Cook County Mechanics Lien Form (Illinois)

All Cook County specific forms and documents listed below are included in your immediate download package:

Mechanics Lien Form

Cook County Mechanics Lien Form

Fill in the blank Mechanics Lien form formatted to comply with all Illinois recording and content requirements.
Included Cook County compliant document last validated/updated 9/3/2024

Notice of Mechanics Lien Guide

Cook County Notice of Mechanics Lien Guide

Line by line guide explaining every blank on the form.
Included Cook County compliant document last validated/updated 7/23/2024

Completed Example of the Notice of Mechanics Lien Document

Cook County Completed Example of the Notice of Mechanics Lien Document

Example of a properly completed form for reference.
Included Cook County compliant document last validated/updated 11/12/2024

When using these Mechanics Lien forms, the subject real estate must be physically located in Cook County. The executed documents should then be recorded in one of the following offices:

Downtown Office Chicago Court Building

118 N Clark St, Rm 120, Chicago, Illinois 60602

Hours: 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. M-F

Phone: (312) 603-5050

Markham Court Building

16501 S Kedzie, Rm 238C, Markham, Illinois 60426

Hours: 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. M-F (Note: ALL DOCUMENTS must be recorded at the Clerk's downtown office)

Phone: (708) 210-4448

Rolling Meadows Court Building

2121 Euclid Ave, Rm 238, Rolling Meadows, Illinois 60008

Hours: 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. M-F (Note: ALL DOCUMENTS must be recorded at the Clerk's downtown office)

Phone: (847) 818-2070

Bridgeview Court Building

10220 S 76th Ave, Rm 238, Bridgeview, Illinois 60455

Hours: 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. M-F (Note: ALL DOCUMENTS must be recorded at the Clerk's downtown office)

Phone: (708) 974-6397

Local jurisdictions located in Cook County include:

  • Alsip
  • Arlington Heights
  • Bedford Park
  • Bellwood
  • Berkeley
  • Berwyn
  • Blue Island
  • Bridgeview
  • Broadview
  • Brookfield
  • Burbank
  • Calumet City
  • Chicago
  • Chicago Heights
  • Chicago Ridge
  • Cicero
  • Country Club Hills
  • Des Plaines
  • Dolton
  • Elk Grove Village
  • Elmwood Park
  • Evanston
  • Evergreen Park
  • Flossmoor
  • Forest Park
  • Franklin Park
  • Glencoe
  • Glenview
  • Glenwood
  • Golf
  • Hanover Park
  • Harvey
  • Harwood Heights
  • Hazel Crest
  • Hickory Hills
  • Hillside
  • Hines
  • Hoffman Estates
  • Hometown
  • Homewood
  • Justice
  • Kenilworth
  • La Grange
  • La Grange Park
  • Lansing
  • Lemont
  • Lincolnwood
  • Lyons
  • Markham
  • Matteson
  • Maywood
  • Melrose Park
  • Midlothian
  • Morton Grove
  • Mount Prospect
  • Niles
  • Northbrook
  • Oak Forest
  • Oak Lawn
  • Oak Park
  • Olympia Fields
  • Orland Park
  • Palatine
  • Palos Heights
  • Palos Hills
  • Palos Park
  • Park Forest
  • Park Ridge
  • Posen
  • Prospect Heights
  • Richton Park
  • River Forest
  • River Grove
  • Riverdale
  • Riverside
  • Robbins
  • Rolling Meadows
  • Schaumburg
  • Schiller Park
  • Skokie
  • South Holland
  • Steger
  • Stone Park
  • Streamwood
  • Summit Argo
  • Techny
  • Thornton
  • Tinley Park
  • Westchester
  • Western Springs
  • Wheeling
  • Willow Springs
  • Wilmette
  • Winnetka
  • Worth

How long does it take to get my forms?

Forms are available immediately after submitting payment.

How do I get my forms, are they emailed?

Immediately after you submit payment, the Cook County forms you order will be available for download directly from your account. You can then download the forms to your computer. If you do not already have an account, one will be created for you as part of the order process, and your login details will be provided to you. If you encounter any issues accessing your forms, please reach out to our support team for assistance. Forms are NOT emailed to you.

