Montgomery County Recorder Mechanics Lien Filing

You can file your mechanic liens in person at the Montgomery County Recorder’s Office located at:

451 W. Third St.
Dayton, OH 45422-1387

Phone: (937) 225-4275
Fax: (937) 225-5980

Office Hours:
8 am – 5 pm
Monday – Friday

Documents may be recorded between 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.

The Montgomery County Recorder’s Office does not publicly disclose information on recording backlog. However, note that the county’s document turnaround time is one day. Day one, the document is cashiered, scanned, entered into the system, verified and then mailed the next day.

If your construction project is located in Montgomery County, then yes, you should file your lien here.

The Montgomery County Recorder’s Office follows the requirements set by Ohio state law. They are as follows:

1. A legal description of the property to be liened is mandatory. The legal description can be obtained from the Montgomery County Recorder’s Office.
2. Include detailed information about yourself, your employer, and the property owner. Providing inaccurate information at this stage could
render your lien invalid.
3. Simply include your full name and address.
4. Provide the first and last furnishing dates. The first furnishing date refers to the first day that work began, and the last furnishing date referes to
the last date that work took place.
5. Be careful when calculating the cost of the lien. Overestimating your lien’s cost results in fines and other penalties.

For non-residential projects, you have 75 days after the last furnishing date to file your mechanics lien in Ohio. For residential projects, you only have 60.

The Montgomery County Recorder’s Office document standardization guidelines are as follows:

1. Liens must be printed no 8.5 x 11 or 8.5 x 14 size paper.
2. The font size must be at least 10 point, and only blue or black ink is permitted.
3. Highlighting is prohibited. The font used may be Times New Roman, Helvetica, or Palatino.
4. The top of the first page should include a 3 inch margin. Each subsequent page should include a 1.5 inch margin on top
and a 1 inch margin on the sides and bottom.

Failure to meet these formatting standards results in a $20 fee.

The Montgomery County Recorder’s Office accepts check payments for recording fees.

The Montgomery County Recorder’s recording fees are as follows:

Recording Fees

Basic Recording Fees (deeds, mortgages, leases powers of attorney,
articles of incorporation, amendments, name changes of foreign corporations, mergers): $28.00 first 2 pages Effective October 17, 2019 recording fees will change to $34.00 for the first 2 pages.
$8.00 for each additional page

Marginal References: $4.00 (recordings prior to 1974)

Lien Fees

Federal liens: $5.00
Releases: $3.00

Copy Fees

Photocopies: $2.00 per page
Certified Copies: $ 2.00 per page + 1.00 for certification
Fax Copies: $2.00 per page local, $4.00 per page long distance

You can obtain a recorded copy of your lien in person at the Montgomery County Recorder’s Office located at:

451 W. Third St.
Dayton, OH 45422-1387

Phone: (937) 225-4275
Fax: (937) 225-5980

Office Hours:
8 am – 5 pm
Monday – Friday

Copy fees are as follows:

Photocopies: $2.00 per page
Certified Copies: $ 2.00 per page + 1.00 for certification
Fax Copies: $2.00 per page local, $4.00 per page long distance

For your convenience, computer terminals are located throughout the office for online access to most Montgomery County property information through the Recorder’s, Auditor’s and Treasurer’s records. Detailed instructions for accessing these records are posted at each terminal. Recorder’s screen: All online index information is available by inputting name to be searched. Auditor’s screen: Appraisal, assessment, and ownership information are available by inputting name, street address, or parcel ID number. Treasurer’s screen: Tax figures and payment information can be obtained by inputting taxpayer’s name, parcel ID number, or street address.

The Montgomery County Ohio Recorder’s Index can be accessed online here: http://public.mcrecorder.org/external/User/Login.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fexternal

You can get the property’s legal description from the Montgomery County Recorder’s Office in person.

You can search for Montgomery County’s records online at:
http://public.mcrecorder.org/external/User/Login.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fexternal

You can also search for property legal descriptions online with the Montgomery County Auditor at:
https://www.mcrealestate.org/Main/Home.aspx