Minnesota mechanics lien: what to do when a customer won't pay, the deadlines, and the letter to send

Published November 4, 2026 · Minnesota Statutes (2026 edition), court fees, state forms and case law checked November 4, 2026

• Free. The demand letter and deadline worksheet come by email.
• Deepsel is our product: free estimate, invoice and scheduling software for contractors (scheduling and dispatch, quotes, invoicing, card payments). The section before the FAQ says where it fits and where it doesn't.
• Not legal advice. Have a Minnesota attorney read your lien statement before you record it.

When a Minnesota customer won't pay, put it in writing, send a demand letter, and mark one date the same day: your mechanic's lien statement has to be recorded with the county and served on the owner within 120 days after your last work, and you have one year after that last item to sue to enforce it. The lien only exists if you gave the owner the bold pre-lien notice when the job started (you need it whenever any subcontractor or supplier is on the job), and if you held any residential license the work required. For $20,000 or less, conciliation court is the other road, for $65 plus a county fee.

"Customer refuses to pay. What should we do?" one roofer asked on Reddit.²⁶ A Michigan builder who had just started out was blunter about an unpaid job: "I know I'm an idiot for not having her sign a contract."²⁷ In Minnesota, most of what you can do was settled by your contract before the job started. The rest depends on how fast you move. The pages that rank for this are the statute, law firms and lien-filing services; this one is for the contractor who works on homes. I read the statutes, court rules, state forms and cases on November 4, 2026, and every rule links to its source at the bottom. What your contract must say is on the Minnesota contract page.

The download is a demand letter with a plain notice that you intend to claim a lien, plus a deadline worksheet with each date, its statute and a box to tick. Get it three ways: make your own copy in Google Docs (opens in your Drive), download the Word version (.docx), or download the PDF. Pick a format, enter your email and I'll send the links.

Customer refuses to pay? The first steps, in order

These are the same in every state, except that Minnesota adds a rule to three of them: stopping work, the letter, and the payment plan.

1. Decide whether to keep working. On an unfinished job with a late progress payment, give written notice before you stop: what's owed, the date you'll stop, and that you'll restart when paid. Lean on your contract's stop-work clause (the Minnesota contract template's 4.5 gives 7 days' written notice). Minnesota's construction payment statute also lets a "prime contractor or subcontractor of any tier that has not received the undisputed payment" suspend work when it "is not received within ten days,"¹³ but that subdivision is written around money passed down the chain, and lawyers read its reach differently. Use it as a backup. The day you stop is probably your last day of work, and the 120 days count from it.
2. Put it in writing. A text or email the same day: the amount, the invoice number, and a direct question about whether something in the work is the reason. If it is, you want it in their words now. Write down your last day of work and what you did on it.
3. Re-send the invoice, then send a demand letter. Give the invoice a due date. If it passes, send the letter by certified mail and by email, within the first month: the lien clock is already running. Say what you did, what's owed, the date to pay by, and that you intend to record a lien if it isn't paid. Keep it to facts. Minnesota's coercion law makes it a crime to get someone to act by "a threat to make or cause to be made a criminal charge, whether true or false,"¹⁸ so leave out any talk of police or fraud charges.
4. Offer a payment plan, in writing. Minnesota has a trap here. A "promissory note or other written obligation to pay" doesn't discharge your lien unless it says so, or unless "the time for payment be thereby extended beyond the date fixed by law for enforcing the lien."⁷ So the last payment has to fall before your one-year foreclosure date. A plan doesn't stop the 120-day clock either. Record the lien statement on time even while the owner is paying, and record a satisfaction when they finish.
5. Know when to call a lawyer. Around day 90 if you're still unpaid and the amount matters to you; right away if the owner has a lawyer, claims the work is defective, or is selling or refinancing; and before you foreclose. An hour of a construction lawyer's time costs less than a lien thrown out over a date.

The Minnesota mechanics lien on a home

"Whoever ... contributes to the improvement of real estate by performing labor, or furnishing skill, material or machinery" has a lien on the improvement and the land under it, whether the contract was with the owner or with "any agent, trustee, contractor or subcontractor of such owner."¹ If you dealt with the owner for an agreed price, the lien is for "the sum agreed upon"; otherwise it's the reasonable value of the work.⁵ Three things decide whether you keep it: your license, the pre-lien notice, and the 120 days.

The license rule

"An unlicensed person who knowingly violates sections 326B.802 to 326B.885 has no right to claim a lien under section 514.01 and the lien is void."⁸ Those sections are the residential contractor licensing law. If you contract with the owner of a one-to-four-unit home for work in more than one special skill, you need a residential building contractor or remodeler license, and roofing alone needs a roofer, remodeler or building contractor license.⁹ The Attorney General tells homeowners something broader, that a contractor who should be licensed and isn't "cannot file a mechanic's lien."¹⁰ Your customer may have read that page.

