Ever since its passage last summer, North Carolina’s so-called “lien agent statute” has caused much consternation throughout the commercial construction industry, with many contractors, subs and suppliers worried that it will be inconvenient and expensive for them to comply with the statute’s various requirements (which I’ll be discussing in detail as my “Lien & Bond Law Revolution” series continues in the weeks ahead). The title insurance industry, however, has tried to assure leery potential lien claimants that an online application will make filing preliminary lien notices convenient and inexpensive.This week, we’ll get down to where the rubber meets the road on that assurance. Continue reading
Tag Archives: revisions nc lien law
Will QR Code Technology Provide Contractors Quick Relief in Filing Preliminary Lien Notices?
Filed under Events, Lien Law, State law, policy & news, Subcontractors
Why I Support Limiting North Carolina’s Lien Agent Statute to Residential Construction Projects
Photo Credit: Marietta Daily Journal
This afternoon I attended the first lien law “Stakeholders’ Meeting” of the North Carolina General Assembly’s 2013 Regular Session. The purpose of today’s meeting was to give folks in support of and opposition to proposed legislation that would limit the state’s new lien agent notice requirements to one- and two-family dwelling units 30 minutes per side to argue their respective cases.
I spent just under ten minutes of the “pro” side’s time making an argument that I’ve memorialized in the letter attached, below. To read a larger version of the letter, click the expand button in the lower right-hand corner of the Scribd application.
This issue is still very much ripe for discussion, and so I invite and value your comments.
Filed under Lien Law, State law, policy & news
N.C. Liens/Bonds, They Are A-Changin’ Part I: “Perfecting” Liens Under the New Regime
As 2012 draws to a close — faster than many of us can believe — the dawn of a new era under North Carolina’s mechanic’s lien and bond statutes quickly approaches. And that means it’s high time for me to end my brief blogging hiatus with a series dedicated to helping construction industry participants throughout the state understand the changes that are rapidly coming down the pike.
By way of brief recap, legislation protecting general contractors from double payment liability on public projects and legislation protecting title insurers from “hidden liens” on private projects made splashy headlines this past summer. I’ll be delving into the nuts and bolts of those significant changes as this series continues. This post, however, is dedicated to addressing a less-publicized, but no less substantial, alteration to the lien law that every potential lien claimant will need to bear in mind in 2013, and beyond: the process by which lien rights are “perfected.”
Filed under Feature story, Lien Law, State law, policy & news
N.C. Construction Law, Policy & News 