Mechanic's Lien Deadlines & Notice Requirements in Minnesota

At a glance

Requirements one by one

Who can claim

Section 514.01 covers engineering and land surveying services as well as labor, skill, material, and machinery furnished at the request of the owner or the owner's agent, trustee, contractor, or subcontractor. Section 326B.845, subd. 2 voids a lien claimed by a person who knowingly performs work without a license required by §§ 326B.802–326B.885, but expressly preserves the rights of material suppliers and licensed contractors.

Preliminary notice

Under § 514.011, subd. 1, the owner-contracting party's warning applies when that party "has contracted or will contract with any subcontractors or material suppliers." The party must give the owner a copy of the written contract containing the warning. If there is no written contract, the warning must be delivered personally or by certified mail within ten days after the work is agreed upon. Failure to give the warning eliminates that party's lien remedy. A claimant without a direct owner contract generally must give the separate notice under subd. 2 within 45 days of first furnishing. Subdivision 2(b) preserves a lien after a good-faith attempt to comply unless the owner or another lien claimant proves resulting damage. Subdivision 4b exempts wholly residential improvements of more than four family units from the section's notices.

Deadline to file and serve

Section 514.08, subd. 1 says the lien "ceases at the end of 120 days after doing the last of the work, or furnishing the last item of skill, material, or machinery" unless both the statement is recorded and a copy is served during that period. A statement goes to the county recorder, or to the registrar of titles for registered land. Service may be personal or by certified mail on the owner, the owner's authorized agent, or the person who entered into the contract with the contractor. The statute uses the claimant's last contribution as the trigger; it provides no alternate shorter clock tied to an owner-recorded notice of completion.

Deadline to sue to foreclose

Section 514.12, subd. 3 requires the holder to assert the lien by filing a complaint or answer with the court administrator "within one year after the date of the last item of the claim as set forth in the recorded lien statement." This period is measured from the stated last item, rather than from the day the statement was recorded.

Residential rules

Section 514.011, subd. 4b removes the notice requirement for a wholly residential improvement of more than four family units. The cited lien provisions add no separate homestead signature requirement. Separately, § 514.02, subd. 1(b) imposes individual theft liability on a responsible corporate shareholder, officer, director, or agent for diversion of proceeds on certain residential improvements.

What trips people up

Recording alone does not preserve a lien: § 514.08, subd. 1 requires both recording and service before the same 120-day clock expires. The 45-day subcontractor notice runs from first furnishing, while the 120-day filing and service period runs from last furnishing.

Common questions

Must an owner-contracting contractor give the warning if it uses no subcontractors or suppliers? Section 514.011, subd. 1 addresses a party who has contracted or will contract with subcontractors or material suppliers. Its warning requirement is framed by that condition.

Does the residential licensing bar also void a material supplier's lien? Section 326B.845, subd. 2 expressly says it does not affect material suppliers' lien rights to the extent otherwise provided by law.

Statutes and sources

• Minn. Stat. § 514.01 — https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/514.01 (accessed 2026-10-06)
• Minn. Stat. § 326B.845, subd. 2 — https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/326b.845 (accessed 2026-10-06)
• Minn. Stat. § 514.011, subds. 1, 2, 4b — https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/514.011 (accessed 2026-10-06)
• Minn. Stat. § 514.08, subd. 1 — https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/514.08 (accessed 2026-10-06)
• Minn. Stat. § 514.12, subd. 3 — https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/514.12 (accessed 2026-10-06)
• Minn. Stat. § 514.02, subd. 1(b) — https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/514.02 (accessed 2026-10-06)