Electricians, plumbers and mechanical contractors working within their own trade are exempt from the residential license, so the rule doesn't reach that work.⁸ Chapter 326B also holds the electrical, plumbing and mechanical bond sections, and I found no other rule in it that takes away a lien.⁸ I didn't research how courts treat an unlicensed tradesperson's lien. License details by trade: residential contractor, roofer, electrician, plumber, HVAC.

The pre-lien notice is a condition

If you contract with the owner and have or will have "any subcontractors or material suppliers," your written contract must carry the notice from Minnesota Statutes 514.011 in 10-point bold type, or you must deliver it personally or by certified mail within ten days after the job is agreed. "A person who fails to provide the notice shall not have the lien and remedy provided by this chapter."² The supply house you buy materials from counts as a material supplier, so on my reading nearly every home job needs it. The exact wording, and where it goes in your contract, is on the Minnesota contract page. Two exceptions matter for home work: a wholly residential building of more than four units, and a contractor run by the same people who own the property.²

Missed it? You can't fix it after the fact. You can still sue the customer on the contract: "No failure to comply with any of the provisions of this chapter shall affect the right of any person to recover, in an ordinary civil action, from the party with whom a contract was made."⁷

The owner's home isn't protected from your claim

Minnesota has no separate rule for owner-occupied homes beyond the notice, and its homestead exemption, which keeps most creditors away from a family's house, has an exception written for you. The homestead is exempt from seizure "except such as are incurred for work or materials furnished in the construction, repair, or improvement of such homestead," and the exemption doesn't extend to "any charge arising under the laws relating to laborers or material suppliers' liens."²² The state constitution says the same.²²

What the owner does have is the right to hold money back. Under 514.07 they may keep from you as much as your subcontractors and suppliers are owed, for up to 120 days after completion, unless you hand over lien waivers from the ones who sent them a pre-lien notice.⁵ The Attorney General tells homeowners to get those waivers "before making final payment."¹⁰ If a customer is holding your last check for waivers, deliver the waivers.

The 120-day deadline, and what counts as your last day

"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 within that time you record a lien statement with the county and serve a copy on the owner.³ Both have to happen inside the 120 days. Minnesota's general counting rule leaves out the first day, counts the last, and skips a last day that falls on a weekend or legal holiday,²⁴ but don't plan around that. Record a week early.

The statute doesn't define "the last of the work." Courts ask whether later work served the general purpose of the original contract, how long after the main work it came, and whether it was trifling. The Minnesota Supreme Court, in a 1959 case about a heating and plumbing contractor: "Revival of the lien is clearly disallowed when de minimus operations are performed for the sole purpose of extending the time for the lien and the work is otherwise substantially completed." There, a register added a year later to fix a cold bedroom, under the contractor's promise of a satisfactory result, did count.¹⁹ The court pointed to the same factors in 2013,²⁰ and in 2004 the Court of Appeals counted weeks of repair and warranty work the general contractor had asked for.²¹ So punch-list or warranty work your contract required can count. Going back to swap a cover plate so you can file later doesn't. When in doubt, count from the last day of the main work.

How to file a mechanics lien in Minnesota

Use the state's form. The Department of Commerce publishes the Minnesota mechanics lien form as Uniform Conveyancing Blanks 40.1.1 (by an individual) and 40.1.2 (by a business), and warns that the forms "cannot be altered, only filled in or completed," or a county may refuse them.¹¹ The statute says the statement must be "verified by the oath" of someone who knows the facts (the form has a notary block) and must state:³

• that you intend to claim and hold a lien, and the amount;
• that the amount is due and owing, for what labor or materials, on what improvement;
• your name, and the name of whoever you worked for;
• the dates of your first and last items of work or materials;
• a description of the property "identifying the same with reasonable certainty" (use the legal description from the deed or county records, not just the street address);
• the owner's name, to the best of your information;
• your mailing address;
• that you know a copy must be served within the 120 days;
• that any subcontractor's 45-day notice was given.

The form also has a line for your license number, and the Department of Labor and Industry says license numbers belong on "notices and statements relating to the filing of mechanics liens."^11,9 Watch the dates you put on it. Against everyone except the owner, "the lien claimant shall be concluded by the dates therein given," and the one-year foreclosure clock runs from the last-item date you write.^7,4

Where: the county recorder of the county where the home is, or, if it's registered (Torrens) land, the registrar of titles.³ The form has a checkbox for Torrens property; ask the county if you don't know.¹¹ Fee: $46 at either office.¹² Service: a copy goes to "the owner or the owner's authorized agent or the person who entered into the contract with the contractor," personally or by certified mail, also within the 120 days.³

One more step can come from the owner. Within 15 days after the job is complete, the owner may ask in writing for "an itemized and verified account" of your claim, and you can't start a foreclosure until 10 days after you send it.⁵

Do you need a notice of intent to lien?

No. Minnesota sets no notice of intent before you record, and no wording for one.³ The notices it does require come at the start of the job (above). The demand letter in the template includes a plain notice of intent anyway. It gives the customer one more chance to pay before you spend $46 and a trip to a notary.

