A Lien On Your House
ORC 1311.06 — sixty days on a home, and paying the contractor is not the end of it
The thing that surprises homeowners about construction liens is that the person filing one is frequently somebody they never hired, never met, and never owed anything to. A subcontractor or a material supplier who went unpaid by the general contractor can reach the property, and having paid the general contractor in full does not automatically answer it.
The notice of commencement is the document at the other end. It is filed by the property owner with the county recorder before work begins on a project that may give rise to a lien, and it is the mechanism by which the people working on a property become visible to the owner rather than appearing later as claimants.
| Situation | The number |
|---|---|
| Lien on a one or two family dwelling | 60 days from the last labour or material |
| Lien on other work | 75 days |
| Before work begins | The owner's notice of commencement, filed with the county recorder |
| After a lien is paid | 30 days from the owner's affidavit for the lienholder to release it |
“What date was the last work done, and when was this filed.”
Lien waivers, the notice of furnishing a subcontractor may have to serve, escrow and the process for contesting a lien each sit in their own provisions of the same chapter and are not on this page. Public projects run under a different set of provisions entirely. Whether a particular lien is valid, whether it was served correctly, and what a payment to a general contractor did or did not discharge are questions for a licensed Ohio attorney, and a title company will usually spot a lien before anybody else does.
Sources for this section (2)
- ORC 1311.06 — The affidavit that creates a mechanic's lien, and the days to file it
- ORC 1311.04 — The notice of commencement an owner files before work begins
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Talk to a licensed Ohio attorney about your situation.