Mass. Gen. Laws » Part III Title IV Chapter 254
Massachusetts General Laws

Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 254, § 2 (2026)

Written contract; notice; time for filing; form

✓ current as of July 2026
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Section 2. A person entering into a written contract with the owner of any interest in real property, or with any person acting for, on behalf of, or with the consent of such owner for the whole or part of the erection, alteration, repair or removal of a building, structure, or other improvement to real property, or for furnishing material or rental equipment, appliances, or tools therefor, shall have a lien upon such real property, land, building, structure or improvement owned by the party with whom or on behalf of whom the contract was entered into, as appears of record on the date when notice of said contract is filed or recorded in the registry of deeds for the county or district where such land lies, to secure the payment of all labor, including construction management and general contractor services, and material or rental equipment, appliances, or tools which shall be furnished by virtue of said contract. Said notice may be filed or recorded in the registry of deeds in the county or registry district where the land lies by any person entitled under this section to enforce a lien, and shall be in substantially the following form:

Notice is hereby given that by virtue of a written contract dated , between , owner, and , contractor, said contractor is to furnish or has furnished labor and material or rental equipment, appliances or tools for the erection, alteration, repair or removal of a building, structure, or other improvement on a lot of land or other interest in real property described as follows:

(INSERT DESCRIPTION)

Such person may file or record the notice of contract at any time after execution of the written contract whether or not the date for performance stated in such written contract has passed and whether or not the work under such written contract has been performed, but not later than the earliest of: (i) sixty days after filing or recording of the notice of substantial completion under section two A; or (ii) ninety days after filing or recording of the notice of termination under section two B; or (iii) ninety days after such person or any person by, through or under him last performed or furnished labor or materials or both labor and materials.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 38 cases (6 in the last 5 years), 1921–2025 · leading case: Ng Bros. Constr., Inc. v. Cranney, 766 N.E.2d 864 (Mass. 2002).
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Ng Bros. Constr., Inc. v. Cranney, 766 N.E.2d 864 (Mass. 2002). · cites it 8× “On November 14, 1997, it recorded a notice of contract against the property pursuant to G. L. c. 254, § 2. 3 After the defendants agreed to pay the additional lumber costs, the plaintiff resumed work on November 24, 1997.”
Trace Constr., Inc. v. Dana Barros Sports Complex, LLC, 945 N.E.2d 833 (Mass. 2011). · cites it 11× “5 The Complex failed to make payments to the contractors for work performed, and the contractors and subcontractors filed notices of liens on the property pursuant to G. L. c. 254, § 2 (governing contractors’ liens), and G.”
Tremont Tower Condo., LLC v. George B.H. Macomber Co., 767 N.E.2d 20 (Mass. 2002). · cites it 6× “G. L. c. 254, § 2. According to the president and chief executive officer of Mac-omber, Tremont Tower thereafter advised that the project lenders would not fund applications for loan advances because Mac-omber had established a lien on the property, and asked that Macomber…”
Blount Bros. Corp. v. Lafayette Place Assocs., 506 N.E.2d 499 (Mass. 1987). · cites it 5× “On March 12, 1985, Blount filed a notice of contract in the Suffolk County registry of deeds pursuant to G. L. c. 254, § 2. 2 The *634 notice of contract stated March 22, 1985, as the completion date, not May 15, 1984.”
Interstate Elec. Servs. Corp. v. Cummings Props., LLC, 825 N.E.2d 1059 (Mass. App. Ct. 2005). · cites it 6× “See G. L. c. 254, §§ 2, 8. The recordings referred to the October 20 contract and the October 27 contract.”
O. Ahlborg & Sons, Inc. v. United States, 74 Fed. Cl. 178 (Fed. Cl. 2006). · cites it 2× “Shortly thereafter, on or about April 3, 1998, Ahlborg filed a notice of contract pursuant to Massachusetts Mechanics’ Lien Law, Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 254 § 2 which was recorded in the Norfolk County Registry of Deeds.”
Blount Bros. v. Mondev Mass., Inc., 491 N.E.2d 640 (Mass. App. Ct. 1986). · cites it 6× “The motions alleged that the notice of contract filed in the registry of deeds set forth an incorrect completion date for the project, thereby violating G. L. c. 254, § 2. 3 Both motions also claimed that *98 Blount had failed to file an attested copy of its complaint in the…”
Nat'l Lumber Co. v. Canton Inst. for Sav., 775 N.E.2d 1241 (Mass. App. Ct. 2002). “The motion judge dismissed the plaintiff’s complaint on the ground that the plaintiff’s mechanic’s lien failed to satisfy the requirements of G. L. c. 254, § 2, “for the same reasons that the Appeals Court held the mechanic’s lien invalid in National Lumber Company v.”
Nat'l Lumber Co. v. LeFrancois Constr. Corp., 723 N.E.2d 10 (Mass. 2000). “254 sets out in careful detail the steps required to create, maintain, and enforce a mechanic’s lien on real estate, from the recording of a notice of contract in the registry of deeds, G. L. c. 254, § 2 (“general contractor”); G.”
Hammill-McCormick Assocs., Inc. v. New England Tel. & Tel. Co., 505 N.E.2d 883 (Mass. 1987). “G. L. c. 254, §§ 2, 4. “For the purposes of this chapter the date of completion stated in the notice of contract filed .”
Madigan v. Trace Constr., Inc., 878 N.E.2d 568 (Mass. App. Ct. 2007). · cites it 4× “Factual question as to consent under G. L. c. 254, § 2. Contrary to the plaintiff’s assertion, G.”
East Coast Steel Erectors, Inc. v. Ciolfi, 632 N.E.2d 397 (Mass. 1994). “The Blount Bros, case involved a general contractor’s attempt to perfect a lien under G. L. c. 254, § 2, where the completion date specified in the notice of contract differed from the completion date agreed to in the general contract.”
Show all 38 citing cases →
— Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 254, § 2(i) — 1 case
NG Bros. Constr. v. Cranney, 12 Mass. L. Rptr. 556 (Mass. Super. Ct. 2000).
— Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 254, § 2(ii) — 1 case
NG Bros. Constr. v. Cranney, 12 Mass. L. Rptr. 556 (Mass. Super. Ct. 2000).
— Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 254, § 2(iii) — 1 case
NG Bros. Constr. v. Cranney, 12 Mass. L. Rptr. 556 (Mass. Super. Ct. 2000).
— Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 254, § 2(u) — 1 case
NG Bros. Constr. v. Cranney, 12 Mass. L. Rptr. 556 (Mass. Super. Ct. 2000).
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