Enforcing the lien: one year, in district court

"No lien shall be enforced in any case unless the holder thereof shall assert the same, either 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."⁴ The action goes to the district court of the county where the property is, and it runs like a mortgage foreclosure. At the start you also record a notice of lis pendens, and the summons gives each defendant 20 days to answer.⁴ If the year passes with no action, the lien is dead, and the Attorney General tells homeowners exactly that.¹⁰

Win, and the judgment can order the home sold, with "costs and disbursements to be fixed by the court."⁷ The Court of Appeals, citing a 1972 Supreme Court case, has read that to include reasonable attorney fees for a winning lien claimant, and has said fees aren't out of proportion just because they exceed the lien.²¹ Interest on a lien claim runs at the legal rate until 30 days after your last item, then at the judgment rate, unless your contract sets something else.⁷ Once a suit has started, the owner can free the house by depositing money or a bond with the court, and your lien moves onto that deposit.⁴

Overstated or wrongful liens

Claim only what's owed. "In no case shall a lien exist for a greater amount than the sum claimed in the lien statement, nor for any amount, if it be made to appear that the claimant has knowingly demanded in the statement more than is justly due."⁷ Knowingly padding it costs you the whole lien. Take payments off, and leave out extras the owner never approved and anything your contract doesn't give you.

Once you're paid, or once the year has passed without an action, the lien must be "satisfied of record" at your expense. Refuse for ten days after payment or a written demand and you owe $25 in liquidated damages plus any other damages.⁷ An owner who thinks your lien is invalid can sue to remove it.⁴

Subcontractors and suppliers versus the prime contractor

If you're a subcontractor or supplier with no contract with the owner, your lien depends on your own notice, delivered personally or by certified mail "not later than 45 days after the lien claimant has first furnished labor, skill or materials," in the wording set by 514.011 subdivision 2.² A good-faith effort counts unless someone proves damage from the miss.² The notice's own last line warns you: "We may not file a lien if you paid your contractor in full before receiving this notice."² Payments the owner made to the prime before your notice arrived come off the total of all liens.⁵ The prime contractor must give you the owner's name and address within 10 days of your request.²

If you're the prime, three rules run the other way:

• Your contract is "deemed to require" you to pay subcontractors and suppliers within ten days of receiving payment for their undisputed work, with interest of 1.5% a month (minimum $10 a month on $100 or more), and their attorney fees if they win a suit for that interest.¹³
• The owner's payments are held in trust for the people who supplied labor and materials. Using them elsewhere, knowing a sub or supplier on that job is unpaid, without a lien waiver or payment bond, is "theft of the proceeds."⁶ An unpaid sub can send you a written notice of nonpayment. If you don't pay within 15 days, that's enough for a court to find you used the money elsewhere, unless you show it all went to the job or you post a bond.⁶
• The owner may pay your subs directly and take it off your price, or hold back their share until you deliver their waivers.⁵

Subs know slow pay down the chain. A painter on Reddit: "One friend of mine said it took him 6 months to get paid and he had to take a line of credit inorder to pay his painters."²⁹ In Minnesota, a sub who waits six months has lost the lien, which was due 120 days after the last work.

Lien waivers: when to sign them

A lien waiver gives up your right to a lien for the amount it names. Minnesota has a state form, Uniform Conveyancing Blanks 40.5.1, "Receipt and Waiver of Mechanic's Lien Rights." It acknowledges "receipt of the sum" and offers three boxes: partial payment, payment of everything except a stated retainage, and "full and final payment."¹¹ The rules:

• Sign a waiver only for money you've received, and tick "full and final" only when the last payment has cleared.
• A contract term that makes you waive your lien before you're paid is "void and unenforceable." A waiver you sign anyway can still bind you against a third party who relied on it.¹³
• If you're a licensee, give the owner a signed and dated copy of every waiver at no charge.⁸
• As the prime, collect waivers from every sub and supplier who sent the owner a notice, because the owner can hold your money until you do.⁵

Other ways to get paid in Minnesota

Conciliation court (Minnesota's small claims court)

Conciliation court hears claims up to $20,000 ($4,000 for a consumer credit transaction).¹⁴ The limit went up from $15,000 in 2024.¹⁴ The filing fee is $65 plus the county's law library fee: $70 in Hennepin County, $80 in Ramsey.^14,15 For a claim over $2,500 you serve the customer yourself, by certified mail or personal service.¹⁴ A company can be represented by an officer, manager or partner,¹⁴ but the state courts say a business needs a lawyer to appeal to district court.¹⁵ The judgment takes effect 24 days after the order is mailed (21 if it's sent electronically), and collecting it is a separate step.¹⁵

Two limits. You can lower your claim to fit, but the courts say you "cannot later ask for more" or split it into smaller claims.¹⁵ And conciliation court can't handle claims "involving title to real estate";¹⁴ a lien is foreclosed in district court.⁴ If you also hold a lien, talk to a lawyer before you file.

