Georgia lien deadlines for material suppliers
Georgia gives suppliers 90 days to file a claim of lien and then 365 days to sue, with a short notice to the owner in between that is easy to miss.
Official Code of Georgia, Title 44, Chapter 14, Article 8, Part 3. Last checked November 10, 2026.
The deadlines
- 01Send the Notice to Contractor, if a Notice of Commencement was filedWithin 30 days after the Notice of Commencement is filed, or 30 days after your first delivery, whichever is later.For suppliers not in contract with the contractor. Sent to the owner or the owner's agent and to the contractor. If no Notice of Commencement was filed, this step does not apply.O.C.G.A. § 44-14-361.5
- 02File the claim of lienWithin 90 days after the completion of the work or the furnishing of your materials.O.C.G.A. § 44-14-361.1(a)(2)
- 03Send a copy of the claim to the ownerNo later than two business days after the claim of lien is filed.By registered or certified mail or statutory overnight delivery.O.C.G.A. § 44-14-361.1(a)(2)
- 04Start the lien actionWithin 365 days after the claim of lien is filed.Then file a notice of the action with the clerk of superior court within 30 days after starting it.O.C.G.A. § 44-14-361.1(a)(3)
Worth knowing
- If any of the required steps is missed, the statute says the lien is not effective or enforceable.
- The claim of lien must include a statement about when it expires and a notice that the owner has the right to contest it. Without them the lien is invalid (§ 44-14-361.1(a)(2)).
- A Notice of Commencement is filed by the owner or contractor within 15 days after work starts; check the superior court records for the county.
General information, not legal advice. Lien law is strict, it changes, and the details depend on your contract and project. Check the statute linked on each step, and talk to a construction attorney before you rely on a deadline. Last checked November 10, 2026. Source: O.C.G.A. §§ 44-14-361.1 and 44-14-361.5, read from FindLaw's copy of the code, current there as of March 28, 2024.
Before the lien
Most of the risk is decided when the account opens: who signed, whether there is a personal guarantee, and what the trade references said. Valtis Desk collects all of it from a link, emails the references for you, and keeps a signed audit file for every account.
Other states