A Lien On Your House
G.L. c. 254, § 8 — a statement of the amount due within ninety or one hundred and twenty days, then ninety days to sue
In Massachusetts, a person with a written contract with the owner for work on a building, or for materials or rental equipment for it, has a lien that runs from when a notice of the contract is recorded in the registry of deeds.
| The step | The statute's answer |
|---|---|
| The stepFiling the statement of amount due | The statute's answerNot later than the earliest of ninety days after a notice of substantial completion, one hundred and twenty days after a notice of termination, or one hundred and twenty days after the last labor or material |
| The stepSuing to enforce it | The statute's answerWithin ninety days after filing the statement |
Mistakes in the statement. An inaccurate property description or amount does not affect the lien unless the person filing willfully and knowingly claimed more than was due.
Whether a particular lien is valid, and how to contest or discharge one, are questions for a licensed Massachusetts attorney.
Sources for this section (3)
- G.L. c. 254, § 8 — Statement of amount due; time for filing; dissolution of lien
- G.L. c. 254, § 2 — Written contract; notice; time for filing; form
- G.L. c. 254, § 11 — Action to enforce lien; time to commence; validity of lien
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Massachusetts attorney.