Contract With Subcontractor

Last updated on February 20, 2026

If you are a sub-subcontractor with a written contract with the subcontractor in Massachusetts, securing your payment through a mechanic’s lien requires careful and timely execution. A skilled attorney can guide you through this complex process.

To protect your rights, you must:

1. Mail your Notice of Contract to the general contractor by certified mail, return receipt requested, within 30 days after you start work or even before. We recommend that you also mail a copy to the owner and the subcontractor.
2. Timely record your Notice of Contract at the appropriate Registry of Deeds (“Registry”) after the signing of your written contract, before or after the completion date stated in your written contract, regardless of whether you finished the work. Upon recording, you must also mail a copy of the recorded Notice of Contract to the owner by certified mail, return receipt requested. You should also give notice to the sub and general contractor.
3. Timely record your Statement of Account at the appropriate registry of deeds and send a copy by certified mail, return receipt requested, to the owner, general contractor and subcontractor.
4. Within the time set forth in the statute, you must sue in the appropriate court.
5. Within 30 days after you sue, you must record an attested copy of the complaint at the registry.

The Law Offices of Alan M. Cohen & Associates LLC can help create and send your Notice of Contract and other required notices on your behalf, ensuring all filings are done accurately and within strict deadlines. From our office in Framingham, we serve Greater Boston and all of Massachusetts.

Although complicated, when properly used, Massachusetts mechanics’ liens can help you get paid for your product, service or equipment.

This law creates several other pitfalls, which is why the guidance of experienced mechanics’ liens lawyers at the Law Offices of Alan M. Cohen & Associates LLC is crucial.

To learn more about how the Massachusetts mechanic’s lien law can help you collect your commercial debts, call 508-763-6604 or send us an email.