This Pennsylvania lien deadline calculator is for contractors who worked for the owner and for subcontractors and suppliers to the contractor or to a subcontractor. Enter your role, the type of project and the date you completed your work, and it shows each deadline under the Mechanics' Lien Law with the statute section next to it.
Subs and suppliers on commercial jobs tell us whether the project is in the State Construction Notices Directory, because that decides whether a Notice of Furnishing is due 45 days after you first worked at or delivered to the site. Subs also get the latest date to send the formal 30-day notice of intent before the 6-month lien deadline. If you already filed, add that date for the notice of filing, enforcement and judgment deadlines.
It takes about 20 seconds, and it's free. When you're ready to file, LevelSet Collections sends your formal notice, files your lien claim with the prothonotary and serves the owner, in all 67 Pennsylvania counties. Liens are $199 to $500 all-inclusive.
Leave blank if you haven't filed yet. With it, we show the enforcement dates too.
Public project? You can't lien public property, but you can still get paid. Ask us how. We get contractors, subs and suppliers paid on public work across the country through Freedom of Information Act and state public-records requests for the contract and payment bond, and Miller Act and state Little Miller Act bond claims. Call or text (469) 694-8003.
What sinks Pennsylvania liens
- A sub filing without the 30-day formal notice, or sending it too late to file inside 6 months.
- Serving the owner but never filing the affidavit of service within 20 days.
- Third-tier subs and suppliers to sub-subs filing when they have no lien rights.
- Missing the 45-day Notice of Furnishing on a directory project.
- Filing with the recorder of deeds instead of the prothonotary.
- Claims of $500 or less, which don't qualify.
Every deadline above comes from the Pennsylvania Mechanics' Lien Law, 49 P.S. § 1101 and following. For the full rules, read the Pennsylvania mechanics lien filing guide →
- Pennsylvania mechanics lien filing
- Lien deadlines by state
- Mechanics lien filing in all 18 states
- Construction collections if your lien window has closed
Pricing and turnaround
Liens are $199 to $500, and that includes recording fees, notarizing and serving. Pre-lien notices are $100. Notices of intent are $100. Typical turnaround is 2 business days, and there's no minimum claim amount. We file in all 67 Pennsylvania counties. Collections run on contingency, 10% to 33%, with no charge if we don't collect. Call (469) 694-8003, Monday through Friday, 8am to 7pm.
Frequently asked questions
How long do I have to file a mechanics lien in Pennsylvania?
6 months after you complete your work, filed with the prothonotary of the county where the property sits (49 P.S. § 1502(a)(1)). Subs also have to send the owner a formal notice at least 30 days before filing, so plan on acting by about month five.
Can a supplier to a subcontractor file a lien in Pennsylvania?
A supplier to a subcontractor hired directly by the general contractor can. A supplier to a sub-subcontractor, or to another supplier, can't. Pennsylvania only allows liens by contractors and subcontractors, and a subcontractor has to be hired by the contractor or by a sub in direct contract with the contractor (49 P.S. §§ 1201(5), 1303(a)).
What is the Pennsylvania Construction Notices Directory?
A state-run online directory for private projects costing $1.5 million or more. If the owner files and posts a Notice of Commencement there, subs and suppliers must file a Notice of Furnishing within 45 days after first performing work or services at the job site or first delivering materials to it, or they lose the right to file a lien (49 P.S. § 1501.3).
What happens after a Pennsylvania lien is filed?
Within one month you serve the owner with written notice of the filing, and within 20 days after service you file an affidavit of service with the court. Missing either one is grounds to strike the lien (49 P.S. § 1502).
How long does a Pennsylvania lien last?
You must start an action to enforce it within 2 years of filing (49 P.S. § 1701(b)), and a verdict or judgment has to be entered within 5 years of filing (49 P.S. § 1701(d)).
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.
Inside your deadline?
Liens $199 to $500, recording, notarizing and serving included. Usually filed in 2 business days. Call (469) 694-8003.
