Oklahoma Mechanic’s Lien Rights: A Complete Guide for Subcontractors

In Oklahoma, mechanic’s lien rights extend to parties who furnish labor, services, or materials for a private improvement, including:

• General (original) contractors
• Subcontractors of any tier
• Material suppliers
• Laborers, artisans, and day laborers
• Architects, engineers, and surveyors (when services result in an improvement)
• Landscapers providing trees, vines, plants, or hedges
• Equipment lessors (subject to property-type restrictions)

To qualify for a mechanic’s lien in Oklahoma, the work must contribute to a permanent improvement of real property under a contract with the owner or the owner’s agent (Okla. Stat. tit. 42, § 141).

Here are some examples of what qualifies as lienable work and what doesn’t.

Lienable Work in Oklahoma

• Erection, construction, alteration, or repair of buildings or structures
• Installation of fixtures, machinery, or attachments
• Labor and materials used on the project
• Equipment rented or leased for use on the land (with exceptions)
• Landscaping, including planting trees, vines, plants, or hedges
• Architectural and engineering services tied to the improvement
• Contractual profit and overhead costs

Non-Lienable Work in Oklahoma

• Work on public projects
• Lightning rod installation
• Equipment rentals on homestead or agricultural property
• Work performed without the owner's consent
• Purely administrative or non-construction-related services

Before filing, confirm whether any pre-lien notice requirements apply to your claim (see table above).

Deadline to File

• General contractors: Within four months after the date on which material or equipment was last furnished or labor last performed under contract.
• Subcontractors, suppliers, and laborers: Within 90 days after the date on which material or equipment was last furnished or labor last performed under the subcontract.

Filing Requirements

• Filing location: File the lien statement with the county clerk in the county where the land is located.
• Form requirements: Oklahoma doesn’t provide a statutory lien statement form, but it still must include:
  • Amount claimed with itemization
  • Name of owner, contractor, and claimant
  • Legal description of the property (a street address alone is insufficient)
  • Owner's last-known mailing address
  • If the claimant submitted a pre-lien notice at the start of the project, they must attach a notarized Affidavit of Compliance with the lien filing.
• Verification: Lien statement must be signed and verified under oath.
• Filing fee: Varies by county.

Service Requirements

Within five business days after filing, the county clerk must mail notice of the lien to the owner by certified mail, return receipt requested (Okla. Stat. tit. 42, § 143.1).

Recording a lien preserves your rights—but enforcement is how you get paid. Here’s what you must do to ensure you enforce your lien in Oklahoma.

Enforcement Requirements

• Enforcement deadline: You must bring the enforcement action within one year of the lien filing date.
• Filing location: Enforcement actions are filed with the district court of the county where the property is located.
• Lien priority: Priority is determined by the court during enforcement, but properly perfected mechanic’s liens generally relate back to the date of first furnishing labor or materials.

Lien Release Requirements

Once payment is made or the claim is otherwise resolved, the claimant must record a written release or satisfaction with the county clerk.

If an enforcement action isn’t filed within the statutory period, the owner may record an affidavit canceling the lien by operation of law (Okla. Stat. tit. 42, § 177).