Filing deadline

A verified Mechanic's Lien Statement must be BOTH recorded (county recorder for abstract land, registrar of titles for Torrens; both offices/counties if the parcel spans them) AND served within 120 days after the claimant's last contribution. Trivial, unauthorized, or clock-reviving work does not count as a last contribution. Statement must show first and last furnishing dates, amount, parties, property description, owner, and confirm the pre-lien notice was given.

Notice prerequisites

Two-track pre-lien notice. A GC that will use subs must embed statutory warning language (10-pt bold or typed caps) in its written owner contract, or deliver a separate General Contractor's Notice personally or by certified mail within 10 days of the agreement. Everyone without a direct owner contract must deliver a Lien Claimant's Notice within 45 days of first furnishing. Broad exemptions: commercial/nonresidential projects over 5,000 sq ft, residential projects of more than four units, and owner-affiliated contractors. Missing a required notice kills the lien, and even a timely 45-day notice does not protect against owner payments to the GC made before the notice arrived.

Service on the owner

The lien statement must be served personally or by US certified mail (first-class is insufficient) on the owner OR the owner's authorized agent OR the party who entered into the contract — the statute is disjunctive, so serving any one suffices and the owner is the safe default (Minn. Stat. § 514.08 subd. 1(2)) — within the same 120-day window; service and filing are parallel requirements, either can come first but both must be timely.

Enforcement

Foreclosure suit (or intervention/answer in an existing quiet-title or foreclosure action) in district court where the land lies within 1 year of the claimant's LAST CONTRIBUTION (not of recording); an expired lien is unenforceable and must be satisfied of record on demand. Prevailing claimants may recover reasonable attorney fees and interest.

Minn. Stat. ch. 514 (esp. 514.01, 514.02, 514.05, 514.06, 514.011, 514.08, 514.10, 514.12, 514.135)