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How long does a mechanic's lien last in South Carolina?

Anonymous Contractor

Had zlien file a notice of intent to file mechanics lien. Person never paid me so I filed a mechanic's lien in Florence, SC in amount of $915 owed to me in regards to swimming pool service work done. ( didn't includes zlien fee, notary fee or recording fee) I looked on Florence county website and it said lien was valid from 1/1/1984 thru 8/3/2018. I filed lien 7/2/2018. Why did this automatically expire after 30 days? Thank you.

3 replies

Matt Viator

Construction Lawyer

Levelset Admin at Levelset

| 998 reviews

Aug 9, 2018

I'm sorry to hear that you haven't yet been paid. While I'm unsure of what county site would show a lien was valid from 1984 to 2018, there are generally two deadlines to pay attention to when a lien claim is filed: the deadline to file a mechanics lien, and the deadline to enforce that lien. If a lien is filed but not enforced before the enforcement deadline, that lien will no longer be effective. In South Carolina, a claimant who has filed a mechanics lien will have 6 months from the last day on which the claimant furnished labor and/or materials to the project to enforce their lien. There is some case law suggesting that an action to enforce a lien must be initiated within 6 months from when the lien was filed, but the safest option to enforce is the earlier of the two potential deadlines. Anyway, because a South Carolina mechanics lien may be filed up to 90 days after the last furnishing of labor, a situation where a claimant only has a few months to enforce their lien is certainly possible. Further, it's also possible that a South Carolina lien could be released after the lien was bonded off by some interested party. However, it's unclear why a South Carolina mechanics lien would automatically expire after just 30 days, and the alleged time for the lien's validity (1/1/1984 - 8/3/2018, a period of over 30 years) seems unlikely.

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June Burton

Feb 5, 2021

When the magistrate court has a auction from a mechanic Lien and only$ 100.00 is bid on it do you have to sale when the amount owed is greater

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Susan Bates

Apr 14, 2021

I had electric work done on my home in Lancaster County. In 2019 the electrician filed a mechanics lien but did not have it enforced, and his work was found to be in violation with the state and he was fined. How do I get this lien removed from my house?

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