A Roofer’s Lien in Kentucky: 6 Months, 7 Days, 12 Months

Central Roof Repair · Kentucky Law & Your Roof

A Kentucky mechanic’s lien is the legal claim a roofer, a supplier or a subcontractor can put on your house if a roof job goes unpaid. Three deadlines control it — six months to file, seven days to mail you a copy, twelve months to sue — and missing any one of them dissolves the lien entirely. We publish this because a homeowner who understands the clock is a homeowner who cannot be bluffed by one.

These rules cut both ways, and we would rather you heard them from us than from a lien statement in the mail. They are in KRS Chapter 376, published by the Kentucky Legislative Research Commission.

Who can put a lien on a Kentucky house for roof work?

Anyone who performed labor or furnished materials for repairing or altering the structure, under contract with — or the written consent of — the owner, lessee, contractor, subcontractor, architect or authorized agent.

KRS 376.010(1)(a) grants that lien on the improvement and on the land it sits on, or on whatever interest the owner or lessee holds, securing the amount with interest under KRS 360.040 plus costs. Note how wide the authorizing list is: your general contractor’s written consent can create a lien right for a supplier you never met.

Subsection (1)(c) adds the piece that matters to lenders: the lien is superior to any mortgage or encumbrance created after the labor began or the materials were furnished, and when asserted properly it “shall relate back and take effect from the time of the commencement of the labor or the furnishing of the materials.” The lien’s priority date is the day work started — not the day it was filed.

How long does a roofer have to file the lien?

Six months. The lien is dissolved unless the claimant files a sworn statement with the county clerk within six months after ceasing to labor or furnish materials.

KRS 376.080(1) requires the statement to be filed in the office of the county clerk of the county where the building is situated, and to contain the amount due with all just credits and set-offs known to the claimant, a description of the property accurate enough to identify it, the owner’s name if known, and whether the work was done by contract with the owner or with a contractor or subcontractor. It must be subscribed and sworn to. If the claimant is a corporation, the statement must give the address of the corporation’s process agent or another address where service of process can be accomplished.

Does the claimant have to tell me they filed?

Yes, within seven days, by regular mail, to your last known address. If that copy is not sent, the lien is dissolved — this is the most commonly blown step in the whole process.

The last sentences of KRS 376.080(1) are worth quoting: the claimant “shall send by regular mail a copy of the statement to the property owner at his last known address within seven (7) days of filing the statement with the county clerk,” and “any lien provided for in KRS 376.010 shall be dissolved if a copy of the statement is not sent to the property owner as provided in this subsection.” Under subsection (2) the county clerk endorses the filing date on each statement and keeps an indexed abstract of it, which is how you confirm the date the seven days ran from.

What if the roofer never contracted with me directly?

Then a written pre-lien notice is required first: within 75 days on claims under $1,000, or 120 days on claims over $1,000, after the last labor or material was furnished.

KRS 376.010(4)(a) states that a person who has not contracted directly with the owner, the owner’s agent, or the lessee where applicable, “shall not acquire a lien under this section unless he or she notifies, in writing, the owner of the property to be held liable, the owner’s authorized agent, or the lessee, if applicable, within seventy-five (75) days on claims amounting to less than one thousand dollars ($1,000) and one hundred twenty (120) days on claims in excess of one thousand dollars ($1,000) after the last item of material or labor is furnished,” stating the intention to hold the property liable and the amount claimed. Subsection (4)(b) makes it sufficient to prove the notice was mailed to the owner’s last known address, or to the owner’s duly authorized agent within the county.

That distinction is why it is worth knowing who is actually on your roof. A crew working as a subcontractor of someone else has a longer notice path to walk than the company you signed with — and a reason to walk it. Verifying who you hired, and that they carry coverage, is the same question from a different angle: see what a Kentucky roofing contractor license actually is and how to verify a roofer’s workers’ comp coverage.

My tenant hired the roofer. Is my property still at risk?

Not automatically. A lessee is not deemed the owner’s authorized agent unless the owner designated the lessee in writing as agent for entering that contract.

KRS 376.010(1)(b) is specific: where improvements are made pursuant to an agreement with a lessee, “the lessee shall not be deemed the authorized agent of the owner unless the owner has designated the lessee, in writing, as the owner’s agent for purposes of entering into the agreement or contract.” But read subsection (3)(a) alongside it — where improvements are made by a lessee in accordance with an agreement between the lessee and the lessor, the lien “shall also extend to the interest of the lessor.” And under (3)(b), if a lease expressly provides that the lessor’s interest is not subject to liens for the lessee’s improvements, the lessee must tell the contractor so; a knowing or willing failure to give that notice makes the lessee’s contract with the contractor voidable at the contractor’s option. If you own a Kentucky rental, who repairs a roof leak in a Kentucky rental is the companion question.

How long can a filed lien sit on my title?

Twelve months from the filing date. The lien is deemed dissolved unless an action to enforce it is brought within twelve months from the day the statement was filed in the clerk’s office.

That is KRS 376.090(1), which also provides that if the debtor dies before that period expires, a further six months from the qualification of the personal representative is allowed. Subsection (2) explains the stakes from the other side: a lienholder who complies with KRS 376.080 and with subsection (1) within the fixed time has a lien “valid and effectual against any creditor of, or bona fide or other purchaser from, the owner of the property.” KRS 376.090 has been effective since October 1, 1942. An enforcement action is a civil suit in the Kentucky court system, whose Circuit and District court directory is published by the Kentucky Court of Justice.

What we do about it on our own jobs

Speaking generally about how roofing work gets papered rather than about any particular customer: the lien statutes are a remedy for non-payment, and the honest way to use them is to make them unnecessary. That means a written scope before the tear-off, a change order in writing when the deck turns out worse than the estimate assumed, and an invoice that names the materials actually installed. Most lien disputes we have seen described in this trade are not really about money — they are about a scope nobody wrote down, discovered after the shingles were off, when the homeowner and the crew had different pictures in their heads. The patch-versus-replace decision is where that usually starts: patching versus reroofing. If a claim is involved, the clocks stack — see Kentucky insurance claim deadlines on a roof. This is general information about published Kentucky statutes, not legal advice; a lien on your home is a reason to call an attorney.

Can a lien be removed before the twelve months run?

KRS 376.100 is titled “Release of lien by execution of bond,” so Kentucky law does provide a bond mechanism. The procedure and whether it fits your situation is a question for your attorney and the county clerk where the statement was filed.

Does paying my contractor in full protect me?

Not by itself. KRS 376.010(1)(a) grants lien rights to anyone who furnished labor or materials under contract with, or the written consent of, the contractor or a subcontractor — so a supplier your contractor did not pay may still hold a claim. KRS 376.070 is titled “Contractor or architect to apply payments to claims,” which addresses that duty. Ask for lien waivers from the people your contractor paid.

Where do I check whether a lien has actually been filed?

The county clerk’s office in the county where the building is situated. KRS 376.080(1) requires filing there, and subsection (2) requires the clerk to endorse the filing date and maintain an indexed abstract containing the date of filing, the name of the person seeking to enforce the lien, and the amount claimed.

Last updated: October 19, 2026. Statute sections read October 19, 2026.

Disclosure: Central Roof Repair is owned by Marcos Gil.

By Central Roof Repair · Call or text (859) 310-1209.