Mechanic’s Lien Attorneys in Northern Virginia
Clear the Lien, or Enforce It
A mechanic’s lien is one of the most powerful tools in Virginia real estate, and one of the most unforgiving on timing. Whether you furnished work and were not paid, or a lien is clouding your title, the deadlines are strict. We handle both sides across Northern Virginia.
✓ Contractors & Owners
✓ Leesburg & Fairfax
✓ Deadline-Driven
The Clock Is Already Running
Three Deadlines That Decide Everything
90 Days
To record the memorandum of lien after the last day of the month you last furnished work
150-Day Look-Back
A lien reaches only work furnished in that window, and overreaching can void it entirely
6 Months
To file suit to enforce, or sixty days from completion, whichever is later, and it cannot be extended
Sources: Code of Virginia § 43-4 (ninety-day recording deadline and one-hundred-fifty-day look-back) and § 43-17 (enforcement deadline); Title 43 of the Code of Virginia (Mechanics’ and Certain Other Liens).
Few areas of Virginia law punish a missed date as harshly as this one. A lien filed a day late is worthless, and a lien that claims too much can collapse on its own. On the other side, a valid lien is powerful enough to jump ahead of a bank and survive a foreclosure. The margin for error is small, so timing is everything.
A Powerful Claim With No Patience for Mistakes
A mechanic’s lien lets a contractor, subcontractor, or supplier who was not paid attach a claim to the very property they improved, and ultimately force its sale to collect. In Virginia it can carry startling priority, sometimes ahead of the construction lender, and it can survive a foreclosure. That power comes with rigid rules. The perfection deadlines are strictly construed, and a small misstep on timing, amount, or notice can wipe out the entire lien.
We work both sides. For contractors and suppliers, we file, perfect, and enforce liens before the window closes. For owners, we challenge liens that are late, overstated, or defective, and we clear title so a sale or refinance can close. When the fight is really about the broader job, we handle it as part of construction payment claims, and we resolve the title problems a lien creates.
Schedule a ConsultationWhere We Come In
- ✓ You furnished labor or materials and have not been paid
- ✓ A lien deadline is close and you cannot afford to miss it
- ✓ A lien is clouding your title and blocking a sale or refinance
- ✓ You believe a lien is late, overstated, or otherwise invalid
- ✓ You already paid the contractor, but a subcontractor filed anyway
- ✓ You need to bond off a lien so a closing can go forward
What We Handle
Mechanic’s Lien Matters We Handle
Whether you are securing payment or clearing your property, the deadlines drive the strategy.
Filing & Perfecting a Lien
Preparing and recording a memorandum that meets every requirement, on time, so the lien holds up rather than collapsing on a technicality.
Enforcing a Lien
Filing the enforcement suit within the strict window, naming the right parties, and moving toward collection or sale of the property.
Challenging an Invalid Lien
Attacking a lien that missed a deadline, overstated the amount, reached beyond the look-back period, or lacked proper authorization.
Bonding Off & Release
Substituting a bond or funds for the lien so your title is clear and a closing can proceed while the payment fight continues separately.
Validity Hearings
Using Virginia’s expedited hearing to test whether a lien is valid, a fast route to knock out a defective lien clouding your property.
Priority & Payment Disputes
Sorting out where a lien ranks against lenders and other claims, and how much an owner actually owes up the contracting chain.
The rules that make or break a lien
To secure a lien, a claimant must record the memorandum within ninety days of the last day of the month work was last furnished, claim only amounts from the one-hundred-fifty-day look-back window, and then file suit to enforce within the later of six months from recording or sixty days from completion. On a one or two family home, a subcontractor or supplier must also notify any mechanic’s lien agent named on the building permit within thirty days of first furnishing. Virginia also protects downstream parties by making advance waivers of lien rights unenforceable, so a contract cannot force a subcontractor to give up the lien before the work is even done. Owners have real defenses. A lien can be bonded off to clear title, tested quickly in a validity hearing, or challenged for lateness, overstatement, or defects, and a subcontractor’s claim against the owner is generally capped at what the owner still owed the general contractor when notice arrived. Every one of these points turns on precise dates and documents.
Attorney Insight
“Mechanic’s liens are the one area where I tell people not to sleep on it, not even for a week. The perfection rules are strict, and a lien that is one day late or a few dollars overstated can be worthless. On the flip side, a valid lien is one of the strongest positions a contractor can hold, and one of the hardest problems for an owner trying to sell. Whichever side I am on, the first thing I do is pull the dates and the documents, because that is where the case is won or lost.”
Anthony I. Shin, Esq.
Founder, Shin Law Office
Common Questions
Answers Before You Call
I furnished work and was not paid. How long do I have to file a lien?
Generally ninety days from the last day of the month in which you last furnished labor or materials, and never later than ninety days from completion of the project. The rules are strict and the amount you can claim is limited by a look-back period, so the sooner we calculate your exact deadline, the safer your claim.
A lien is on my property and I need to sell. What can I do?
A lien clouds title and usually has to be released, bonded off, or litigated before a clean sale or refinance can close. You can negotiate a release, substitute a bond to clear the property while the payment dispute continues, or challenge the lien’s validity, sometimes through an expedited hearing. Acting quickly gives you the most options.
I already paid my contractor, but a subcontractor filed a lien. Am I stuck?
You may have a strong defense. In Virginia a subcontractor’s claim against the owner is generally limited to what the owner still owed the general contractor when the owner received notice of the lien. So an owner who had already paid the contractor in full may be able to limit or defeat the sub’s claim against the property. We look closely at the timing and the payment records.
Can a mechanic’s lien really beat my bank’s loan?
It can. Virginia mechanic’s liens are known for strong priority and can, in the right circumstances, rank ahead of a construction lender’s deed of trust and even survive a foreclosure. Priority depends on the timing of when work began and when other interests were recorded, which is one more reason the dates matter so much.
What makes a lien invalid?
Common problems include recording after the ninety-day deadline, missing the enforcement deadline, claiming amounts outside the look-back window, overstating the claim, a defective property or owner description, a lack of authorization, or a missed notice to a residential lien agent. Any one of these can be a basis to knock the lien out, which is why owners and claimants both need the details checked carefully.
Related Real Estate Services
Do Not Let the Deadline Decide It
Whether you need to secure a lien before the window closes or clear one off your title, timing is everything. Tell us the dates and we will move. Serving Leesburg, Fairfax, and all of Northern Virginia.
Prefer to talk now? Reach Anthony I. Shin, Esq. at 571-445-6565.
Based in Loudoun County and serving clients across Virginia, Washington DC, and Maryland, we know that when everything’s on the line, the right attorney doesn’t just make a difference, they determine the outcome.
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Copyright © 2026 Shin Law Office, PLC. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2026 Shin Law Office, PLC. All rights reserved.
Reproduction of any content on this site is prohibited except for individual, non-commercial, informational use. This limited permission does not allow modification, distribution, or incorporation of any content into other works or publications in any medium. You may not reproduce or distribute content from this site to any third party.