Idaho Mechanics Lien
Record an Idaho mechanics lien to secure payment. Learn the 90-day recording deadline, the 5-day service step, and the six-month enforcement window.
Introduction
An Idaho mechanics lien is a legal claim recorded against real property by a contractor, subcontractor, or material supplier who improved the property and was not paid. Once recorded, the lien attaches to the property, clouds the title, and can be enforced by a court-ordered foreclosure sale to collect the debt. That security is what gives the lien its leverage, and Idaho grants the right to it in Title 45, Chapter 5 of the Idaho Code. The lien only works if you perfect it. Idaho requires no preliminary notice, but you must record a verified claim of lien with the county recorder within 90 days after completing the labor or furnishing materials, then serve a copy on the owner within five business days. You must then file suit to foreclose within six months after recording, or the lien no longer binds the property. DocDraft prepares an Idaho claim of lien and its notices from your project details, and attorney review is available before you record.
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Key Things to Know
- 1
An Idaho mechanics lien secures payment against the improved property. Under Idaho Code Title 45, Chapter 5, any person who performed labor upon or furnished materials for the construction, and was not paid, can claim one, including contractors, subcontractors, laborers, and material suppliers.
- 2
Idaho requires no preliminary notice to preserve lien rights. Instead, Idaho Code 45-507(5) imposes a post-filing step: a true and correct copy of the recorded claim of lien must be served on the owner, by personal service or certified mail, within five business days of filing.
- 3
The recording deadline is 90 days after the work ends. Idaho Code 45-507(2) requires the verified claim of lien to be filed with the county recorder where the property sits within 90 days after completion of the labor or services, or furnishing of materials.
- 4
You must foreclose within six months of filing. Idaho Code 45-510 provides that no lien binds the property for longer than six months after the claim is filed unless an action to enforce it is commenced in a proper court within that time.
- 5
Idaho reads the lien statute strictly. Missing the 90-day recording window, the five-business-day service step, or the six-month deadline to foreclose can void the lien, though a separate contract claim against the party who hired you may remain.
- 6
No statutory fill-in form is prescribed. Idaho Code 45-507(3) requires the claim of lien to state the amount demanded after credits, the owner if known, the person who employed the claimant, and a description of the property, verified by the claimant's oath.
- 7
Residential jobs add a disclosure. Under Idaho Code 45-525, a contractor entering a contract over $2,000 with a homeowner must give a written disclosure statement, and a residential claim of lien must include proof that the disclosure was provided under Idaho Code 45-507(3).
Key decisions before you file
Before you file a Mechanics Lien in Idaho, a few decisions shape the document: which option to choose and what each one means. The Mechanics Lien guide walks through them.
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Idaho Requirements for Mechanics Lien
Idaho Filing Deadline and Office
File the Idaho mechanics lien in the correct office, a county recorder or court as Idaho requires, within the state's deadline after you last furnish labor or materials. Idaho applies the deadline strictly, so filing late or in the wrong office can void the lien.