Illinois Compiled Statutes

770 ILCS 60/7 (2026)

Claim for lien; third parties; errors or overcharges; multiple buildings or lots

✓ current as of May 2026
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(770 ILCS 60/7) (from Ch. 82, par. 7)
    Sec. 7. Claim for lien; third parties; errors or overcharges; multiple buildings or lots.
    (a) No contractor shall be allowed to enforce such lien against or to the prejudice of any other creditor or incumbrancer or purchaser, unless within 4 months after completion, or if extra or additional work is done or labor, services, material, fixtures, apparatus or machinery, forms or form work is delivered therefor within 4 months after the completion of such extra or additional work or the final delivery of such extra or additional labor, services, material, fixtures, apparatus or machinery, forms or form work, he or she shall either bring an action to enforce his or her lien therefor or shall file in the office of the recorder of the county in which the building, erection or other improvement to be charged with the lien is situated, a claim for lien, verified by the affidavit of himself or herself, or his or her agent or employee, which shall consist of a brief statement of the claimant's contract, the balance due after allowing all credits, and a sufficiently correct description of the lot, lots or tracts of land to identify the same. Such claim for lien may be filed at any time after the claimant's contract is made, and as to the owner may be filed at any time after the contract is made and within 2 years after the completion of the contract, or the completion of any extra work or the furnishing of any extra labor, services, material, fixtures, apparatus or machinery, forms or form work thereunder, and as to such owner may be amended at any time before the final judgment. No such lien shall be defeated to the proper amount thereof because of an error or overcharging on the part of any person claiming a lien therefor under this Act, unless it shall be shown that such error or overcharge is made with intent to defraud; nor shall any such lien for material be defeated because of lack of proof that the material after the delivery thereof, actually entered into the construction of such building or improvement, although it be shown that such material was not actually used in the construction of such building or improvement; provided, that it is shown that such material was delivered either to the owner or his or her agent for that building or improvement, to be used in that building or improvement, or at the place where said building or improvement was being constructed, for the purpose of being used in construction or for the purpose of being employed in the process of construction as a means for assisting in the erection of the building or improvement in what is commonly termed forms or form work where concrete, cement or like material is used, in whole or in part.
    (b) In case of the construction of a number of buildings under contract between the same parties, it shall be sufficient in order to establish such lien for material, if it be shown that such material was in good faith delivered at one of these buildings for the purpose of being used in the construction of any one or all of such buildings, or delivered to the owner or his or her agent for such buildings, to be used therein; and such lien for such material shall attach to all of said buildings, together with the land upon which the same are being constructed, the same as in a single building or improvement. In the event the contract relates to 2 or more buildings on 2 or more lots or tracts of land, then all of these buildings and lots or tracts of land may be included in one statement of claims for a lien.
    (c) A statement that a party is a subcontractor shall not constitute an admission by the lien claimant that its status is that of subcontractor if it is later determined that the party with whom the lien claimant contracted was the owner or an agent of the owner.
    (d) A contractor for improvements of an owner-occupied single-family residence must give the owner written notice within 10 days after recording a lien against any property of the owner. The notice is served when it is sent or personally delivered. If timely notice is not given and, as a result, the owner has suffered damages before notice is given, the lien is extinguished to the extent of the damages. The mere recording of the lien claim is not considered damages. This subsection does not apply to subcontractors, and it applies only to contracts entered into after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 96th General Assembly.
(Source: P.A. 96-654, eff. 1-1-10.)