Interest and attorney fees

Put a rate in your contract. Without a written rate, Minnesota's legal rate is 6% a year, and the general cap "for the loan or forbearance of money" is 8%.¹⁶ Whether a late-payment rate on a home job counts as forbearance is a question for your lawyer; staying at or under 8% avoids it. On judgments of $20,000 or less, the court adds no interest for the time before the verdict unless a contract or another law provides it.¹⁶ After judgment, the 2026 rate is 4% on judgments of $50,000 or less and 10% above that.¹⁶ The state court administrator sets the 2027 rate by December 20.¹⁶

Attorney fees come from the lien foreclosure (above) or from your contract. I found no Minnesota statute that gives a contractor fees on an ordinary unpaid-invoice suit against a homeowner.

Minnesota's prompt payment law on a home job

Minnesota's private-project payment rules are in 337.10, which covers any contract "for the design, construction, alteration, improvement, repair or maintenance of real property."¹³ For the owner-to-contractor side it sets defaults and limits, but no interest penalty:

• "Unless the building and construction contract provides otherwise," progress payments are monthly as the work progresses.
• Retainage may not exceed 5%, and must be released within 60 days after substantial completion.
• After substantial completion the owner may hold back no more than 250% of the cost to correct or complete the work known at that point, must give you a written statement of the amount and the reason, and must pay it within 60 days after the work is done.
• "Withholding retainage for warranty work is prohibited."¹³

I found no exception for homes in its text, but it reads as if written for commercial jobs, so ask your lawyer before you rely on it against a homeowner.

A collection agency

An agency that collects "for others" must hold a Minnesota collection agency license from the Department of Commerce, and running one without it is a misdemeanor.¹⁷ Collecting your own invoices needs no license. Ask any agency for its license number and its cut before you sign.

Card chargebacks

If the customer paid by card and disputes the charge, answer the processor's dispute notice before its deadline with the signed estimate, the invoice and dated photos of the finished work.

By trade

Roofers. The deductible is part of your price, so an unpaid deductible is an unpaid balance like any other, and the lien covers it. You can't settle it by waiving it: on an insurance job a residential roofer, building contractor or remodeler may not "promise to pay, directly or indirectly, all or part of any applicable insurance deductible."²⁵ Collect it the way one owner does: "I always collect a separate check for the deductible with deductible written in the memo line."³² Write into your schedule which payment comes from which insurance check and how soon the owner pays it over. The Minnesota roofing insurance claim page covers the deductible ban, the claim rules and an addendum.

Electricians, plumbers and HVAC contractors. Bill by stage, so the most anyone owes you is one stage. A plumber's schedule: "I do 30% after underground, 40% after rough in, and 30% at the end."³⁰ On a one-day service change or furnace swap, collect at completion. If customers hold the final payment for the inspection, set the terms in the contract: due when the work is complete and the inspection requested, and who pays for a re-inspection. Waiting costs money, and one electrician bills for it: "we charge a few hundred dollars to wait for an inspector all day."³¹ Your two-year statutory warranty on plumbing, electrical, heating and cooling installation (on the contract page) is a promise to fix, and 337.10 bars withholding retainage for warranty work.¹³ Working under a general contractor? The 45-day notice is yours to give.

General contractors and remodelers. A common fight is the punch list holding the final payment: "Client withholding $6,000 over a small crack in a concrete patio. Suggestions?" asked one contractor last month.²⁸ Walk the list with the owner, get it signed, and put a price on each item so the holdback is a number. Then point to 337.10's limit of 250% of the cost to finish the known items, with a written statement of what's held and why (with the caution about homes above).¹³ Keep the last payment small to begin with. One remodeler's schedule ends with "5% upon completion of punch list."³³

Minnesota lien deadlines at a glance

What to do this week if a customer owes you now

1. Write down your last day of work and what you did that day. Put day 90 and day 120 in your calendar.
2. Pull your contract and check for the 514.011 notice, in bold. If it was required and isn't there, skip the lien and plan for court.
3. Gather the file: contract, change orders, invoices, payments, delivery tickets, dated photos, texts and emails.
4. Re-send the invoice with a two-line note and a due date, then call.
5. No payment by the due date: send the demand letter by certified mail and email.
6. If the customer names a problem, go and look within a few days, and answer in writing.
7. If they offer a payment plan, get it signed, make it end before your one-year date, and record the lien by day 120 anyway.
8. Look up the legal description and whether the land is Torrens. Download form 40.1.1 or 40.1.2.
9. Pay your own subs and suppliers out of what you've received, and collect their waivers.
10. Over $20,000, or a lawyer on the other side: book an hour with a construction lawyer this week.

The demand letter and deadline worksheet

Part 1 is the demand letter: a table from contract price to balance due, a pay-by date, an invitation to raise any problem in writing, and a boxed notice that you intend to record a lien statement, with a note on the three checks to make before you keep it. Part 2 is the worksheet: the facts the lien statement needs, then ten deadlines, each with its days, a blank for your date, the statute and a box to tick.

Download it: copy it into Google Docs, get the Word file, or the PDF.

