Form ROD 18, Release of Mechanic's Lien – Washington, DC

Release of Mechanic's Lien (Form ROD 18) is the District of Columbia form on which a claimant gives notice that a Notice of Mechanic's Lien, recorded in the Office of the Recorder of Deeds against a property, is released against the interest of the property's current owner.

The printed form is headed Government of the District of Columbia, Office of Tax and Revenue, Recorder of Deeds, 1101 4th Street, SW, Washington, DC 20024, phone (202)727-5374. It is built as a single statement with blanks:

• the day, month and year the notice is given;
• the name of the claimant;
• the owner of record or his designated agent, against whom the lien was recorded;
• the day, month and year the lien was recorded and its Instrument # number;
• the property's street address and its Square, Suffix and Lot, with room for three Square, Suffix and Lot sets;
• the date and the signature of the claimant or his designated agent.

The second half is a notary acknowledgment. The notary certifies that the person who is party to the Release personally appeared, executed it and acknowledged it as an act and deed, and completes the notary's name, jurisdiction, date, signature and commission expiration date (mmddyyyy).

The form releases a lien that has already been recorded. It does not create a lien, and it carries no instructions of its own about fees, deadlines or attachments.

The claimant who recorded a Notice of Mechanic's Lien with the Recorder of Deeds and now releases it uses Form ROD 18. The form is signed by the claimant or the claimant's designated agent, so an agent may sign on the claimant's behalf where the form's signature line says so.

You will need the details of the lien you are releasing:

• the name of the owner of record or the owner's designated agent against whom the lien was recorded;
• the date the lien was recorded and its Instrument # number;
• the street address of the property and its Square, Suffix and Lot.

A notary public must complete the acknowledgment on the form, because it states that the signer personally appeared before the notary and executed the Release.

Owners and others who are not the claimant do not complete the claimant's statement. The form names the owner of record only as the party against whom the lien was recorded.

Use Form ROD 18 when a claimant decides to release a Notice of Mechanic's Lien that was recorded in the Office of the Recorder of Deeds. No due date, filing window or expiration is printed on the form, so its timing depends on when the claimant gives up the lien. The form is dated twice: once by the claimant (the day the notice is given and the date beside the signature) and once by the notary, whose acknowledgment must come after the signer appears and executes the Release. For any recording requirement beyond what is printed, contact the Recorder of Deeds at (202)727-5374.

The form prints one office and no other channel: the Recorder of Deeds, 1101 4th Street, SW, Washington, DC 20024, phone (202)727-5374. The lien it releases was recorded in that office's records, so contact it to confirm how a signed and notarized release is accepted.

• Recorder of Deeds: 1101 4th Street, SW, Washington, DC 20024.
• Phone: (202)727-5374.

Before you bring or send it, check that the Instrument # is entered, the property description is complete, the claimant or designated agent has signed and the notary has completed the acknowledgment. The form states no fee, mailing instructions or portal; ask the Recorder of Deeds if any apply. FillingPDF lets you fill out and download the PDF; submission follows the channels above.