    
Notes of Decisions
Cited in 57 cases (8 in the last 5 years), 1994–2025 · leading case: Cordeck Sales, Inc. v. Constr. Sys., Inc., 887 N.E.2d 474 (Ill. App. Ct. 2008).
Cordeck Sales, Inc. v. Constr. Sys., Inc., 887 N.E.2d 474 (Ill. App. Ct. 2008). · cites it 17× “” Accordingly, “to the extent that work was done under another agreement, it was not described in any of AMEC’s recorded lien claims,” and as a result, pursuant to section 7 of the Act (770 ILCS 60/7 (West 2006)), First Midwest asserts that AMEC’s lien claim is invalid because…”
Bale v. Barnhart, 798 N.E.2d 750 (Ill. App. Ct. 2003). · cites it 14× “Attached to the complaint is a copy of the claim of lien, pursuant to section 7 of the Mechanics Lien Act (Act) (770 ILCS 60/7 (West 2000)), filed in the McLean County recorder's office on October 13, 2000.”
Tefco Constr. Co. v. Cont'l Cmty. Bank & Trust Co., 829 N.E.2d 860 (Ill. App. Ct. 2005). · cites it 8× “770 ILCS 60/7 (West 2002). For the following reasons, we affirm the decision of the circuit court granting summary judgment in favor of defendants.”
Father & Sons Home Improvement II, Inc. v. Stuart, 2016 IL App (1st) 143666 (Ill. App. Ct. 2016). · cites it 5× “” 770 ILCS 60/7 (West 2008). “ ‘Intent to defraud may [be] inferred from documents containing overstated lien amounts combined with additional evidence.”
Pepper Constr. Co. v. Palmolive Tower Condos., LLC, 2021 IL App (1st) 200753 (Ill. App. Ct. 2021). · cites it 3× “770 ILCS 60/7(a) (West 2018). A lien claim must include “a brief statement of the claimant’s contract, the balance due after allowing all credits, and a sufficiently correct description of the - 24 - lot.”
North Shore Cmty. Bank & Trust Co. v. Sheffield Wellington, LLC, 2014 IL App (1st) 123784 (Ill. App. Ct. 2014). · cites it 8× “See 770 ILCS 60/7 (West 2008). However, Bluewater, as a subcontractor, was also required to provide notice of the lien claim to the lending agency (in this case, the Bank) within 90 days of completion.”
North Shore Cmty. Bank & Trust Co. v. Sheffield Wellington, LLC, 2014 IL App (1st) 123784 (Ill. App. Ct. 2014). · cites it 7× “See 770 ILCS 60/7 (West 2008). However, Bluewater, as a subcontractor, was also required to provide notice of the lien claim to the lending agency (in this case, the Bank) within 90 days of completion.”
Raymond Prof'l Grp., Inc. v. William A. Pope Co. (In Re Raymond Prof'l Grp., Inc.), 408 B.R. 711 (Bankr. N.D. Ill. 2009). · cites it 6× “Alternatively, Raymond argues that Pope let its lien rights lapse by failing to perfect them after September 2001 pursuant to procedures set forth in 770 ILCS 60/7, 24 (West 2009). Finally, Raymond argues that if any sums are held in trust, only the amount of $10.”
Stafford -Smith, Inc. v. Intercontinental River East, LLC, 881 N.E.2d 534 (Ill. App. Ct. 2007). · cites it 6× “Therein, IRE contended that Stafford-Smith’s lien claim was time-barred under section 7 of the Act (770 ILCS 60/7 (West 2006)). Specifically, IRE maintained that because it did not acquire the property until January 9, 2006, it was a “purchaser,” and not an “owner,” within the…”
Norman A. Koglin Assocs. v. Valenz Oro, Inc., 680 N.E.2d 283 (Ill. 1997). · cites it 4× “770 ILCS 60/7 (West 1992). It also prescribes the contents of this claim for lien.”
Behl v. Gingerich, 920 N.E.2d 665 (Ill. App. Ct. 2009). · cites it 3× “The court cited section 7 of the Mechanics Lien Act (770 ILCS 60/7 (West 2006)) and found plaintiff filed the lien more than four months after he completed the work on April 24, 2007.”
Braun-Skiba, Ltd. v. La Salle Nat'l Bank, 665 N.E.2d 485 (Ill. App. Ct. 1996). · cites it 4× “At the trial held to enforce the lien against defendant, the only factual dispute was whether plaintiff performed work during the four-month period prior to the filing of its lien as required under section 7 of the Mechanics Lien Act (770 ILCS 60/7 (West 1992) (formerly Ill. Rev.”
— 770 ILCS 60/7(a) — 12 cases
Father & Sons Home Improvement II, Inc. v. Stuart, 2016 IL App (1st) 143666 (Ill. App. Ct. 2016). “” 770 ILCS 60/7 (West 2008). “ ‘Intent to defraud may [be] inferred from documents containing overstated lien amounts combined with additional evidence.”
Pepper Constr. Co. v. Palmolive Tower Condos., LLC, 2021 IL App (1st) 200753 (Ill. App. Ct. 2021). “770 ILCS 60/7(a) (West 2018). A lien claim must include “a brief statement of the claimant’s contract, the balance due after allowing all credits, and a sufficiently correct description of the - 24 - lot.”
North Shore Cmty. Bank & Trust Co. v. Sheffield Wellington, LLC, 2014 IL App (1st) 123784 (Ill. App. Ct. 2014). “See 770 ILCS 60/7 (West 2008). However, Bluewater, as a subcontractor, was also required to provide notice of the lien claim to the lending agency (in this case, the Bank) within 90 days of completion.”
North Shore Cmty. Bank & Trust Co. v. Sheffield Wellington, LLC, 2014 IL App (1st) 123784 (Ill. App. Ct. 2014). “See 770 ILCS 60/7 (West 2008). However, Bluewater, as a subcontractor, was also required to provide notice of the lien claim to the lending agency (in this case, the Bank) within 90 days of completion.”
Lake Cnty. Grading Co., LLC v. Forever Constr., Inc., 2017 IL App (2d) 160359 (Ill. App. Ct. 2017).
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