North Carolina General Statutes Chapter 44A Statutory Liens and Charges

Article 1 - Possessory Liens on Personal Property.

N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-1. Definitions
As used in this Article: (1) "Legal possessor" means a. Any person entrusted with possession of personal property by an owner thereof, or b....
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-2. Persons entitled to lien on personal property
(a) Any person who tows, alters, repairs, stores, services, treats, or improves personal property other than a motor vehicle or an aircraft in the...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-3. When lien arises and terminates
Liens conferred under this Article arise only when the lienor acquires possession of the property and terminate and become unenforceable when the lienor voluntarily...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-4. Enforcement of lien by sale
(a) Enforcement by Sale. - If the charges for which the lien is claimed under this Article remain unpaid or unsatisfied for 30 days...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-5. Proceeds of sale
The proceeds of the sale shall be applied as follows: (1) Payment of reasonable expenses incurred in connection with the sale. Expenses of sale...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-6. Title of purchaser
A purchaser for value at a properly conducted sale, and a purchaser for value without constructive notice of a defect in the sale, whether...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-6.1. Action to regain possession of a motor vehicle or vessel
(a) When the lienor involuntarily relinquishes possession of the property and the property upon which the lien is claimed is a motor vehicle or...

Article 2 - Statutory Liens on Real Property.

N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-7. Definitions
Unless the context otherwise requires, the following definitions apply in this Article: (1) Contractor. - A person who contracts with an owner to improve...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-8. Mechanics', laborers', and materialmen's lien; persons entitled to claim of lien on real property
Any person who performs or furnishes labor or professional design or surveying services or furnishes materials or furnishes rental equipment pursuant to a contract,...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-9. Extent of claim of lien on real property
A claim of lien on real property authorized under this Article shall extend to the improvement and to the lot or tract on which...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-10. Effective date of claim of lien on real property
A claim of lien on real property granted by this Article shall relate to and take effect from the time of the first furnishing...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-11. Perfecting claim of lien on real property
(a) Perfection. - A claim of lien on real property granted by this Article shall be perfected as of the time provided in G.S....
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-11.1. Lien agent; designation and duties
(a) With regard to any improvements to real property to which this Article is applicable for which the costs of the undertaking are thirty...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-11.2. Identification of lien agent; notice to lien agent; effect of notice
(a) As used in this section, the term "contact information" shall mean the name, physical and mailing address, telephone number, facsimile number, and electronic...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-12. Filing claim of lien on real property
(a) Place of Filing. - All claims of lien on real property must be filed in the office of the clerk of superior court...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-12.1. No docketing of lien unless authorized by statute
(a) The clerk of superior court shall not index, docket, or record a claim of lien on real property or other document purporting to...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-13. Action to enforce claim of lien on real property
(a) Where and When Action Commenced. - An action to enforce a claim of lien on real property may be commenced in any county...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-14. Sale of property in satisfaction of judgment enforcing claim of lien on real property or upon order prior to judgment; distribution of proceeds
(a) Execution Sale; Effect of Sale. - Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, sales under this Article and distribution of proceeds...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-15. Attachment available to lien claimant
In addition to other grounds for attachment, in all cases where the owner removes or attempts or threatens to remove an improvement from real...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-16. Discharge of record claim of lien on real property
(a) Any claim of lien on real property filed under this Article may be discharged by any of the following methods: (1) The lien...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-17. Repealed by Session Laws 2012-175, s. 5, effective January 1, 2013
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-18. Grant of lien upon funds; subrogation; perfection
(a) A first tier subcontractor who furnished labor, materials, or rental equipment at the site of the improvement shall have a lien upon funds...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-19. Notice of claim of lien upon funds
(a) Notice of a claim of lien upon funds shall set forth all of the following information: (1) The name and address of the...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-20. Duties and liability of obligor
(a) Upon receipt of the notice of claim of lien upon funds provided for in this Article, the obligor shall be under a duty...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-21. Pro rata payments
(a) Where the obligor is a contractor or subcontractor and the funds in the hands of the obligor and the obligor's personal liability, if...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-22. Priority of liens upon funds
Liens upon funds perfected under this Article have priority over all other interests or claims theretofore or thereafter created or suffered in the funds...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-23. Contractor's claim of lien on real property; perfection of subrogation rights of subcontractor
(a) First tier subcontractor. - A first tier subcontractor may, to the extent of its claim, enforce the claim of lien on real property...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-24. False statement a misdemeanor and grounds for disciplinary action against a licensed contractor or qualifying party
If any contractor or other person receiving payment from an obligor for an improvement to real property or from a purchaser for a conveyance...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-24.1. Short title
This Part shall be known and may be cited as the "Commercial Real Estate Broker Lien Act." (2011-165, s. 1.)
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-24.2. Definitions
The following definitions apply in this Part: (1) Broker. - A real estate broker licensed pursuant to Chapter 93A of the General Statutes. (2)...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-24.3. Commercial real estate lien
(a) A broker shall have a lien upon commercial real estate in the amount that the broker is due under a written agreement for...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-24.4. When lien attaches to commercial real estate
A lien authorized by this Part attaches to the commercial real estate only when the lien claimant files a timely notice of the lien...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-24.5. Lien notice; content
(a) A lien notice under this Part shall be signed by the lien claimant and shall contain an attestation by the lien claimant that...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-24.6. When lien claim release or satisfaction to be filed
If a claim for a lien has been filed with the clerk of superior court and a condition occurs that would preclude the lien...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-24.7. Lien claimant to mail copy of notice of lien to owner by certified mail
Any lien claimant who files a lien on commercial real estate pursuant to the provisions of this Part shall mail a copy of the...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-24.8. Enforcing lien
A lien claimant may bring suit to enforce a lien which attaches pursuant to the provisions of this Part in any court of competent...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-24.9. Complaint; content; parties' foreclosure action; procedure
(a) A complaint filed pursuant to the provisions of this section and G.S. 44A-24.8 shall contain all of the following: (1) A statement of...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-24.10. Lien extinguished for lien claimant failing to file suit or answer in pending suit within 30 days after service on owner
If a lien claimant fails to file a suit to enforce the lien or fails to file an answer in a pending suit to...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-24.11. Satisfaction or release of lien
If a claim for a lien has been filed pursuant to the provisions of this Part with the clerk of superior court and the...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-24.12. Cost of proceeding to be paid by nonprevailing party
The costs of any proceeding brought to enforce a lien filed pursuant to this Part, including reasonable attorneys' fees and prejudgment interest due to...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-24.13. Discharge of lien
(a) Unless an alternative procedure is available and is acceptable to the transferee in a real estate transaction, any claim of lien on commercial...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-24.14. Priority of lien under this Part
Any claim of lien on real property or claim of lien on funds allowed under Part 1 or Part 2 of this Article shall...

