Contractor's Lien Claim - Vermont
CONTRACTOR'S LIEN CLAIM — VERMONT
Before you use this: This is the signed memorandum for town recording under 9 V.S.A. § 1923. A claimant who contracted through an owner's agent, contractor, or subcontractor must give the owner or the owner's agent in charge of the property the separate written notice described in § 1921(b). Calculate the recording deadline from when payment became due for the last covered labor or materials, and calendar the separate enforcement action and attachment deadline under § 1924.
Town clerk for recording: [TOWN], Vermont
Return recorded memorandum to: [NAME AND ADDRESS]
Claimant and property
Claimant: [FULL LEGAL NAME AND ADDRESS]
Claimant type: ☐ Individual ☐ Entity: [ENTITY NAME AND TYPE]
Signer and authority, if entity: [NAME AND TITLE]
Record owner or holder of the improved land: [FULL LEGAL NAME AND ADDRESS]
Property location: [STREET ADDRESS, TOWN], Vermont
Legal description of improved property: See Exhibit A, attached and incorporated into this memorandum.
Prior deed reference, if known: [TOWN] Land Records, Book [____], Page [____] / Instrument [____].
Agreement and labor or materials
Claimant claims a lien under 9 V.S.A. § 1921 for labor performed or materials furnished under an agreement with [NAME OF CONTRACTING PARTY], who was [OWNER / OWNER'S AGENT / CONTRACTOR / SUBCONTRACTOR], for [ERECTING / REPAIRING / MOVING / ALTERING] improvements on the property described above.
Agreement date and identifying terms: [________________________________________]
Improvement and labor or materials furnished: [________________________________________]
Date of visible commencement of work or first delivery of materials, if known: [__/__/____]
Last covered labor performed or materials furnished: [DESCRIPTION AND DATE]
Date payment became due for that last covered labor or materials: [__/__/____]
Claimed contract amount for the covered work or materials: $[__________]
Payments received and just credits: $[__________]
Amount claimed unpaid and secured by this lien: $[__________]
Notice for a claimant contracting through an owner agent, contractor, or subcontractor
If the Claimant did not contract directly with the owner, Claimant gave written notice to the owner or the owner's agent having charge of the property that Claimant would claim a lien for labor or materials, including the payment-due date if known, as required by 9 V.S.A. § 1921(b).
Recipient and capacity: [________________________________________]
Date recipient received written notice: [__/__/____]
Portion of the owner's contract price remaining unpaid on receipt: $[__________]
Written notice and receipt evidence retained at: [________________________________________]
The claimed lien of a remote claimant reaches only the portion of the owner's contract price remaining unpaid when that notice was received. If Claimant contracted directly with the owner, state DIRECT OWNER CONTRACT here: [________________________________________].
Memorandum of lien
Claimant asserts and claims a lien on the improvements and the lot of land described in Exhibit A for the unpaid amount stated above, subject to the limits of 9 V.S.A. § 1921. Claimant signs this written memorandum for recording in the clerk's office of the Vermont town where the real estate is situated under 9 V.S.A. § 1923.
Dated: [__/__/____]
Claimant signature: ________________________________________
Printed name: [________________________________________]
Capacity, if signing for an entity: [________________________________________]
Exhibit A — Legal description
[INSERT COMPLETE LEGAL DESCRIPTION OF THE IMPROVED PROPERTY AND IDENTIFY THE IMPROVEMENTS]
[____________________________________________________________]
[____________________________________________________________]
Sources and References
- Vermont mechanics-lien basis, notice, and continuation, 9 V.S.A. § 1921: https://legislature.vermont.gov/statutes/fullchapter/09/051
- Signed town-recorded memorandum, 9 V.S.A. § 1923: https://legislature.vermont.gov/statutes/fullchapter/09/051
- Enforcement action and attachment, 9 V.S.A. § 1924: https://legislature.vermont.gov/statutes/fullchapter/09/051
About this template
- Last updated
- October 2, 2026
- Citations checked
- October 2, 2026
- Jurisdiction
- Vermont
- Category
- Real Estate
Legal authority
- 9 V.S.A. § 1921(a) (lien basis)
- 9 V.S.A. § 1921(b) (remote-claimant notice and unpaid-balance limit)
- 9 V.S.A. § 1921(c) (continuation period)
- 9 V.S.A. § 1923 (recorded signed memorandum)
- 9 V.S.A. § 1924 (enforcement action and attachment)
Real estate documents transfer ownership, define who can use a property, and record agreements between buyers, sellers, landlords, and tenants. Deeds, purchase agreements, leases, and easements have to be drafted to meet state recording requirements, and mistakes show up at closing or years later in title disputes. Good real estate paperwork moves transactions forward quickly and avoids the kind of problems that only surface when it is time to sell or refinance.
Not legal advice
This template is provided for informational purposes. We recommend having an attorney review any legal document before signing, especially for high-value or complex matters.
Checked against the law it cites
A reviewer verified this template's legal citations against the official source on October 2, 2026.
9 V.S.A. § 1921(a) (lien basis) (checked October 2, 2026): "When a contract or agreement is made, whether in writing or not, for erecting, repairing, moving, or altering improvements to real property or for furnishing labor or material therefor, the person proceeding in pursuance of such contract or agreement shall have a lien upon such improvements and the lot of land on which the same stand to secure the payment of the same."
9 V.S.A. § 1921(b) (remote-claimant notice and unpaid-balance limit) (checked October 2, 2026): "Such lien shall extend to the portions of the contract price remaining unpaid at the time such notice is received."
9 V.S.A. § 1921(c) (continuation period) (checked October 2, 2026): "A lien herein provided for shall not continue in force for more than 180 days from the time when payment became due for the last of such labor performed or materials furnished unless a notice of such lien is filed in the office of the town clerk as hereinafter provided."
9 V.S.A. § 1923 (recorded signed memorandum) (checked October 2, 2026): "A person claiming a lien under section 1921 of this title shall file for record in the clerk’s office of the town where such real estate is situated a written memorandum, signed by him or her, asserting his or her claim"
Draft your Contractor's Lien Claim in the editor
Answer a few questions, let the AI editor draft each section from your answers, review it, and download Word and PDF. $99 one time, or $249 per month for every document and every Ezel app.