Unpaid on a St. Louis County job? LevelSet Collections prepares, serves and files St. Louis County mechanics liens for contractors, subcontractors and suppliers on jobs in Chesterfield, Clayton, Creve Coeur, Florissant, Ballwin, Brentwood, University City and the unincorporated county. Since 2020 we’ve filed more than 1,100 liens, and a St. Louis County lien is one all-inclusive price.
Quick answer: A St. Louis County mechanics lien is a lien statement filed with the Circuit Clerk of the 21st Judicial Circuit, 105 South Central Avenue in Clayton, which lists the filing of mechanic’s liens on its fee schedule. It isn’t recorded with the Recorder of Deeds down the street. Missouri’s filing window is 6 months, with a 10-day notice of intent for everyone but the original contractor. See the full Missouri deadlines and statutes.
Where St. Louis County liens are filed
St. Louis County lien statements go to the Circuit Clerk of the 21st Judicial Circuit at 105 South Central Avenue, Clayton, open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. The filing of a mechanic’s lien is a line item on the Circuit Clerk’s own schedule of deposits and fees, which tells you which office the county treats as the place to file.
Two offices on South Central Avenue are easy to confuse. The Recorder of Deeds is a separate county department at 41 South Central Avenue, open only Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. It records deeds, plats and tax liens and accepts e-recording through ePN, CSC, iCounty and Simplifile, but a Missouri lien statement belongs with the Circuit Clerk.
Finding the owner and the Roos building move
We start with the Assessor’s Real Estate Search for the owner and locator number, then pull the vesting deed from the Recorder of Deeds for the legal description. The Recorder also runs a free Property Fraud Alert program, so a signed-up owner may notice activity on the property quickly.
The Recorder sits in the L.K. Roos building, and that building is on a clock. Under Clayton’s fire code, the county has to either fully sprinkle it or move out by December 31, 2027, and the county council has approved lease negotiations at The Crossings at Northwest. We check the Recorder’s current location before any in-person deed research.
Where we file across St. Louis County
St. Louis County has dozens of municipalities, including Ballwin, Brentwood, Bridgeton, Chesterfield, Clayton, Crestwood, Creve Coeur, Ellisville, Eureka, Fenton, Ferguson, Florissant, Town and Country, University City and Valley Park, plus unincorporated areas north and south of Interstate 64. Every one of them files with the same Circuit Clerk in Clayton.
The City of St. Louis is not one of them. It is an independent city outside any county, so a job with a St. Louis address inside the city limits goes to the 22nd Circuit, not to Clayton.
St. Louis County work runs from office and medical projects in Clayton, Creve Coeur and Chesterfield to warehouses near the airport and Earth City and remodels across the inner-ring suburbs. The county is also planning to move more than 600 employees out of the 10-story Roos building rather than spend an estimated $100 million to retrofit it. County projects are public work, protected by payment bonds instead of liens.
What sinks liens in St. Louis County
- Walking it into the Recorder of Deeds. The lien statement is a Circuit Clerk filing at 105 South Central, not a recording at 41 South Central.
- A City of St. Louis parcel. Property inside the city limits is filed with the 22nd Circuit, not in Clayton.
- Planning deed research for a Friday. The Recorder of Deeds is open Monday through Thursday.
- A notice of intent that wasn’t served. Subs and suppliers serve the owner at least 10 days before filing.
- No suit within 6 months of filing. An unenforced lien statement lapses. See the Missouri deadline table.
How LevelSet handles a St. Louis County lien
- Intake. Send us the job address, the company that hired you, your itemized account, the date the debt accrued and any owner consent you have on a home job.
- Statutory form. We pull the owner and locator number from the Assessor, the deed from the Recorder of Deeds, and prepare the notice of intent and the lien statement.
- Notarization. Matt Rush swears to the account and signs the lien statement as the claimant’s agent in front of a notary.
- Recording. We file it with the St. Louis County Circuit Clerk in Clayton.
- Service. We have the notice of intent served on the owner at least 10 days before filing and send a copy of the filed statement to the general contractor.
Example: a St. Louis County deadline walk-through
Example: An HVAC supplier makes its last delivery to a Chesterfield office renovation on May 5. Its lien statement has to be filed with the Circuit Clerk in Clayton by November 5 (6 months), and the notice of intent has to be served on the owner no later than October 26. A suit to enforce the lien then has to be filed within 6 months after the statement is filed.
St. Louis County deadline already gone?
Whoever hired you still owes you. Our construction collections service pursues unpaid St. Louis County construction invoices on contingency, 10% to 33%, and there’s no fee if nothing is collected.
Other Missouri counties we file in
Jackson County · St. Louis City
For the notice of intent, the residential consent rule and the 6-month deadline statewide, see our Missouri mechanics lien page. We file liens across Missouri.
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 St. Louis County mechanics lien?
With the Circuit Clerk of the 21st Judicial Circuit, 105 South Central Avenue, Clayton, MO 63105.
Is a St. Louis County lien recorded with the Recorder of Deeds?
No. The Recorder of Deeds at 41 South Central records deeds and plats. Missouri lien statements are filed with the Circuit Clerk.
Is a City of St. Louis job a St. Louis County lien?
No. The City of St. Louis is an independent city, not part of any county, and its liens are filed with the 22nd Circuit.
When is the St. Louis County Recorder of Deeds open?
Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., at 41 South Central Avenue in Clayton.
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 St. Louis County job?
St. Louis County liens $199 to $500, with notice, filing and notarizing included. Filed in Clayton, usually in 2 business days. Call (469) 694-8003.
