Mechanic’s Lien – Used by a contractor to place a lien on a property they worked on but haven’t been paid for yet.

Sample

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Instrument Prepared By: ______________
And Recording Requested By: ______________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Space above this line for recorder’s use only

MECHANIC’S LIEN RELEASE

STATE OF [STATE NAME]
COUNTY OF [COUNTY NAME]

Lien to be Released
Recorded on: [MM/DD/YYYY]
Recorded in [COUNTY NAME] County, State of [STATE NAME]
Book [BOOK #] Page: [PAGE #]
Other information: [ADD ANY OTHER INFORMATION HERE]

Property (with Lien)
Address: [PROPERTY ADDRESS]
Property Description: [LEGAL DESCRIPTION OF PROPERTY]

Claimant
Name: [CLAIMANT NAME]
Address: [CLAIMANT ADDRESS]

Owner
Name: [OWNER NAME]
Address: [OWNER ADDRESS]

KNOW ALL PERSONS that the Claimant, being the owner of the Lien, does hereby release, discharge, and/or acknowledge satisfaction of said Lien. The aforesaid notice and claim of Mechanic’s Lien is released, discharged and/or satisfied for the following reason (check one):

☐ – Payment has been received IN FULL for the lien.
☐ – The Claimant did not enforce the lien within the time required by law and seeks to release the lien.
☐ – Other reason: [OTHER REASON (OPTIONAL)]

Claimant Signature: __________________________ Date: [MM/DD/YYYY]
Claimant Printed Name: [CLAIMANT PRINTED NAME]

NOTARY ACKNOWLEDGMENT

State of [STATE]
County of [COUNTY]

The foregoing instrument was acknowledged before me this [MM/DD/YYYY], by the undersigned, [CLAIMANT NAME], who is personally known to me or satisfactorily proven to me to be the person whose name is subscribed to the within instrument.

_________________________________
Notary Public
My Commission Expires: [NOTARY EXPIRATION]

How to Release a Mechanic’s Lien (3 steps)

Step 1 – Negotiate with the Property Owner

More often than not, the property owner will reach out to the worker (claimant) to resolve the lien. Depending on the value of the lien, the owner may attempt to pay a lower amount than owed. While accepting the owner’s offer can resolve the situation faster, it is ultimately up to the claimant to decide if the lower amount is acceptable.

Step 2 – Receive Payment

The claimant should require the owner to pay them before releasing the lien. This is very important, as there is far less incentive for the property owner to pay if the lien is already released. Additionally, once payment is received, the claimant has no reason not to release the lien. Another essential reason to receive payment first is that the claimant only has a set amount of time to file a lien. Should they release the lien and not receive payment, the state-mandated deadline would most likely have already been met, thus limiting the worker’s ability to record a second lien.

Step 3 – Complete & Record the Release

Once the claimant has been paid for the total value of the lien (or a lesser, agreed-upon amount), they will need to complete the lien release. If the claimant had to notarize the mechanic’s lien when they initially filed it, they will most likely need to notarize the release form as well.

The completed release form must be recorded at the public land records office (e.g., recorder of deeds) to finish the lien release process. A copy should then be sent to the owner via certified mail to inform them that the lien is officially released.

Lien Release Deadlines: By State

View Deadlines
STATE	RELEASE DEADLINE	STATUTE
Alabama	30 days after receiving written demand	§ 35-11-231(b)
Alaska	None	N/A
Arizona	20 days after receiving payment	§ 33-1006(A)
Arkansas	10 days after receiving payment	§ 18-44-131(b)
California	None	N/A
Colorado	10 days after receiving written demand	§ 38-22-118
Connecticut	None	N/A
Delaware	None	N/A
Florida	None	N/A
Georgia	None	N/A
Hawaii	None	N/A
Idaho	None	N/A
Illinois	10 days after receiving written demand	770 ILCS 60/35(a)
Indiana	None	N/A
Iowa	30 days after receiving written demand	§ 572.23(1)
Kansas	None	N/A
Kentucky	30 days after receiving payment	§ 382.365(1)
Louisiana	10 days after receiving written demand	§ 4833(3)
Maine	60 days after receiving payment	§ 4013(1)
Maryland	None	N/A
Massachusetts	None	N/A
Michigan	None	N/A
Minnesota	None	N/A
Mississippi	15 days after receiving written demand	§ 85-7-421(3)
Missouri	10 days after receiving written demand	§ 429.130
Montana	30 days after receiving payment	§§ 71-3-537, 71-3-131
Nebraska	None	N/A
Nevada	10 days after receiving payment	§ 108.2437(1)
New Hampshire	None	N/A
New Jersey	30 days of payment OR within 7 days of demand	§ 2A:44A-30(a)
New Mexico	None	N/A
New York	None	N/A
North Carolina	None	N/A
North Dakota	None	N/A
Ohio	30 days after receiving payment	§ 1311.20
Oklahoma	Immediately after receiving payment	42 § 102
Oregon	10 days after receiving written demand	§ 87.076(4)(a)
Pennsylvania	None	N/A
Rhode Island	None	N/A
South Carolina	Immediately after receiving payment	§ 29-5-430
South Dakota	10 days after receiving written demand	§ 44-9-22
Tennessee	30 days after receiving written demand	§ 66-11-135(a)
Texas	10 days after receiving written demand	§ 53.152(a)
Utah	10 days after request	§ 38-1a-803(2)
Vermont	None	N/A
Virginia	None	N/A
Washington	Immediately upon receiving payment and demand	§ 60.04.071
West Virginia	Immediately upon receiving demand	§ 38-2-36(a)
Wisconsin	Upon receiving payment and demand	§ 779.13(1)
Wyoming	30 days after receiving payment	§ 29-1-313(a)

How to Write

View Instructions

Step 1 – State & County

1. Enter the name of the state where the lien was originally recorded.
2. Enter the name of the county where the lien was originally recorded.

Step 2 – Lien to be Released

3. Type the date (mm/dd/yyyy) on which the original lien was recorded.
4. Enter the name of the county where the lien was recorded (same as field #2).
5. Enter the name of the state in which the lien was recorded (same as field #1).
6. Provide the book number where the lien recording can be found.
7. Enter the page number where the lien was recorded in the record book.
8. Enter any other information regarding the lien here (optional).

Step 3 – Property (with Lien)

9. Provide the full address of the property where the work was completed (the property with the lien to be released).
10. Write the full description of the property. This can be found on the property’s deed and other recorded documents.

Step 4 – Claimant

11. Enter the full name of the claimant, the person who completed the work.
12. Enter the claimant’s full mailing address, including the street name and number, state, and ZIP code.

Step 5 – Owner

13. Type the full name of the owner of the property that has the lien.
14. Type the owner’s complete mailing address (if the owner lives on the property with the lien, this address will be the same as that entered into field 9).

Step 6 – Reason for Release

15. Check the box corresponding to the reason the claimant is releasing the lien. If the “Other reason” box is checked, describe why the claimant is releasing the lien.

Step 7 – Claimant Signature

16. The claimant must sign their name on this blue line. If the claimant intends on having the form notarized (required in some states; highly recommended for all states), they will need to wait to sign until they are in the presence of a notary public.
17. Provide the date (mm/dd/yyyy) the claimant signed the form.
18. Enter the claimant’s full name here.

Step 8 – Notarization

19 – 24. These fields are for notary public completion ONLY.

Mechanic’s Lien Release Form