The Claim for Mechanic’s Lien is a sworn form on which a claimant states that labor, material, or both were provided to improve real estate in Illinois and that money is still owed. The Sangamon County Recorder's Office provides it as a courtesy for use in Sangamon County, Illinois. It is one of the forms on the Recorder's forms page, which also covers Sangamon County property records. On this page you can fill out the form online on FillingPDF and download or print the completed PDF; the original PDF is published by the county at sangamonil.gov.
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What is Claim for Mechanic’s Lien – Sangamon County, IL?
The Claim for Mechanic’s Lien is a form on which a claimant states under oath that it provided labor, material, or both to improve real estate in Illinois, that payment remains due, and that it claims a lien on that property and its owner.
The form is organized as a short narrative the claimant completes. It identifies the claimant and the owner, describes the real estate by legal description, Section, Township and Range, and common address, and describes the contract between the owner and the claimant (oral, written, or written with a copy attached). It then states when the contract was or is to be completed, the agreed price, the value of the labor or material provided, the dates the first and last labor or material were provided, and the sum due and unpaid after credits, deductions and setoffs.
The claim closes with the claimant's signature lines marked (Seal) and a sworn statement before a notary public, with the venue printed as State of Illinois, County of Sangamon. The top of the page reserves a space for recording use only and a block for the address to which the document is returned.
The Sangamon County Recorder's Office offers the form as a courtesy. The Recorder's Office strongly recommends consulting an attorney, cannot help you fill it out, and cannot give legal advice. The form itself adds that lien preparation is a specialized task which may demand legal knowledge or advice.
Who needs to file Claim for Mechanic’s Lien – Sangamon County, IL?
The form is for a claimant who provided labor, material, or both, under a contract with the owner of real estate in Illinois, and who is claiming that money remains due and unpaid for that work. The form is addressed to real estate in Sangamon County, and its sworn statement is printed for County of Sangamon.
The claimant may be an individual or a business. The form asks for the claimant's name and for the place where the claimant is located: the entity type or title, the city or town, and the county. It also asks for the owner of the property in the same way.
The sworn statement must be made by the claimant or on the claimant's behalf: it reads that the person named "is the Claimant", and the person signs before a notary public.
The Recorder's Office says it cannot assist with completing the form or provide legal assistance. It strongly recommends consulting an attorney for the selection and completion of its forms. The form is not for transactions about the legal ownership or conveyance of real estate that call for other documents; the Recorder's page directs those questions to an attorney.
When to file Claim for Mechanic’s Lien – Sangamon County, IL
The form is completed once the claimant is ready to state that a sum remains due and unpaid for labor or material already provided to the owner. It asks for the dates the first and last labor or material were provided, so those dates must be known before you start. No filing deadline is printed on the form or on the Recorder's forms page, so ask an attorney which time limits apply to your claim.
Nothing on the Recorder's page sets a processing time. The form leaves a space for recording use only at the top of the page, so the Recorder's Office completes that area when it records the document.
Documents you need
- A copy of the written contract, only if you mark that a copy of the written contract is attached to the claim.
- A just and true statement of the labor, material, or both, attached to the claim if you mark that the value provided is shown by the attached statement.
- A separate 8 ½" x 11" sheet with the rest of the legal description, only if the legal description does not fit in the space on the form.
- Notarization of the sworn statement: the notary public completes the Subscribed and sworn to before me block with the date and commission expiration.
How to fill out Claim for Mechanic’s Lien – Sangamon County, IL
Enter the return address
In the Return Document To block at the top, write the name and address where the recorded document should be sent. Leave the space marked for recording use only empty.
Identify the claimant and type of work
Enter the claimant's name and the entity or title, city or town and county where the claimant is located. Mark labor, material, or labor and material for the work performed.
Describe the real estate
Enter the legal description, then Section, Township, Range, the county and the common address. If the legal description needs more room, attach a separate 8 ½" x 11" sheet.
Name the owner
Write the owner's name, followed by the owner's entity or title, city or town and county, in the line that begins with the owner of the real estate.
Describe the contract
Enter the day, month and year the owner entered into the contract, mark oral, written, or written with a copy attached, and briefly describe the work the contract covered.
Enter completion date and amounts
Mark whether the claimant did complete or was to complete the contract, and enter that date. Write the agreed price and the value of the labor, material, or both provided, and mark whether the attached statement shows it.