What does "validated/updated" mean?

This indicates the most recent date when at least one of the following occurred:

  • Updated: The document was updated or changed to remain compliant.
  • Validated: The document was examined by an attorney or staff, or it was successfully recorded in Cook County using our eRecording service.
Are these forms guaranteed to be recordable in Cook County?

Yes. Our form blanks are guaranteed to meet or exceed all formatting requirements set forth by Cook County including margin requirements, content requirements, font and font size requirements.

Can the Mechanics Lien forms be re-used?

Yes. You can re-use the forms for your personal use. For example, if you have more than one property in Cook County that you need to transfer you would only need to order our forms once for all of your properties in Cook County.

What are supplemental forms?

Often when a deed is recorded, additional documents are required by Illinois or Cook County. These could be tax related, informational, or even as simple as a coversheet. Supplemental forms are provided for free with your order where available.

What type of files are the forms?

All of our Cook County Mechanics Lien forms are PDFs. You will need to have or get Adobe Reader to use our forms. Adobe Reader is free software that most computers already have installed.

Do I need any special software to use these forms?

You will need to have Adobe Reader installed on your computer to use our forms. Adobe Reader is free software that most computers already have installed.

Do I have to enter all of my property information online?

No. The blank forms are downloaded to your computer and you fill them out there, at your convenience.

Can I save the completed form, email it to someone?

Yes, you can save your deed form at any point with your information in it. The forms can also be emailed, blank or complete, as attachments.

Are there any recurring fees involved?

No. Nothing to cancel, no memberships, no recurring fees.

Mechanic's liens are available in Illinois pursuant to the Mechanic's Lien Act compiled under 770 ILCS 60 for contractors, subcontractors, material or equipment suppliers, architects, and other design professionals.

A lien is a type of property interest, like a mortgage, in which the lienor retains a claim against the property if it is later sold. The lienor can also force a sale through foreclosure. Illinois only authorizes mechanic's liens on private projects, not those associated with public (government) entities.

When you provide labor or materials on a contract job and the client never pays the invoice, filing a mechanic's lien is the next step in recovering the amount due. NOTE: Subcontractors must individually file 60-day (owner-occupied residential projects only) and 90-day notices to access their lien rights.

Mechanic's liens demand strict deadlines and missing the filing date by even one day can cost you your right to a lien. In Illinois, the time to file a lien arises within four months from the last date you or any of your employees furnished labor or delivered materials to the jobsite. The four-month period applies to your right against all third parties and subsequent owners. You have two years to file suit against the original owner to foreclose on a mechanic's lien. 770 ILCS 60/9.

The claim for lien must state the parties to the contract and its terms, identify the general contractor and all upper tier subcontractors, include a description of the work completed or materials delivered, state a legal description of the owner's property, and state the total amount due and unpaid as of the date the notice is recorded. The lien amount includes the invoice amount owed minus all credits and offsets. A lienor may not include extras such as attorney's fees or lost profits, but may charge interest measured by the legal rate in Illinois. 770 ILCS 60/1(a).

Before recording the lien, sign it in the presence of a notary public who then notarizes it with his or her seal. The lien should be recorded at the recording office for the county where the property is situated. For residential projects, you must serve the owner with a copy of the recorded lien within ten days' time.

The deadlines for filing a lien are set in stone, and failure to file on time will cost you your right to a lien. Additionally, putting in improper amounts or exaggerating the claim will invalidate the lien. If you lose your lien rights, the only remedy is to sue the property owner under contract law.

Each case is unique. Contact an attorney with specific questions regarding filing a claim or any other issues related to mechanic's liens in Illinois.

Our Promise

The documents you receive here will meet, or exceed, the Cook County recording requirements for formatting. If there's an issue caused by our formatting, we'll make it right and refund your payment.

Save Time and Money

Get your Cook County Mechanics Lien form done right the first time with Deeds.com Uniform Conveyancing Blanks. At Deeds.com, we understand that your time and money are valuable resources, and we don't want you to face a penalty fee or rejection imposed by a county recorder for submitting nonstandard documents. We constantly review and update our forms to meet rapidly changing state and county recording requirements for roughly 3,500 counties and local jurisdictions.

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November 21st, 2024

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