More for new contractors

• How to find work as a new contractor: where your first customers come from, with a free first customers plan.
• Angi vs Thumbtack: should you pay for leads yet, with a free lead cost calculator.
• Google Business Profile for contractors: setup, verification and your first reviews, with a free checklist.
• How much to set aside for taxes: self-employment tax, quarterly payments and your state, with a free calculator.
• Hiring your first employee: W-2 or 1099, workers comp and what a helper really costs, with a free checklist.
• Contractor insurance: what you need from day one, what it costs and what can wait, with a free checklist.
• Punch list template: stop a small list holding your final payment.

Where Deepsel fits

Deepsel is free estimate, invoice and scheduling software for contractors, and it keeps the paper trail this page keeps asking for. When a customer approves an estimate online, Deepsel records their typed name, their on-screen signature and the time. Each visit is stamped when it's marked complete, with the tech's notes and photos, and that completion date becomes the service date on the invoice line, so your last day of work is on record. Invoices carry a due date and show as overdue on your dashboard once it passes; each invoice keeps a log of every email you sent, plus when the customer first opened it. You can re-send an unpaid invoice with a note, and the customer can pay the balance by card from the link. Deepsel doesn't send overdue reminders on its own, doesn't track lien deadlines, and doesn't write demand letters or lien statements, so use the worksheet for those. The Free plan covers 30 estimates and 30 invoices a month for your whole team, with scheduling and dispatch, quotes, invoicing, card payments, and customer and equipment records; Pro is $29 a month with unlimited estimates and invoices. Details are on the pricing page.

Frequently asked questions

Who can file a mechanics lien in Minnesota?

Anyone who improves real estate by performing labor or furnishing skill, material or machinery, whether they contracted with the owner or were hired by a contractor or subcontractor. That covers general contractors, remodelers, roofers, electricians, plumbers, HVAC contractors, subcontractors and suppliers. Two conditions can take the lien away. A contractor who deals with the owner and uses any subcontractor or supplier must have given the owner the pre-lien notice in the contract, or within 10 days after the job was agreed. And an unlicensed person who knowingly breaks the residential licensing law has no lien. Subcontractors and suppliers must give the owner their own notice within 45 days of first furnishing work or materials.

How long do you have to file a mechanics lien in Minnesota, and how long is it good for?

You must record a lien statement with the county and serve a copy on the owner within 120 days after your last work on the job. After that, the lien is good for one year from the date of the last item in your recorded statement: you have to start a foreclosure action in district court within that year, or the lien can no longer be enforced. Once you're paid, or once the year has run out without an action, the owner can demand that you record a satisfaction, and you have 10 days to do it.

Can I file a mechanics lien in Minnesota without an attorney?

Chapter 514 doesn't require a lawyer to prepare or record the lien statement. The state publishes the form (Uniform Conveyancing Blanks 40.1.1 for individuals, 40.1.2 for companies), and the statement must be sworn before a notary. Foreclosing the lien is a district court lawsuit, and the state courts say a business needs a lawyer even to appeal a conciliation court case to district court, so plan on one for that step. An hour of a lawyer's time before you record is cheap insurance on the amount and the dates.

How much does it cost to file a mechanics lien in Minnesota?

The county charges $46 to record it, whether it goes to the county recorder or, for registered (Torrens) land, the registrar of titles. Add a notary and certified mail to serve the owner. Foreclosing is the expensive part: it's a district court case. In a foreclosure, the court can award the winning lien claimant costs and disbursements, which the Court of Appeals has read to include reasonable attorney fees.

Do I need to send a notice of intent to lien in Minnesota?

No. Minnesota has no statutory notice of intent to lien before you record. The notice Minnesota does require comes at the start of the job: the bold pre-lien notice in your contract (or within 10 days after the job is agreed), and a 45-day notice from subcontractors and suppliers. A demand letter that says you intend to record a lien is still a good idea, and the template has one, but the wording is yours.

What is the small claims limit in Minnesota?

$20,000, or $4,000 for a consumer credit transaction. Minnesota calls small claims court conciliation court. The limit rose from $15,000 in 2024. The filing fee is $65 plus a county law library fee, so $70 in Hennepin County and $80 in Ramsey County. A company can be represented by an officer, manager or partner, and for claims over $2,500 you serve the customer yourself by certified mail. Conciliation court can't foreclose a mechanics lien.

Is there a Google Docs, Word or PDF version of the demand letter?

All three, and all of them free. The Google Docs link makes a copy in your own Drive, the .docx opens in Word, and the PDF prints as is. The demand letter and the deadline worksheet are in the same file.

