Connecticut Construction Lien Resources
Notice of intent and lien within 90 days after you stop work. Serve the owner within 30 days. Foreclose within 1 year. Everything a contractor, subcontractor or supplier needs to protect lien rights in Connecticut.
Start a Connecticut jobCalculate my deadlines
Sub notice of intent to owner and contractor after last work
Record the lien certificate after last work
Serve the owner after recording
Foreclose and record lis pendens after recording
Connecticut deadline calculator
Enter your dates and see every deadline in order. Red rows are the ones that can cost you the lien.
How a Connecticut lien comes together
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Within 15 days of starting
Original contractor affidavit (optional)
The original contractor may record an affidavit with the town clerk giving its business name, its business address and a description of the property. If it does not, it is not entitled to the subcontractor’s notice of intent.
Conn. Gen. Stat. 49-35(a)
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After starting, within 90 days after last work
Notice of intent to claim a lien
Subcontractors and suppliers without a written, owner-assented contract serve written notice on the owner and the original contractor. The notice says you furnished work or materials and intend to claim a lien.
Conn. Gen. Stat. 49-35(a)
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Within 90 days after last work
Record the lien certificate
Lodge a sworn lien certificate with the town clerk of the town where the property sits. The clerk records it with the land records.
Conn. Gen. Stat. 49-34(1)
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Within 30 days after recording
Serve the owner
Serve a true and attested copy of the lien certificate on the owner. Use the same service method as the notice of intent under 49-35.
Conn. Gen. Stat. 49-34(2)
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Within 1 year after recording
Foreclose and record lis pendens
Start a foreclosure action and record a notice of lis pendens on the town land records. If you miss this, the lien is invalid and discharged as a matter of law.
Conn. Gen. Stat. 49-39
The Connecticut rules, abstracted
A working summary of the Connecticut Mechanic’s Lien Law for notice, recording and enforcement.
Who has lien rights
Anyone with a claim over $10 for materials or services in building, raising, removing or repairing a building, improving a lot, or site development or subdivision of land can claim a lien. The work must be under an agreement with or consent of the owner, or someone acting for the owner. Subcontractors and suppliers further down the chain do not need the owner’s direct consent. A lien can also reach a tenant’s leasehold interest when the tenant ordered the work.
Notice of intent to claim a lien
A subcontractor or supplier must give written notice to the owner and the original contractor after starting and no later than 90 days after last furnishing. The notice states that you furnished or started furnishing, and that you intend to claim a lien. Two parties skip this notice: the original contractor, and a subcontractor whose written contract with the original contractor was assented to in writing by the owner. Without a required notice, there is no lien.
Original contractor affidavit
Connecticut has no notice of commencement or completion. Instead, the original contractor may record an affidavit with the town clerk within 15 days after starting. It states the business name and business address and describes the property. If the original contractor does not record it, the original contractor is not entitled to the subcontractor’s notice of intent. The owner still is.
The lien certificate
Record a lien certificate with the town clerk of the town where the property is located within 90 days after you stop furnishing. It must describe the property, state the amount claimed, name the person the lien is filed against, and give the date you started. It must state the amount is justly due and be subscribed and sworn to by the claimant.
Service of the lien
Within 30 days after recording, serve a true and attested copy on the owner. If the owner lives in the town, an indifferent person, state marshal or other proper officer leaves a copy with the owner or at the owner’s usual place of abode. If not, serve a known agent in that town. If there is no agent, an indifferent person, state marshal or other proper officer sends it by registered or certified mail to where the owner lives. If the mail comes back unclaimed, notice goes by publication. Serve every owner. The served notice, with the server’s return endorsed on it, must go back to the claimant within 30 days after the certificate is filed.
Enforcement deadline
The lien lasts one year after it is perfected. To keep it, start a foreclosure action and record a notice of lis pendens on the land records within one year from the recording date. If the owner applied to discharge or reduce the lien, the deadline is 60 days after final disposition of that application, including any appeal, if that is later. If a court validated the lien under 49-37a, the period runs from the validation date. Otherwise the lien is invalid and discharged as a matter of law.
Owner protections
Total liens cannot exceed the price the owner agreed to pay. A subcontractor’s lien cannot exceed what the owner agreed to pay the party the sub claims through. Owners get credit for good-faith payments made to the original contractor before receiving notice of a lien. Owners can apply to court to discharge or reduce a lien, or to substitute a bond for the lien.
Connecticut quirk: town clerk filing
Connecticut records liens with the town clerk, not a county office. Service of the notice and lien is formal. Use a state marshal, an indifferent person or another proper officer, or registered or certified mail where the statute allows it.
Where Connecticut liens go wrong
- Skipping the 90-day notice of intent to the owner and the original contractor.
- Recording with the wrong office. Liens go to the town clerk where the property sits.
- Recording the lien but failing to serve the owner within 30 days.
