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Illinois mechanics lienSubcontractor notice to owner and deadlines

The subcontractor notice to owner is due 90 days after your work is complete1. The lien deadline is 4 months after completion, to hold the lien against other creditors and buyers2; the deadline to sue is 2 years after completion of the contract3.

Your Illinois lien deadlines

Enter your dates. Calendar days unless a line says otherwise.

    Deadlines that fall on a weekend or holiday may move; the statute linked on each line controls.

    Illinois lien timeline

    1. First day of work
    2. 90 daysafter last workSubcontractor notice to owner1
    3. your workany lengthJob completed
    4. 4 monthsafter completionRecord the claim for lien2
    5. 24 monthsafter completionSue to foreclose3
    Calendar days unless noted. The first rule listed for each step; the calculator applies the others.

    How many days do you have to file a mechanics lien in Illinois?

    A contractor must sue or record a claim for lien with the county recorder within 4 months after completion to enforce the lien against other creditors, encumbrancers and purchasers; as against the owner the claim can be recorded any time after the contract is made and up to 2 years after completion. The claim is verified by affidavit and gives a brief statement of the contract, the balance due after credits, and a legal description. Subcontractors and suppliers follow the same time limits through Sec. 28. On an owner-occupied single-family residence, a contractor must send the owner written notice within 10 days after recording; if late and the owner is damaged, the lien is extinguished to the extent of the damage.2 770 ILCS 60/7(a),(d); 60/28

    When is the Illinois subcontractor notice to owner due?

    Subcontractors and suppliers give the owner of record (or the owner's agent, architect or on-site superintendent) and the lender, if known, written notice of the claim and the amount due. It can go out any time after the subcontract is made and must go out within 90 days after the subcontractor's work is complete (or after the last extra work or final delivery of extra material). Send it by certified or registered mail with return receipt, by a tracked national carrier, or serve it personally; it counts as served when mailed or handed to the carrier. A contractor's sworn statement that already shows the amount owed can stand in for the notice. For an existing owner-occupied single-family home, a subcontractor must also notify the occupant within 60 days of first furnishing, with a statutory warning; a later notice still works but only against payments the owner had not yet made.1 770 ILCS 60/24(a); 60/21(c)

    How long is a mechanics lien good for in Illinois?

    Suit to foreclose the lien (or a counterclaim) must be filed within 2 years after completion of the contract or of extra work. Separately, once the owner, another lienor or any interested person serves a written demand to sue, the claimant has 30 days to file suit or answer, or the lien is forfeited; the demand must carry the statutory bold warning.3 770 ILCS 60/9; 60/34

    Who can file a mechanics lien in Illinois?

    Contractors who contract with the owner (or someone the owner authorized or knowingly permitted to contract) have a lien on the lot and improvements; anyone furnishing labor, services, materials, fixtures, apparatus, machinery or form work to the contractor is a subcontractor with a lien on the same property, subject to the contractor-statement rules in Sec. 5. The definition covers architects, engineers, surveyors, interior designers and property managers. A pay-if-paid clause is not a defense to a Sec. 21-23 or 28 claim. Waivers of lien rights demanded as a condition of getting the job are unenforceable.4 770 ILCS 60/1; 60/21

    Does an Illinois lien claim have to be notarized?

    The claim for lien must be verified by the affidavit of the claimant, agent or employee.2 770 ILCS 60/7(a)

    What about public jobs in Illinois?

    Public work over $150,000 (until Jan 1, 2029; over $50,000 after) requires a payment and performance bond. A claimant has no right to sue on the bond unless it files a verified notice of claim with the awarding agency (state work) or the clerk or secretary of the political subdivision within 180 days after the last work or materials, and serves a copy on the contractor within 10 days after filing. Suit must be brought no later than 1 year after the last item furnished, in the circuit court of the circuit where the work is performed.5 30 ILCS 550/1, 550/2

    How do you file a mechanics lien in Illinois?

    1. Subcontractor notice to owner: due 90 days after your work is complete. 770 ILCS 60/24(a); 60/21(c)
    2. Record the claim for lien: due 4 months after completion, to hold the lien against other creditors and buyers. 770 ILCS 60/7(a),(d); 60/28 Against the owner alone, the claim can be recorded up to 2 years after completion.
    3. Sue to foreclose: due 2 years after completion of the contract. 770 ILCS 60/9; 60/34 If the owner or another party serves a written demand to sue, you have 30 days.

    Each line restates the statute cited next to it. Check the statute text before you file.

    Sources

    1. 770 ILCS 60/24(a); 60/21(c) (ilga.gov, 2026-10-27)
    2. 770 ILCS 60/7(a),(d); 60/28 (ilga.gov, 2026-10-27)
    3. 770 ILCS 60/9; 60/34 (ilga.gov, 2026-10-27)
    4. 770 ILCS 60/1; 60/21 (ilga.gov, 2026-10-27)
    5. 30 ILCS 550/1, 550/2 (ilga.gov, 2026-10-27)