Sources

1. Minnesota Statutes 514.01, Mechanics, laborers and material suppliers: "Whoever ... contributes to the improvement of real estate by performing labor, or furnishing skill, material or machinery ... whether under contract with the owner of such real estate or at the instance of any agent, trustee, contractor or subcontractor of such owner, shall have a lien upon the improvement, and upon the land on which it is situated." revisor.mn.gov, 2026 Minnesota Statutes, read November 4, 2026.
2. Minnesota Statutes 514.011, Notice: subdivision 1 (contractor dealing with the owner who "has contracted or will contract with any subcontractors or material suppliers"; notice in the written contract in 10-point bold or typewritten capitals, or delivered personally or by certified mail "within ten days after the work of improvement is agreed upon"; "A person who fails to provide the notice shall not have the lien and remedy provided by this chapter"; exception for contractors controlled by the owner), subdivision 2 (subcontractor's and supplier's notice "not later than 45 days after the lien claimant has first furnished labor, skill or materials," its text including "We may not file a lien if you paid your contractor in full before receiving this notice," and the good-faith rule in paragraph (b)), subdivision 3 (owner's name and address "within 10 days of the initial request"), subdivisions 4a to 4c (exceptions, including more than four family units "when the improvement is wholly residential in character"). revisor.mn.gov, read November 4, 2026.
3. Minnesota Statutes 514.08, Statement; notice; necessity for recording; contents: subdivision 1 ("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 the statement is filed for record with the county recorder or, for registered land, the registrar of titles, and "a copy of the statement is served personally or by certified mail on the owner or the owner's authorized agent or the person who entered into the contract with the contractor"); subdivision 2 (statement "verified by the oath of some person shown by such verification to have knowledge of the facts stated," and its nine contents). revisor.mn.gov, read November 4, 2026.
4. Minnesota Statutes 514.10 (enforcement "by action in the district court of the county in which the improved premises ... are situated," conducted like a mortgage foreclosure; the owner's action to remove a lien; release of the property on a deposit or bond), 514.11 (summons; answer "within 20 days"), 514.12 (subdivision 1, notice of lis pendens "at the beginning of the action"; subdivision 3, "No lien shall be enforced in any case unless the holder thereof shall assert the same, either 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"). 514.10, 514.11, 514.12, revisor.mn.gov, read November 4, 2026.
5. Minnesota Statutes 514.03 (lien "for the sum agreed upon" on a contract with the owner for an agreed price, otherwise "the reasonable value of the work done"; subdivision 2(c), the total of all liens capped at the contract price less payments made before a subcontractor's notice, payments discharging liens and payments against valid lien waivers) and 514.07 (the owner may withhold, may pay liens and deduct them, and "No owner shall be required to pay the owner's contractor until the expiration of 120 days from the completion of the improvement, except to the extent that the contractor furnishes to the owner waivers of claims for mechanics' liens signed by persons who ... have given the notice required by section 514.011, subdivision 2"; the owner's request within 15 days after completion for "an itemized and verified account"; no action "until ten days after the statement is furnished"). 514.03, 514.07, revisor.mn.gov, read November 4, 2026.
6. Minnesota Statutes 514.02, Nonpayment for improvement: subdivision 1 (proceeds "held in trust"; failing to use them for labor and materials "knowing that the cost ... remains unpaid," without a valid lien waiver or payment bond, is "theft of the proceeds of the payment"), subdivision 1a (civil action with attorney fees), subdivisions 2 and 3 (written notice of nonpayment; failure to pay "within 15 days after receiving notice" is sufficient to sustain a finding). revisor.mn.gov, read November 4, 2026.
7. Minnesota Statutes 514.13 ("No failure to comply with any of the provisions of this chapter shall affect the right of any person to recover, in an ordinary civil action, from the party with whom a contract was made"), 514.135 (interest on lien claims at the legal rate under 334.01 until 30 days after the last item, then at the 549.09 rate, "Except as otherwise provided by contract"), 514.14 (judgment "with costs and disbursements to be fixed by the court"), 514.15 (judgment directs a sale), 514.74 ("In no case shall a lien exist for a greater amount than the sum claimed in the lien statement, nor for any amount, if it be made to appear that the claimant has knowingly demanded in the statement more than is justly due"; claimant "concluded by the dates therein given" against all but the owner), 514.75 (a promissory note or other written obligation does not discharge the lien "unless the obligation by its terms shall so provide, or the time for payment be thereby extended beyond the date fixed by law for enforcing the lien"), 514.76 (lien "satisfied of record, at the expense of the claimant"; refusal within ten days, $25 liquidated damages plus damages). 514.13, 514.135, 514.14, 514.74, 514.75, 514.76, revisor.mn.gov, read November 4, 2026.
