Filing deadline

Maryland uses a court-petition system, not a recorded lien. A Petition to Establish Mechanic's Lien (with supporting affidavit and contract/invoice exhibits) must be filed in circuit court in the county where the land lies within 180 days (not 6 months) after the claimant's last work or material furnishing. The court issues a show-cause order, holds a hearing within 45 days, and may enter a final or interlocutory (probable-cause) lien order; no lien exists until the court establishes it.

Notice prerequisites

No pre-work notice exists. Subcontractors (anyone contracting with someone other than the owner/owner's agent) must send the owner a written Notice of Intention to Claim a Lien within 120 days (day-count, not 4 months) after finishing their work or deliveries; the notice must track the statutory form (property description, work/materials, dates, customer). Mailing by certified/registered mail within 120 days suffices, but the claimant bears the burden of proving receipt; posting on the building is allowed only when mail and personal delivery are impossible. GCs contracting directly with the owner need no notice.

Service on the owner

All property owners must be named as defendants in the petition; the court's show-cause order is what brings them in. The only claimant-side service duty is the subcontractor's 120-day notice to the owner (certified/registered mail with return receipt, personal delivery, or posting as a last resort), which necessarily precedes the petition.

Enforcement

A Petition to Enforce must be filed within 1 year of the date the Petition to Establish was filed (not of the lien order). Best practice is a combined Petition to Establish and Enforce in one pleading, since a final lien order may not issue within the year. After enforcement, the court's decree orders sale within up to 30 days if unpaid.

Md. Code Ann., Real Prop. Title 9 (esp. 9-102, 9-104, 9-105, 9-106, 9-113, 9-114, 9-201 to 9-204); Md. Rules 12-302 to 12-307