Ellis County Recorder Mechanics Lien Filing

You can file your mechanics liens in person at the Ellis County Clerk’s office located at:

109 S Jackson St.
Second Floor / Ground Floor
Waxahachie, TX 75165

Phone: 972-825-5070
Fax: 972-825-5075

Hours
Monday – Friday
8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

The Ellis County Clerk does not publicly disclose information on recording backlog.

If the project is located in Ellis county, then yes, you will want to record your lien with the Ellis County, Texas Recorder’s office.

Generally, filing a lien in Texas is one of the more difficult states. Texas has a variety of required documents being exchanged and very strict deadlines for a valid lien claim.

The Ellis County, Texas requirements for recording a mechanics lien are:

1. Verify you have the right to file a valid lien. This includes having sent a monthly notice for each month labor or materials were furnished on a project. A monthly notice must be sent the second and third month for every month work is performed. This can be confusing but basically this means if you furnished labor this month, your deadline to send a two month and third month notice are two and three months from now, respectively. It’s important to keep in mind that if you perform work on the same construction job in Texas for two consecutive months you will need to have sent a total of 4 notices to retain lien rights. So if work was performed in January, your deadline would be March and April for a 2 and 3 month notice. Keep in mind it’s a little more complex if the labor or materials furnished were for a Homestead project.

2. Draft your Texas affidavit of lien form (mechanics lien claim) for your specific role on the job. The forms are different for general contractors vs. subcontractors so make sure you use the correct form. Not doing so could invalidate your lien claim! Make sure all required fields are completed and call the county recorder if you have questions about specific required fields. Again, submitting a mechanics lien claim in Texas not completed correctly could lead to an invalid claim returned to you, potentially leading to a missed lien deadline. Be sure to include other relevant attachments as well.

3. File your lien claim with the County Recorder’s office where work was performed.

4. Send a copy of your lien claim to the Property Owner and General Contractor (if you were a second-tier contractor or supplier). This is important as sending a copy of the lien may expedite payment as the Property Owner or General Contractor may not learn a lien was filed on the property if not contacted.

To learn more about filing your lien claim and other requirements, learn more from our How to File a Texas Mechanics Lien Step by Step Guide.

The margin requirements for filing a lien in Ellis County are 2 inch margins at the top of the first page with .5 margins on all other sides. All other pages must have .5 inch margins on all sides. Your lien claim should be filed on Letter size 8.5 x 11 inch paper. Not following these margin and paper size requirements may invalidate your lien claim.

The Ellis County Clerk accepts cash, check, money order, cashiers check or credit card. Note that credit card charges have a 4% convenience fee added to the overall total.

The Ellis County Clerk’s recording fee is $26.00 for the first page and $4.00 for each additional page.

You can obtain a recorded copy of your lien in person at the Ellis County Clerk’s office located at:

109 S Jackson St.
Second Floor / Ground Floor
Waxahachie, TX 75165
P.O. Box 250
Waxahachie, TX 75168

Phone: 972-825-5070
Fax: 972-825-5075

Hours
Monday – Friday
8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Most official public records are open to the public.

You can get the property’s legal description from the Ellis County Clerk’s office in person.

You can also search for property legal descriptions online with the Ellis Central Appraisal District.

Determining if you have the right to file a lien in Ellis County, Texas can be complicated. Texas has one of the most complex lien laws in the U.S. and filing a lien in Ellis is no different. Generally, construction contractors who

1) furnish labor or materials
2) send all required documents before filing a lien, such as monthly notices
3) if a homestead, have a proper written contract
4) and meet any state deadlines and fees for your lien claim.

You can learn more about Mechanics Liens in Texas and more specific requirements for filing a lien overall in our step by step guide.

Yes, you will need to have sent a Texas Preliminary Notice (monthly notices) to be able to file a lien in Ellis County, TX. Not sending the correct Texas Monthly Notice may result in an invalid lien claim at the time of filing with the Ellis County Recorder / Assessor.