8. Minnesota Statutes 326B.845, subdivision 2 ("An unlicensed person who knowingly violates sections 326B.802 to 326B.885 has no right to claim a lien under section 514.01 and the lien is void. Nothing in this section affects the lien rights of material suppliers and licensed contractors to the extent provided by law"); 326B.805, subdivision 6 (exemptions including "a mechanical contractor" and "a plumber, electrician, or other person whose profession is otherwise subject to statewide licensing, when engaged in the activity which is the subject of that licensure"); 326B.809(c) (a signed and dated copy of "mechanic's lien waivers" at no charge). A text search of the full chapter 326B found "lien" only in 326B.809, 326B.84 and 326B.845. 326B.845, 326B.805, 326B.809, chapter 326B, revisor.mn.gov, read November 4, 2026.
9. Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, "Residential contractor licensing" (who needs a license: work for the owner of one-to-four-unit residential real estate in more than one special skill; roofing alone needs a roofer, remodeler or building contractor license) and "Residential contractor FAQs" ("an unlicensed person who knowingly violates the law has no right to claim a lien and the lien is void"; license numbers on "notices and statements relating to the filing of mechanics liens"). licensing, FAQs, dli.mn.gov, read November 4, 2026.
10. Minnesota Attorney General, "Home Building and Remodeling," chapter "Understanding Mechanic's Liens": "A contractor who is supposed to be licensed, but is not, cannot file a mechanic's lien"; "before making final payment, be certain you receive lien waivers signed by each of the subcontractors"; "If the lienholder does not file suit and the Notice of Lis Pendens within the one-year timeframe, the lien is unenforceable." ag.state.mn.us, read November 4, 2026.
11. Minnesota Department of Commerce, Uniform Conveyancing Blanks: Form 40.1.1 "Mechanic's Lien Statement by Individual(s)" and Form 40.1.2 "Mechanic's Lien Statement by Business Entity" (2011; "name and mailing address (and license number, if applicable)"; Registered (Torrens) checkbox; notary block), Form 40.5.1 "Receipt and Waiver of Mechanic's Lien Rights" (2011; "acknowledges receipt of the sum"; boxes for partial payment, payment except retainage, "full and final payment"); forms page ("Forms cannot be altered, only filled in or completed, otherwise they may not be accepted for filing at the county offices"). 40.1.1, 40.1.2, 40.5.1, forms page, mn.gov, read November 4, 2026.
12. Minnesota Statutes 357.18, subdivision 1(1) (county recorder: "for indexing and recording any deed or other instrument a fee of $46") and 508.82, subdivision 1(4) (registrar of titles: "for the entry of each memorial on a certificate, $46"). 357.18, 508.82, revisor.mn.gov, read November 4, 2026.
13. Minnesota Statutes 337.10, Building and construction contracts; prohibited provisions: subdivision 2 (provisions requiring a waiver of lien rights "before the person has been paid" are "void and unenforceable," without affecting a waiver relied on by a third party), subdivision 3 (prime contractor and subcontractors deemed required to pay subcontractors and suppliers within ten days of receipt of payment for undisputed work; 1-1/2 percent a month; $10 monthly minimum on $100 or more; attorney fees; "the prime contractor or subcontractor of any tier that has not received the undisputed payment may suspend work"), subdivision 4 (monthly progress payments "Unless the building and construction contract provides otherwise"; retainage capped at five percent and released within 60 days after substantial completion; after substantial completion no more than "250 percent of the cost to correct or complete work known," with a written statement, paid "within 60 days after completion of the work"; "Withholding retainage for warranty work is prohibited"); 337.01, subdivision 2 (definition, "a contract for the design, construction, alteration, improvement, repair or maintenance of real property"). 337.10, 337.01, revisor.mn.gov, read November 4, 2026. On the reach of the suspension right, a 2016 law-firm note reads it as applying to general contractors against owners as well: Fabyanske, Westra, Hart & Thomson, "Legislative Update: Retainage and the Right to Stop Losing Money," fwhtlaw.com, July 13, 2016, read November 4, 2026 (secondary).
14. Minnesota Statutes 491A.01, subdivision 3a (conciliation court jurisdiction up to "$20,000; or ... $4,000, if the claim involves a consumer credit transaction"; for claims over $2,500 "the summons must be served by the plaintiff by certified mail") and subdivision 4 (no jurisdiction over actions "involving title to real estate"); amended from $15,000 by Laws 2024, chapter 123, article 15, section 6; 491A.02, subdivision 4 (a corporation, partnership, limited liability company or sole proprietorship "may be represented in conciliation court by an officer, manager, or partner"); 357.022 (filing fee "of $65 from every plaintiff and from every defendant"). 491A.01, 491A.02, 357.022, Laws 2024, ch. 123, revisor.mn.gov, read November 4, 2026.
15. Minnesota Judicial Branch, "Conciliation Court" frequently asked questions (limit $20,000; "you cannot later ask for more through another claim or split your claim"; a business that appeals "be represented by a lawyer," Rule 521(b)(1); judgment "does not become effective until 24 days after the order is mailed out (or 21 days if the order is sent electronically)"; extra $5 to e-file) and District Court Fees, conciliation category (Hennepin County "$70.00 ... Base Fee $65 + Law Library Fee $5"; Ramsey County "$80.00 ... Base Fee $65 + Law Library Fee $15"). FAQ, Hennepin fees, Ramsey fees, mncourts.gov, read November 4, 2026.
