Do I need to send a preliminary notice in Illinois?

Contractors in direct contract with the owner give no preliminary notice. Subcontractors and suppliers must serve the owner (and known lender) a notice of claim. On an existing owner-occupied single-family residence, subcontractors must also notify the occupant early in the job. Sub 90-day notice: within 90 days after completion of the sub's work, or of extra work or final delivery of extra material (60/24). Residential sub notice: within 60 days after first furnishing (60/21(c)); later notice preserves the lien only to the extent the owner was not prejudiced by payments made before receiving it..

How long do I have to file a lien in Illinois?

Contractor: record a verified claim for lien with the county recorder within 4 months after completion (or completion of extra work) to enforce against other creditors, encumbrancers and purchasers; as to the owner, within 2 years after completion (60/7). Subcontractors: same time limits as the contractor (60/28), running from completion of their own work.

How long does a Illinois lien last before I have to enforce it?

Suit to enforce must be commenced (or counterclaim filed) within 2 years after completion of the contract or of extra work or material (60/9). If the owner or an interested party serves a written demand, suit must be filed within 30 days or the lien is forfeited (60/34).

Mechanics lien law

Illinois lien deadlines for contractors

Updated September 24, 2026 · Checked against primary sources

The short answer

In Illinois, a contractor must record the lien claim within 4 months after completion to hold it against third parties, and within 2 years as against the owner. Subcontractors must serve the owner written notice within 90 days after completing their work, plus a 60-day notice on owner-occupied single-family homes. Suit must be filed within 2 years after completion.

The deadlines

Step	Rule
Preliminary notice: who	Contractors in direct contract with the owner give no preliminary notice. Subcontractors and suppliers must serve the owner (and known lender) a notice of claim. On an existing owner-occupied single-family residence, subcontractors must also notify the occupant early in the job.
Preliminary notice: when	Sub 90-day notice: within 90 days after completion of the sub's work, or of extra work or final delivery of extra material (60/24). Residential sub notice: within 60 days after first furnishing (60/21(c)); later notice preserves the lien only to the extent the owner was not prejudiced by payments made before receiving it. (The 90-day notice is not needed where the contractor's sworn statement already gives the owner notice of the amount due and to whom. Serve by certified or registered mail, national tracked courier, or personal service; served when mailed or placed with the carrier.)
File or register the lien	Contractor: record a verified claim for lien with the county recorder within 4 months after completion (or completion of extra work) to enforce against other creditors, encumbrancers and purchasers; as to the owner, within 2 years after completion (60/7). Subcontractors: same time limits as the contractor (60/28), running from completion of their own work.
Enforce or perfect it	Suit to enforce must be commenced (or counterclaim filed) within 2 years after completion of the contract or of extra work or material (60/9). If the owner or an interested party serves a written demand, suit must be filed within 30 days or the lien is forfeited (60/34).
Residential jobs	Owner-occupied single-family residence: the contractor must give the owner the boldface sworn-statement notice before the first payment (60/5(b)), and must give the owner written notice within 10 days after recording a lien, or the lien is extinguished to the extent of the owner's resulting damages (60/7(d)). Subs must give the 60-day notice under 60/21(c).

Other notices and rules

Contractor's sworn statement (60/5): before receiving payment, the contractor must give the owner a sworn list of all parties furnishing labor or materials and amounts due.
Demand to sue (60/34): a written demand by the owner or interested party forces suit within 30 days or forfeiture of the lien.
Subs may sue 10 days after serving notice if unpaid (60/28).

Common questions

Do I need to send a preliminary notice in Illinois?: Contractors in direct contract with the owner give no preliminary notice. Subcontractors and suppliers must serve the owner (and known lender) a notice of claim. On an existing owner-occupied single-family residence, subcontractors must also notify the occupant early in the job. Sub 90-day notice: within 90 days after completion of the sub's work, or of extra work or final delivery of extra material (60/24). Residential sub notice: within 60 days after first furnishing (60/21(c)); later notice preserves the lien only to the extent the owner was not prejudiced by payments made before receiving it..
How long do I have to file a lien in Illinois?: Contractor: record a verified claim for lien with the county recorder within 4 months after completion (or completion of extra work) to enforce against other creditors, encumbrancers and purchasers; as to the owner, within 2 years after completion (60/7). Subcontractors: same time limits as the contractor (60/28), running from completion of their own work.
How long does a Illinois lien last before I have to enforce it?: Suit to enforce must be commenced (or counterclaim filed) within 2 years after completion of the contract or of extra work or material (60/9). If the owner or an interested party serves a written demand, suit must be filed within 30 days or the lien is forfeited (60/34).

General information from the statutes cited below, checked 2026-09-24; one or more details come from a secondary source and are noted. Lien law is strict and details depend on your role and contract. Confirm with a construction lawyer in Illinois before relying on a deadline. Read from ILGA official text. Sections 5, 21 and 24 were amended by P.A. 103-827, effective 1-1-2025 (adds tracked courier service for the 90-day notice). The 60-day residential notice is in 60/21(c), not 60/5.

Where Pavado comes in

How Pavado builds a CRM around your jobs

Lien rights are usually lost to a calendar, not a court. We build CRMs that start each job's notice and lien clocks from its real start and completion dates and remind you before every deadline, so the rights you earned by doing the work are still there when a customer stops paying.

Instead of bending your shop around someone else's software, we build the system around how your jobs actually move, and connect it to what you already use.

Your pipeline, your stages. From first call to paid invoice, set up the way your team already works.
Automations for the busywork. Follow-ups, reminders and handoffs that happen without anyone remembering.
One record per customer. Calls, quotes, jobs, photos and invoices in one place instead of five apps.
Connected to your stack. QuickBooks or Xero, Gmail or Outlook, payments and e-sign, plus thousands more through Zapier and an API.

1.Book a free demo and walk us through how a job moves today.
2.We map the workflow and send a scoped proposal, free.
3.We build it, connect your tools and get your team using it.

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The first conversation and a scoped proposal are free, and we will tell you early if we are not the right fit.

Go deeper

Other states

Sources

Cite this page

Pavado, “Illinois Lien Deadlines 2026: Notice and Filing”, https://www.pavadotech.com/lien-deadlines/illinois, updated 2026-09-24.