- Waiting past one year to foreclose and record the lis pendens.
What do I need to send?
- Track your first and last furnishing dates.
- Serve a notice of intent on the owner and the original contractor within 90 days after last furnishing.
- Record a sworn lien certificate with the town clerk within 90 days after last furnishing.
- Serve the owner with a copy within 30 days after recording.
- Foreclose and record lis pendens within 1 year of recording.
- Consider recording the 15-day affidavit with the town clerk so you receive subcontractor notices.
- Record your lien certificate within 90 days after you stop work.
- Serve the owner with a true and attested copy within 30 days after recording.
- Foreclose and record lis pendens within 1 year of recording.
- Check the town land records for an original contractor affidavit and recorded liens.
- Track notices of intent before paying the original contractor.
- Good-faith payments made before notice count toward the lien cap.
- An owner can apply to discharge or reduce a lien, or to substitute a bond.
Public projects: payment bonds
You can’t lien public property. On state and local jobs, your security is the contractor’s payment bond under the Connecticut Little Miller Act, Conn. Gen. Stat. 49-41 to 49-43.
- State and municipal public building or public work contracts over $100,000 require a payment bond in the contract amount.
- If you are not paid in full within 60 days of the payment date, serve a notice of claim on the surety and a copy on the contractor named as principal. Do it no later than 180 days after your last work or materials.
- The notice states the amount claimed, who the work was for, and describes the bonded project. Serve it by registered or certified mail to any office where the surety or principal does business, or in any manner civil process may be served.
- Sue on the bond within 1 year after your last work or materials. A suit only for retainage has its own one-year clock from when retainage was due.
Conn. Gen. Stat. 49-41, 49-42
Lien waivers
Connecticut voids advance waivers. A contract term or periodic lien waiver that gives up lien or payment bond rights for work not yet performed and paid for is void and has no effect. Subordinating a lien to a mortgage or security interest is still allowed.
Conn. Gen. Stat. 42-158l
Federal projects
The Miller Act governs federal jobs in every state. Second-tier claimants give written notice to the prime contractor within 90 days after last furnishing; suit within 1 year after last furnishing.
40 U.S.C. 3133
Read the Connecticut law
We link to the official statute instead of hosting a copy, so you always read the current version. Our summaries were last checked against these sources on October 6, 2026.
Connecticut services
Flat pricing per document. Premium members pay less on every filing.
Basic: free with signup. Premium: $299 per year.
Basic Membership
Create your free LienNow account to access all our services at standard pricing. No cost, no commitment. Sign up in minutes and start filing right away at our standard pricing. It’s a good fit for contractors and suppliers who file occasionally.
Premium Membership
Premium includes everything in Basic, plus discounted pricing across our service offerings. If you file notices or liens regularly, the savings can quickly cover the annual fee.
| Service | Premium | Basic |
|---|---|---|
| Original contractor affidavit | Starting at $55 | Starting at $90 |
| Notice of intent to claim a lien | Starting at $75 | Starting at $110 |
| Mechanic’s lien certificate: prepare, record and serve | Starting at $225 | Starting at $395 |
| Lien release / discharge | Starting at $110 | Starting at $165 |
| Public job bond notice or claim | Starting at $210 | Starting at $375 |
| Miller Act bond notice or claim (federal jobs) | Starting at $195 | Starting at $350 |
| Title search and legal description | Starting at $300 | Starting at $350 |
| Rush service (within 7 business days) | Starting at $75 | Starting at $150 |
| Same-day service (24-hour turnaround) | Starting at $125 | Starting at $200 |
| Electronic recording (e-file) | Starting at $45 | Starting at $75 |
Prices are LienNow service fees per document. County recording fees, state registry or portal fees, certified mail, postage and notary fees are billed at cost. Court actions to enforce a lien are handled by an attorney and are not included.
Connecticut lien questions
How long do I have to file a mechanic's lien in Connecticut?
You must lodge the lien certificate with the town clerk within 90 days after you stop furnishing services or materials. Then you must serve the owner within 30 days after recording.
Do subcontractors need to send a notice before liening?
Usually yes. A subcontractor or supplier must give written notice of intent to the owner and the original contractor no later than 90 days after last furnishing. A subcontractor whose written contract was assented to in writing by the owner does not need it.
How long does a Connecticut lien last?
One year after it is perfected. You must start a foreclosure action and record a lis pendens within one year of recording. If the owner applied to discharge or reduce the lien, the deadline is 60 days after that application ends, if that is later.
Can a contract waive my lien rights in advance?
No. Under 42-158l, a waiver of lien or bond rights for work not yet performed and paid for is void. Subordination to a mortgage is still allowed.
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The information on this page is general information about Connecticut law as of the review date shown. It is not legal advice, and LienNow is not a law firm. Deadlines depend on the facts of each project. Consult a licensed Connecticut attorney about your specific situation.