Texas Mechanics Lien Deadlines (2026)

Mechanics lien rights in Texas come from Tex. Prop. Code ch. 53, and they run on a clock: 45 days from first furnishing to serve the preliminary notice, 105 days from completion to record the lien itself, and 365 days from recording to file the enforcement suit. Miss any one of those windows and an otherwise-solid unpaid invoice usually drops to an unsecured debt. The calculator and table below turn those windows into the actual calendar dates for your project.

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Enter the dates you have — we compute every TX deadline from the day-counts below. Dates stay in your browser.

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Texas lien deadline rules at a glance

DeadlineWindowCounted from
Preliminary notice45 daysfirst furnishing of labor or materials
Notice of intent to lien30 daysproject completion / last furnishing
Record the mechanics lien105 daysproject completion
File the enforcement (foreclosure) suit365 daysrecording the lien
Payment-bond claim (public/bonded jobs)90 daysproject completion
Respond to a notice of completion30 daysthe owner's notice of completion

Day-counts are the general rule LienWarden tracks for Texas under Tex. Prop. Code ch. 53; statutes carry exceptions (residential vs commercial, owner-occupied, notice methods). Always verify against the current statute.

Keep reading

Preliminary notices 101 — who must send one, when, and howNotice of intent to lien — the letter that gets you paid without filingLien waivers without losing your shirtWhen does the lien clock actually start?What happens if I miss the deadline?Can I still lien without a preliminary notice?

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