Unpaid on a job in Columbus or anywhere else in Franklin County? LevelSet Collections prepares, files and serves Franklin County mechanics liens, the sworn lien affidavit Ohio requires, for contractors, subcontractors and suppliers on jobs from downtown Columbus to Dublin, Westerville, Hilliard, Grove City, Gahanna and New Albany. We have filed more than 1,100 liens since 2020, and one all-inclusive price covers the whole Franklin filing.
Quick answer: A Franklin County mechanics lien is a sworn lien affidavit filed with the Franklin County Recorder at 373 S. High Street in Columbus, which accepts e-recording through CSC, ePN, Indecomm and Simplifile. It’s due 75 days after your last work (60 on a one- or two-family home), and the owner has to be served within 30 days after filing. See the full Ohio deadlines and statutes.
Where Franklin County liens are filed
Franklin County lien affidavits are filed with the Franklin County Recorder in the Franklin County Government Tower, 373 S. High Street, in downtown Columbus. The Recorder accepts documents in person and by mail; mailed filings need a self-addressed, stamped envelope or the office charges postage to send the original back.
The Recorder doesn’t run its own e-filing platform. It accepts electronic recording through four private vendors: CSC Global, ePN, Indecomm Global Services and Simplifile. Only documents that meet every legal and standardization requirement, including Ohio Revised Code 317.13 and the office’s Real Estate Recording Guide, can be e-recorded. The Recorder also accepts electronically and online notarized documents that meet Ohio requirements. We e-record Franklin County liens, so the filing date is set the day we submit, not the day the mail arrives.
Finding the legal owner and legal description in Franklin County
In Ohio, the county auditor keeps the property records. The Franklin County Auditor’s property search and parcel viewer give us the owner of record, the parcel number and the tax description for the job address.
We confirm the legal description from the owner’s recorded deed and check the Recorder’s records for a Notice of Commencement. If one was recorded, it names the owner’s designee and triggers the 21-day Notice of Furnishing for subs and suppliers. Since September 30, 2025, a Notice of Commencement expires four years after it’s filed unless it says otherwise, so on long-running projects we check the date too.
Cities we file in across Franklin County
Franklin County has 16 cities, 9 villages and 18 townships. The cities are Columbus, Bexley, Canal Winchester, Dublin, Gahanna, Grandview Heights, Grove City, Groveport, Hilliard, New Albany, Pickerington, Reynoldsburg, Upper Arlington, Westerville, Whitehall and Worthington. The villages include Obetz, Minerva Park, Marble Cliff and Urbancrest, and townships like Prairie, Plain, Jackson and Madison cover the unincorporated areas.
Columbus-area jobs don’t always land in Franklin County. Powell and Lewis Center are in Delaware County, and Johnstown is in Licking County, so a lien on a job a sub calls “Columbus” may belong with another county’s recorder. We confirm the county from the parcel before filing.
Franklin work runs from apartments and mixed-use buildings in Columbus to warehouses on the south side, data center and office work in the suburbs and new subdivisions in the townships. On the public side, the County Engineer is planning a $60 million-plus widening of about 2.6 miles of Alum Creek Drive, with new bridges over Big Walnut Creek and a $25 million federal BUILD grant, with construction expected from spring 2028 through 2029. Public work in Ohio can’t be liened; it runs on the public-funds claim and payment bonds.
What sinks liens in Franklin County
- A document that isn’t e-recordable. The Recorder only e-records documents that meet ORC 317.13 and its recording guide. A rejected filing doesn’t stop the clock.
- No Notice of Furnishing on a commercial job. If a Notice of Commencement was recorded, subs and suppliers had 21 days after first furnishing.
- Using 75 days on a house. One- and two-family homes and residential condos get 60 days, not 75.
- Filing but not serving. A copy of the affidavit has to reach the owner or designee within 30 days after filing.
- A Delaware or Licking County parcel. Check the county on Powell, Lewis Center and Johnstown jobs. See the Ohio deadline table.
How LevelSet handles a Franklin County lien
- Intake. You send the job address, who hired you, your invoices, your first and last days on the job and any Notice of Furnishing you sent.
- Statutory form. We pull the owner and parcel from the Franklin County Auditor, check the Recorder’s records for a Notice of Commencement, and prepare the sworn Ohio lien affidavit.
- Notarization. Matt Rush makes and signs the affidavit as agent for the claimant, which Ohio law allows, before a notary.
- Recording. We e-record it with the Franklin County Recorder through one of its approved vendors.
- Service. Within 30 days after filing we send a copy to the owner or designee and to the general contractor.
Example: a Franklin County deadline walk-through
Example: A general contractor hired directly by the owner finishes an office build-out in Hilliard on August 4. As an original contractor, it doesn’t need a Notice of Furnishing. Its lien affidavit has to be filed with the Franklin County Recorder by October 18 (75 days). If it’s filed on October 10, a copy has to be served on the owner by November 9 (30 days).
Franklin County lien deadline passed?
The lien may be gone, but the money is still owed. We go after the contractor or customer on your Columbus-area job through construction collections on contingency, 10% to 33%, and you pay nothing if we don’t collect.
Other Ohio counties we file in
Cuyahoga County · Hamilton County
Ohio’s notice, filing and service deadlines, with statute citations, are on our Ohio mechanics lien page. We file in all 88 Ohio 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 Franklin County mechanics lien?
With the Franklin County Recorder in the Government Tower, 373 S. High Street, Columbus, in person, by mail, or by e-recording through CSC, ePN, Indecomm or Simplifile.
Does the Franklin County Recorder have its own e-filing portal?
No. It accepts e-recording only through private vendors, and only for documents that meet every legal and standardization requirement.
Who keeps property ownership records in Franklin County?
The Franklin County Auditor. Its property search and parcel viewer show the owner of record and parcel number, which we confirm against the recorded deed.
Is a Powell or Lewis Center job a Franklin County lien?
No. Both are in Delaware County, so the affidavit goes to the Delaware County Recorder. We confirm the county before filing.
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 Columbus-area job?
Liens $199 to $500, recording, notarizing and serving included. E-recorded with the Franklin County Recorder, usually in 2 business days. Call (469) 694-8003.
