Your liens grant you leverage and put the power of procuring your payment back in your hands. However, you only maintain that power if you follow the right rules when filing your construction lien, and it isn’t always a simple process to find your state’s specific laws. We’re here to take away the complexity and confusion and give it to you straight. If you work in Missouri and need to know the lien laws, this is the place for you. Here, we break down exactly what the state of Missouri requires for you to file a valid lien or bond claim properly.
How to File a Valid Lien in Missouri:
- Place 1* Contractors must give a disclosure notice in writing:
- When the contract is signed;
- When materials are delivered;
- When work is commenced; or
- Delivery of the first invoice
- For an Owner-occupied residence of four (4) units or less, the Owner must sign a consent form before a lien can be filed.
- Place 2* and below Contractors and Material Suppliers must send notice to the Place 1* Contractor and Owner ten (10) days before you file your lien. This notice must be personally served.
- Liens must be filed within six (6) months of the last time work was performed and/or materials supplied unless you are an equipment rental company. Then you have sixty (60) days after the last equipment was removed from the project to file your lien.
- Suit to enforce the lien must be filed within six (6) months of the date the lien was filed.
How to Have a Valid Bond Claim in Missouri:
- Bonds are required on public projects of more than $50,000.
- Place 3* and above Contractors and Material Suppliers have bond claim rights.
- You must send notice to the Surety and Place 1* Contractor for the amount you are owed within ninety (90) days of the last work performed and/or materials supplied.
If you work in Missouri, follow these laws to protect your right to payment and properly file your construction liens. Your work is valuable, and you deserve to be paid for it. If you’d like someone else to take care of filing your construction lien or bond, and do it the right way, contact a professional Missouri lien attorney who is experienced in construction law to take care of it for you. Our sister company, The Cromeens Law Firm, has a 90% success rate of collections before having to foreclose on a lien, saving you costly legal fees. File your construction liens and bonds the right way, and ensure you are paid what you are owed.
*The “places” referenced in the rules above correlate to the Construction Food Chain Chart from Karalynn Cromeens’ book,
Quit Getting Stiffed. The chart can be found here to use when following these lien and bond rules.