Filing deadline

Affidavit of Lien recorded with the county recorder of each county holding the property: 60 days from last labor/materials on residential (1-2 family or condo unit) projects, 120 days for oil and gas wells, 75 days for all other private work. Public (non-federal) jobs: serve the lien on the public authority within 120 days of last furnishing, then record within 30 days; it attaches only to unspent project funds. Deadlines are strict; punch-list, warranty and manufactured extra work do not extend them. Common-carrier deliveries count from delivery to the carrier, not the site.

Notice prerequisites

Owner-side: before work starts the private owner must record a Notice of Commencement (affidavit form) with each county recorder; public authorities keep one on file. Claimant-side: subs and materialmen not contracting with the owner must serve a Notice of Furnishing within 21 days of their first furnishing on the contracting owner/designee (and on the original contractor if not in privity with it). A late notice only reaches work back 21 days before service. Exceptions: no notice needed on owner-occupied home-construction jobs, when no Notice of Commencement was filed, when a written Request for Notice of Commencement to the owner/designee goes unanswered for 10 days (clock tolls), and laborers are exempt.

Service on the owner

After recording, a copy of the Affidavit of Lien must be served on the contracting owner (or designee) within 30 days of filing - failure is fatal; if statutory service is impossible, post it conspicuously on the property between days 31 and 41. Service follows filing.

Enforcement

The lien lives 6 years from recording; foreclosure must be filed within that window, which cannot be extended or renewed - even being named in another party's foreclosure does not preserve it.

Ohio Rev. Code ch. 1311 (esp. sec. 1311.011, 1311.04, 1311.05, 1311.06, 1311.07, 1311.19, 1311.021)