Massachusetts law about liens on buildings and land (Mechanic's Lien Law)

Laws, cases and print and web sources on the Mechanic's Lien Law.

A builder, contractor, or subcontractor can record a mechanic's lien at a Registry of Deeds on property (not automobiles) for which they have supplied labor and/or materials in order to secure payment for their work. Following the Massachusetts Mechanic’s Lien Law involves strict filing deadlines and complex procedural requirements.

If you are unable to find the information you are looking for, or if you have a specific question, please contact our law librarians for assistance.

Massachusetts laws

MGL c. 254 Liens on buildings and land

• § 2 Written contract; notice; time for filing; form
• § 2A Written contract; substantial completion; definitions; notice; filing; form; certified mail
• § 2B Termination of written contract; notice; filing; form; certified mail
• § 2D Subcontractor of design professional; lien; form and filing of notice
• § 4 Subcontractors; written contract; notice; filing; form; indirect contractual relationship; notice of identification
• § 6 Public property; exemption
• § 10 Dissolution by notice

Forms

Sample forms may be found in the statutes themselves (refer to sections in Massachusetts General Law Chapter 254 listed above) and in the Print Sources listed below. You may also submit requests for copies of the forms through the Trial Court Law Libraries' Request a Document service. These are not fill-in-the-blank forms; the “forms” contain the language that is dictated by the statutes.

Selected cases

Ng Brothers Const., Inc. v. Cranney, 436 Mass. 638 (2002)
Individual sections of the mechanic’s lien statute set out the time requirements for creating, maintaining, and enforcing a lien. Although not every procedural mistake is fatal, failure to comply normally results in dissolution of the lien, or in failure of the lien to attach.

Web sources

Lien priority in real estate, Nolo, 2026.
Lien priority determines the order in which creditors, including those who have filed Mechanic’s Liens, get paid following a foreclosure.

Print sources

Massachusetts construction law and litigation, 3^rd ed., MCLE, 2024.
Chapter 5: The Massachusetts Mechanic’s Lien Law. Includes forms and Procedural Checklists for Perfecting Liens under the Law.

Massachusetts real estate litigation, LexisNexis, annual edition. (eBook available with library card)
Chapter 2: Construction litigation: Mechanic's liens. Includes forms.

Real estate title practice in Massachusetts, 5^th ed., MCLE, 2024.
Chapter 10: Mechanic’s liens

REBA handbook of standards and forms, Real Estate Bar Association for Massachusetts.
Title standards are intended to help determine if what is recorded in the Registry of Deeds reasonably follows the law, and there is no defect in the title which would expose an owner to the risk of adverse claims or litigation. See:

• Standard No. 62: Mechanic’s lien for personal labor only
• Standard No. 63: Mechanic’s lien for contractor’s labor or labor and materials
• Standard No. 64: Mechanic’s lien for subcontractor’s labor or labor and materials

Massachusetts Practice Series

• vol. 10C (Procedural forms annotated), 6^th ed. West, 2009 with supplement.
  Section 114:6: Complaint to establish mechanic’s lien for materials furnished; Section 114:7: Complaint to establish lien under MGL c. 254 § 31.
• vol. 15A (Legal forms), 5^th ed. West Group, 2008 with supplement.
  Chapter 36: Mechanic's liens, etc.
• vol. 28 (Real estate law, with forms), 5^th ed. Thomson Reuters, 2016 with supplement.
  Sections 11:18 and 11:19: Mechanic’s liens-introduction; Determining the validity of the lien and lien priorities; Dissolving the lien.
• vol. 57 (Construction law), West, annual.
  Chapter 12: Mechanic's liens.

Last updated:	October 19, 2026