Mechanics lien law
Missouri lien deadlines for contractors
Updated · Checked against primary sources
The short answer
In Missouri, a prime contractor must give the owner the statutory Notice to Owner before receiving any payment, or it has no lien. Subcontractors and suppliers must give the owner 10 days' notice before filing. File the lien with the circuit clerk within six months after the debt accrues, and sue within six months after filing.
The deadlines
| Step | Rule |
|---|---|
| Preliminary notice: who | Every original (prime) contractor must give the Notice to Owner in the statute's exact wording, in ten-point bold type. It goes to the person it contracted with, or to the owner if there is no contract. This applies to all projects, not only residential ones. Missouri has no general preliminary notice for subcontractors, but see the 10-day notice of intent and the residential consent rule. |
| Preliminary notice: when | Before receiving any payment: at contract signing, when materials are delivered, when work begins, or with the first invoice (429.012.1). (Giving this notice is a condition precedent to the prime's lien. It does not apply to new residences where the buyer has lien protection from a Missouri-registered title insurer (429.012.4).) |
| File or register the lien | Within six months after the indebtedness accrued, the lien account must be filed with the clerk of the circuit court of the county. This applies to original contractors, subcontractors, suppliers and laborers alike. For rented equipment or machinery, the deadline is 60 days after the equipment was last removed from the property (429.080). |
| Enforce or perfect it | Suit must be commenced within six months after the lien is filed. The lien does not continue beyond six months after filing unless an action has been started (429.170). |
| Residential jobs | For repair, remodeling or additions to owner-occupied residential property of four units or less, a subcontractor or supplier has no lien unless the owner signed the statutory Consent of Owner in the prime's contract, and a copy of it must be attached to the recorded lien. Without that consent, the owner's full payment to the contractor is a complete defense (429.013). This rule does not cover original construction of new residences. |
Other notices and rules
- Notice of intent (429.100): everyone except the original contractor must give the owner or the owner's agent at least 10 days' notice before filing the lien, stating the amount and who owes it.
Common questions
- Do I need to send a preliminary notice in Missouri?
- Every original (prime) contractor must give the Notice to Owner in the statute's exact wording, in ten-point bold type. It goes to the person it contracted with, or to the owner if there is no contract. This applies to all projects, not only residential ones. Missouri has no general preliminary notice for subcontractors, but see the 10-day notice of intent and the residential consent rule. Before receiving any payment: at contract signing, when materials are delivered, when work begins, or with the first invoice (429.012.1)..
- How long do I have to file a lien in Missouri?
- Within six months after the indebtedness accrued, the lien account must be filed with the clerk of the circuit court of the county. This applies to original contractors, subcontractors, suppliers and laborers alike. For rented equipment or machinery, the deadline is 60 days after the equipment was last removed from the property (429.080).
- How long does a Missouri lien last before I have to enforce it?
- Suit must be commenced within six months after the lien is filed. The lien does not continue beyond six months after filing unless an action has been started (429.170).
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 Missouri before relying on a deadline. The statute runs the six-month filing period from when the 'indebtedness shall have accrued' and does not define that event. Courts generally tie it to the claimant's last furnishing of labor or materials, but that gloss comes from case law we did not read here. The current 429.012 and 429.013 took effect January 1, 2017, and 429.080 in 2007.
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.
The first conversation and a scoped proposal are free, and we will tell you early if we are not the right fit.
Go deeper
- GuideWhen to File a Construction Lien: 2026 DeadlinesFile while the clock runs: 30 to 60 days in Canada (60 in Ontario), 90 to 180 in most US states, counted from completion. Registering costs $200 to $500.
- GuideCustomer Short Paid the Final Invoice: 5 MovesBefore you chase the balance, decide whether to deposit the cheque. In the US, cashing one marked 'paid in full' can legally erase what you are owed.
- GuideHow to Collect a Contractor Deposit: 5 RulesMake the deposit due 3 to 5 business days before the start date, size it to your upfront spend, and check state caps: California's is $1,000, not $10,000.
- GuideProgress Payment Schedule: 6 Rules That Get PaidEight states cap what you can collect up front. California's limit is $1,000. How to build a draw schedule under your legal ceiling and stay cash positive.
Other states
- USAlabama lien deadlines
- USAlaska lien deadlines
- USArizona lien deadlines
- USArkansas lien deadlines
- USCalifornia lien deadlines
- USColorado lien deadlines
Sources
- RSMo 429.012 (Notice to Owner by original contractor)
- RSMo 429.013 (owner-occupied residential consent)
- RSMo 429.080 (six-month filing)
- RSMo 429.100 (10-day notice by subs)
- RSMo 429.170 (six months to sue)
Cite this page
Pavado, “Missouri Lien Deadlines 2026: Notice and Filing”, https://www.pavadotech.com/lien-deadlines/missouri, updated 2026-09-24.