16. Minnesota Statutes 334.01, subdivision 1 (legal rate "$6 upon $100 for a year, unless a different rate is contracted for in writing"; no more than "$8 on $100 for one year" for "the loan or forbearance of money"); 549.09, subdivision 1 (no preverdict interest on "judgments or awards not in excess of the amount specified in section 491A.01," "Except as otherwise provided by contract or allowed by law"; judgments over $50,000 at ten percent; the state court administrator sets the rate "On or before the 20th day of December of each year"); State Court Administrator, "2026 Interest Rates on State Court Judgments and Arbitration Awards" (4% for 2026; 10% for judgments over $50,000). 334.01, 549.09, 2026 rates, revisor.mn.gov, read November 4, 2026.
17. Minnesota Statutes 332.31, subdivision 3 ("Collection agency" means "a person engaged in the business of collection for others any account, bill, or other indebtedness") and 332.33, subdivisions 1 and 2 (license required from the commissioner of commerce; operating without one "is guilty of a misdemeanor"). 332.31, 332.33, revisor.mn.gov, read November 4, 2026.
18. Minnesota Statutes 609.27, subdivision 1(5), Coercion: "a threat to make or cause to be made a criminal charge, whether true or false." revisor.mn.gov, read November 4, 2026.
19. Kahle v. McClary, 255 Minn. 239, 96 N.W.2d 243 (Minn. 1959): a heating and plumbing contractor's lien was timely because a register added a year later was part of the original contract's "general purpose"; factors are "a long lapse of time following the last major work," whether "the subsequent work involved a trifling amount," and "the general circumstances"; "Revival of the lien is clearly disallowed when de minimus operations are performed for the sole purpose of extending the time for the lien and the work is otherwise substantially completed." law.justia.com, read November 4, 2026.
20. Big Lake Lumber, Inc. v. Security Property Investments, Inc., No. A11-2220 (Minn. Aug. 28, 2013): "in the closely related context of determining whether a mechanic's lien is timely filed under Minn.Stat. § 514.08 (2012), we have relied on factors such as the nature of the contracts, the lapse of time between various stages in the project, and the intent of the parties," citing Kahle. caselaw.findlaw.com, read November 4, 2026.
21. TSM Development, Inc. v. Tappe Construction Co., No. A03-1059 (Minn. Ct. App. May 25, 2004) (unpublished, not precedential): curative and warranty work requested by the general contractor through November 1 made a February 1 lien timely; "a prevailing lienholder is entitled to 'costs and disbursements to be fixed by the court.' Minn. Stat. § 514.14 ... Reasonable attorney fees may be awarded as part of the lienholder's costs and disbursements," citing Obraske v. Woody, 294 Minn. 105 (1972); fees "are not disproportionate merely because they exceed the amount of the mechanic's lien," citing Kirkwold Constr. Co. v. M.G.A. Constr., Inc. (Minn. App. 1993). law.justia.com, read November 4, 2026.
22. Minnesota Statutes 510.01 (homestead exempt "on account of any debt not lawfully charged thereon in writing, except such as are incurred for work or materials furnished in the construction, repair, or improvement of such homestead") and 510.05 (exemption does not extend "to any charge arising under the laws relating to laborers or material suppliers' liens"); Minnesota Constitution, article I, section 12 (exempt property "liable to seizure and sale for any debts incurred to any person for work done or materials furnished in the construction, repair or improvement of the same"). 510.01, 510.05, constitution, revisor.mn.gov, read November 4, 2026.
23. Minnesota Statutes 541.05, subdivision 1(1): six years "upon a contract or other obligation, express or implied, as to which no other limitation is expressly prescribed." revisor.mn.gov, read November 4, 2026.
24. Minnesota Statutes 645.15, Computation of time: "exclude the first and include the last day"; "When the last day of the period falls on Saturday, Sunday, or a legal holiday, that day shall be omitted from the computation." revisor.mn.gov, read November 4, 2026.
25. Minnesota Statutes 325E.66, subdivision 1(a)(1): a residential contractor on an insurance-paid job shall not "advertise or promise to pay, directly or indirectly, all or part of any applicable insurance deductible." revisor.mn.gov, read November 4, 2026.
26. r/Roofing thread: "Customer refuses to pay. What should we do?" reddit.com.
27. r/Roofing post (archived copy; the live body has since been removed): "I'm a licensed builder in MI, and I'm just starting my own business" and "I know I'm an idiot for not having her sign a contract." reddit.com, September 2, 2025.
28. r/Contractor thread: "Client withholding $6,000 over a small crack in a concrete patio. Suggestions?" reddit.com, October 8, 2026.
29. r/paint thread: "One friend of mine said it took him 6 months to get paid and he had to take a line of credit inorder to pay his painters." reddit.com, December 5, 2025.
30. Plumber's comment on Reddit: "I do 30% after underground, 40% after rough in, and 30% at the end." reddit.com, May 16, 2026.
31. Electrician's comment on Reddit: "we charge a few hundred dollars to wait for an inspector all day." reddit.com, March 25, 2025.
32. Roofer's comment on Reddit: "I always collect a separate check for the deductible with deductible written in the memo line." reddit.com, August 6, 2024.
33. r/Contractor thread, a remodeler's payment schedule: "35% deposit, 20% upon start of demo, 20% upon start of drywall, 20% upon start of finish carpentry & MEP trim-out, 5% upon completion of punch list." reddit.com, October 2, 2025.