).
Wayne County lien deadline passed?
The lien may be gone, but the money is still owed. We go after the contractor or customer on your Detroit-area job through construction collections on contingency, 10% to 33%, and you pay nothing if we don’t collect.
Other Michigan counties we file in
Oakland County · Macomb County · Kent County
Michigan’s notice, recording and service deadlines, with statute citations, are on our Michigan construction lien page. We file in all 83 Michigan counties.
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 Wayne County mechanics lien?
With the Wayne County Register of Deeds, which records deeds, mortgages, land contracts and liens. The office accepts documents in person or by mail, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.
What formatting does the Wayne County Register of Deeds require?
Among other things, a 2.5-inch top margin on the first page, half-inch margins elsewhere, 10-point type, the document title on the first line, the property tax ID and address, and a complete “Return To” address.
Who owns the property on my Detroit job?
Michigan property is assessed by each city and township, so we check the local assessor and then confirm the owner from the deed recorded with the Register of Deeds.
Is a Grosse Pointe Shores job a Wayne County lien?
It depends on the parcel. Grosse Pointe Shores is listed as a community in both Wayne and Macomb counties, so we confirm the county before recording.
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 Detroit-area job?
Liens $199 to $500, recording, notarizing and serving included. Recorded with the Wayne County Register of Deeds, usually in 2 business days. Call (469) 694-8003.