Enter first and last dates and sum due
Mark the type of work and enter the day, month and year it was first provided and last provided. Enter the sum now due and owing after credits, deductions and setoffs.
State the lien amount and sign
Write the amount of the lien claimed in the final paragraph, then sign on the lines marked (Seal), with the claimant's name printed below.
Complete the sworn statement
In the State of Illinois, County of Sangamon block, enter the name of the person swearing, the claimant's identification, and the sum due and unpaid. That person signs on the line marked (Seal).
Have a notary complete the jurat
The notary public fills in the day, month and year of the Subscribed and sworn to before me block, signs, affixes the seal and enters the commission expiration.
Fill in Instrument Prepared By
Write the name, address, and city, state and ZIP code of the person who prepared the instrument.
Review, download and print
Check that every amount and date matches in each place it appears. Download or print the completed PDF from FillingPDF, sign it before the notary, and deliver it as described under How to submit.
How to submit Claim for Mechanic’s Lien – Sangamon County, IL
The Recorder's Office says data cannot be saved on its forms, so you print the completed form and either mail it or bring it to the Sangamon County Recorder's Office.
- In person or by mail: Sangamon County Recorder's Office, First Floor - County Building, 200 South Ninth Street, Springfield Illinois 62701.
Before you deliver it, sign the claim, have the sworn statement notarized, and attach the documents the form refers to: a copy of a written contract if you marked that box, the statement of the labor or material provided, and a separate 8 ½" x 11" sheet if the legal description needs more room. Complete the Return Document To block with the address where the recorded document should be sent back, and fill in the Instrument Prepared By block.
The Recorder's page does not list a fee, a portal or a phone number for this form, and the Recorder's Office cannot help you complete it. FillingPDF lets you fill out and download the PDF; submission follows the channels above.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Leaving the labor, material, or labor and material blanks unmarked; the form asks you to mark the type of work in several places.
- Running out of room for the legal description and not attaching a separate 8 ½" x 11" sheet, as the form's note directs.
- Marking a copy of the contract or a statement as attached and then not attaching it.
- Entering different amounts in the sum due and owing, the lien claim and the sworn statement; the form asks for the unpaid sum in each place.
- Signing the sworn statement without a notary present, when the form reads Subscribed and sworn to before me.
- Leaving out the first and last dates labor or material were provided.
- Leaving the Return Document To and Instrument Prepared By blocks empty.
- Expecting Recorder's Office staff to help complete the claim; the office says it cannot assist or give legal advice.
Frequently asked questions
What is a Claim for Mechanic’s Lien?
It is a sworn form in which a claimant states that it provided labor, material, or both to improve real estate in Illinois, that a sum remains unpaid, and that it claims a lien on the property and its owner. The Sangamon County Recorder's Office provides it for use in Sangamon County.
Where do I file a Claim for Mechanic’s Lien in Sangamon County?
Print the completed form and mail it or bring it to the Sangamon County Recorder's Office, First Floor - County Building, 200 South Ninth Street, Springfield Illinois 62701. The Recorder's page names no other channel and says data cannot be saved on the form.
Does a Claim for Mechanic’s Lien have to be notarized?
The form includes a sworn statement and a Subscribed and sworn to before me block for a notary public, with the date and the notary's commission expiration. Sign the sworn statement in the notary's presence so the notary can complete that block.
Can the Recorder's Office help me fill out the lien form?
No. The Recorder's Office says it cannot assist you in filling out its forms or give legal assistance or advice, and it strongly recommends consulting an attorney. The form also notes that lien preparation may demand legal knowledge or advice.
What do I attach to a Claim for Mechanic’s Lien?
It depends on your answers: a copy of the contract if you mark that a copy is attached, the statement of the labor or material provided if the form refers to an attached statement, and a separate 8 ½" x 11" sheet if the legal description needs more space.
Is this form the same as Sangamon County property tax paperwork?
No. The Claim for Mechanic’s Lien claims payment owed for labor or material on real estate and is filed with the Sangamon County Recorder's Office. It is not a property tax form, and the form does not say it concerns property taxes.
Can I fill out the Claim for Mechanic’s Lien online?
Yes. You can fill out the PDF online on FillingPDF and download or print it. FillingPDF is independent of Sangamon County and does not file or record the claim; you deliver the printed, signed and notarized form to the Recorder's Office.
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