Michigan Construction Lien Resources
20-day Notice of Furnishing. 90 days to record. One year to enforce. Everything a contractor, subcontractor or supplier needs to protect lien rights in Michigan.
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Notice of Furnishing after first furnishing
Record the Claim of Lien after last furnishing
Serve the recorded lien on the designee
Foreclose after the lien is recorded
Michigan deadline calculator
Enter your dates and see every deadline in order. Red rows are the ones that can cost you the lien.
How a Michigan lien comes together
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Before or at start
Request the Notice of Commencement
Send a written request by certified mail. The owner, lessee or designee must provide a copy within 10 days after the request is mailed.
MCL 570.1108
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Day 20 from first furnishing
Serve the Notice of Furnishing
Subcontractors and suppliers serve the designee and the general contractor named in the NOC, personally or by certified mail.
MCL 570.1109
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During the job
Track payments, sworn statements and waivers
Payments the owner makes against a sworn statement or waiver before your notice arrives can reduce a late notice’s lien.
MCL 570.1109(6), 570.1110
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Day 90 from last furnishing
Record the Claim of Lien
Record with the Register of Deeds in the county where the property sits.
MCL 570.1111(1)
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15 days after recording
Serve the recorded lien
Serve the designee (or owner/lessee if none) personally or by certified mail, return receipt requested. Certified mail service is complete on mailing.
MCL 570.1111
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1 year after recording
File suit to foreclose
Record a lis pendens when the action is filed.
MCL 570.1117
The Michigan rules, abstracted
A working summary of the Construction Lien Act for notice, recording and enforcement.
Who has lien rights
Contractors, subcontractors, suppliers and laborers who furnish labor or material for an improvement to real property. A contractor must provide a sworn statement before it can enforce its lien or collect payment.
Notice of Commencement
The owner or lessee records the NOC with the Register of Deeds and posts it on site. It names the designee who receives notices. Any claimant can demand a copy by certified mail and must receive it within 10 days. The NOC rules in 570.1108 do not apply to residential structures; 570.1108a sets a separate residential process.
Notice of Furnishing
Subcontractors and suppliers serve it within 20 days after first furnishing, on the designee and the general contractor named in the NOC, personally or by certified mail. Late notice does not kill the lien, but the lien is reduced by payments made against sworn statements or waivers before the notice was served. Laborers have separate deadlines tied to unpaid wages and benefits, and a laborer’s failure to give notice defeats the laborer’s lien.
Claim of Lien
Record within 90 days after your last furnishing, in each county where the property is located. Serve a copy on the designee (or owner/lessee) within 15 days after recording, personally or by certified mail, return receipt requested.
Enforcement
Foreclosure must be filed within 1 year after the claim of lien is recorded, with a notice of lis pendens recorded at filing.
Residential
On a residential structure, the lien does not attach to the extent the owner or lessee files an affidavit showing they paid the contractor (MCL 570.1118a). That makes early notice and payment tracking critical on homes.
Where Michigan liens go wrong
- Counting 90 days from the invoice date instead of the last day you actually furnished labor or material.
- Serving the notice on the owner when the NOC names a different designee.
- Recording the lien but missing the 15-day service after recording.
- Letting a late Notice of Furnishing ride while the owner keeps paying against sworn statements.
What do I need to send?
- Request for Notice of Commencement (certified mail)
- Notice of Furnishing within 20 days
- Claim of Lien within 90 days of last furnishing
- Service of recorded lien within 15 days
- Sworn statement before enforcement
- Sworn statement with each payment request
- Claim of Lien within 90 days of last furnishing
- Service of recorded lien within 15 days
- Record and post the Notice of Commencement
- Respond to NOC requests within 10 days
- Collect sworn statements and statutory waivers before paying
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 Public Works Bond Act, MCL 129.201 et seq..
- Claimants without a direct contract with the principal contractor serve a written notice on the principal contractor within 30 days after first furnishing.
- All claimants give written notice to the principal contractor and the governmental unit within 90 days after last furnishing.
- Notices go by certified mail, postage prepaid.
- Suit must be filed within 1 year from the date final payment was made to the principal contractor.
MCL 129.207, 129.209
Lien waivers
Michigan prescribes four statutory waiver forms: partial conditional, partial unconditional, full conditional and full unconditional. Waivers must be in substantially the statutory format.
MCL 570.1115
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 Michigan 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 September 29, 2026.
Michigan 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Request for Notice of Commencement | Starting at $35 | Starting at $60 |
| Find missing or correct wrong address | Starting at $50 | Starting at $75 |
| Notice of Furnishing | Starting at $50 | Starting at $90 |
| Property research / investigation | Starting at $80 | Starting at $120 |
| Claim of Lien: prepare and record | Starting at $195 | Starting at $350 |
| Release and discharge of Claim of Lien (recorded) | Starting at $95 | Starting at $150 |
| Unrecorded release and discharge | Starting at $60 | Starting at $150 |
| Bond notice or lien on bond (state public jobs) | Starting at $195 | Starting at $350 |
| Each additional surety notification | Starting at $55 | Starting at $75 |
| Miller Act bond notice or claim (federal jobs) | Starting at $195 | Starting at $350 |
| Title search and legal description: Oakland, Wayne, Macomb, Washtenaw | Starting at $200 | Starting at $250 |
| Title search and legal description: all other counties | Starting at $300 | Starting at $350 |
| Title search with foreclosure search: Oakland, Wayne, Macomb, Washtenaw | Starting at $500 | Starting at $600 |
| Title search with foreclosure search: all other counties | Starting at $600 | Starting at $700 |
| Notice of Commencement kit (non-designee) | Starting at $180 | Starting at $225 |
| Notice of Commencement, designee full service: job under $450,000 | Starting at $300 | Starting at $425 |
| Notice of Commencement, designee full service: job $450,000 or more | Starting at $500 | Starting at $625 |
| 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.
Michigan lien questions
Is the Notice of Furnishing required in Michigan?
It is required for subcontractors and suppliers. Serving it late does not defeat the lien, but the lien is reduced by payments made against sworn statements or waivers before your notice was served.
When is the 90-day lien deadline measured from?
From your last furnishing of labor or material for the improvement, not the invoice date or the project completion date.
Does certified mail have to be delivered to count?
For the recorded lien, the statute says service by certified mail is complete upon mailing.
How long does a Michigan construction lien last?
A foreclosure action must be filed within 1 year after the claim of lien is recorded.
Working a Michigan job?
Send us the job. We prepare, serve and record your Michigan notices and liens, and track every deadline.
The information on this page is general information about Michigan 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 Michigan attorney about your specific situation.