Connecticut Construction Lien Guide
Connecticut mechanics lien law is governed by Conn. Gen. Stat. § 49-33 et seq.
If you provide labor, materials, equipment, or professional services that improve real property in Connecticut and are not paid, this guide explains how to protect your lien rights. Connecticut is strict on notice and timing, and missing any step will void the lien.
Keep in mind that Connecticut Mechanics Lien, Construction Lien and Claim of Liencan be used interchangeably.
LET’S LEARN THE BASICS OF CONNECTICUT CONSTRUCTION LIENS
⭐ Who Can File a Mechanics Lien in Connecticut?
Connecticut grants mechanics lien rights to:
General contractors
Subcontractors
Sub-subcontractors
Material suppliers
Equipment rental companies
Laborers
Architects, engineers, and land surveyors
If you furnished labor or materials that improved real property and remain unpaid, you may have lien rights, but only if the required Notice of Intent to Lien is properly served.
⭐ Connecticut Lien Deadlines (Critical)
LIEN IT OR LOSE IT!
Connecticut mechanics lien deadlines are among the strictest in the country, and courts enforce them exactly as written. In Connecticut, all lien deadlines are measured from the claimant’s last date of furnishing labor, materials, or services, not from invoicing, payment due dates, or project completion milestones.
This means the clock begins running the moment you last performed substantial, contract-related work on the project. Punch-list work, warranty repairs, inspections, or corrective work performed after substantial completion generally do not extendConnecticut lien deadlines.
Connecticut law does not allow extensions, partial liens or equitable exceptions, even when the owner has actual knowledge of the debt.
Deadline #1: File Notice of Intent to Lien
In Connecticut, you must send the Notice of Intent within 90 days of last work before filing the mechanics lien. A late or missing Notice of Intent means you may lose your lien rights.
Deadline #2: Record the Connecticut Mechanics Lien
After serving the Notice of Intent, the claimant must record a Certificate of Mechanics Lien:
Within ninety (90) days after the claimant last furnished labor or materials.
Practically speaking, this means:
The Notice of Intent must be served before or during the same 90-day window
The lien must be recorded no later than Day 90
The lien is recorded with the Town Clerk in the town where the property is located (not a county office).
Once recorded, a copy of the recorded lien should be served on the property owner promptly after recording.
Deadline #3 — Enforce the Connecticut Mechanics Lien
A Connecticut mechanics lien must be enforced by filing a lawsuit:
Within one (1) year after the lien is recorded.
If enforcement is not timely commenced, the lien automatically expires.
BEFORE YOU CAN FILE A CONNECTICUT CONSTRUCTION LIEN, YOU MUST UNDERSTAND WHETHER A NOTICE OF INTENT TO LIEN IS REQUIRED. THIS NOTICE PROTECTS YOUR LIEN RIGHTS AND IS MANDATORY FOR MOST SUBCONTRACTORS AND SUPPLIERS.
⭐ Connecticut Notice of Intent to Lien
In Connecticut, the Notice of Intent to Claim a Mechanics Lienis a mandatory statutory prerequisiteto filing a valid mechanics lien. This notice must be served on the property owner within ninety (90) days of the claimant’s last furnishing of labor, materials, or services.
The purpose of the Notice of Intent is to formally notify the owner that a mechanics lien will be claimed if payment is not made. Connecticut law requires this notice before or in connection with recording the lien, and failure to serve it within the 90-day window completely bars lien rights, even if the lien itself would otherwise be timely.
All claimants are subject to this requirement, including general contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, and design professionals. Connecticut does not provide any exceptions based on contract tier, project type, or owner knowledge. Actual knowledge of the debt by the owner does not cure a late or missing Notice of Intent.
Because both the Notice of Intent and the Certificate of Mechanics Lien share the same 90-day deadline, claimants should treat the Notice of Intent as an early, non-negotiable step and avoid waiting until the end of the lien period to serve it.
Who Must Send the Notice of Intent?
All Conneticut lien claimants, including:
General contractors
Subcontractors
Suppliers
Design professionals
There is no exception based on contract tier.
Connecticut Notice of Intent Deadline:
The Notice of Intent must be served:
Within ninety (90) days after the claimant last furnished labor, materials, or services.
Failure to timely serve the Notice of Intent completely bars lien rights, even if the lien itself would otherwise be timely.