Article 3 - Model Payment and Performance Bond.

N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-25. Definitions
Unless the context otherwise requires in this Article: (1) "Claimant" includes any individual, firm, partnership, association or corporation entitled to maintain an action on...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-26. Bonds required
(a) When the total amount of construction contracts awarded for any one project exceeds three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000), a performance and payment bond...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-27. Actions on payment bonds; service of notice
(a) Subject to the provision of subsection (b) hereof, any claimant who has performed labor or furnished materials in the prosecution of the work...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-28. Actions on payment bonds; venue and limitations
(a) Every action on a payment bond as provided in G.S. 44A-27 shall be brought in a court of appropriate jurisdiction in a county...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-29. Limitation of liability of a surety
No surety shall be liable under a payment bond for a total amount greater than the face amount of the payment bond. A judgment...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-30. Variance of liability; contents of bond
(a) No act of or agreement between a contracting body, a contractor or a surety shall reduce the period of time for giving notice...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-31. Certified copy of bond and contract
(a) Any person entitled to bring an action or any defendant in an action on a payment bond shall have a right to require...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-32. Designation of official; violation a misdemeanor
Each contracting body shall designate an official thereof to require the bonds described by this Article. If the official so designated shall fail to...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-33. Form
(a) A performance bond form containing the following provisions shall comply with this Article: the date the bond is executed; the name of the...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-34. Construction of Article
The addition of this Article shall not be construed as making the provisions of Articles 1 and 2 of Chapter 44A of the General...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-35. Attorneys' fees
In any suit brought or defended under the provisions of Article 2 or Article 3 of this Chapter, the presiding judge may allow a...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-36 through 44A-39. Reserved for future codification purposes

Article 4 - Self-Service Storage Facilities.

N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-40. Definitions
As used in this Article, unless the context clearly requires otherwise: (1) "E-mail" or "electronic mail" means an electronic message or an executable program...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-41. Self-service storage facility owner entitled to lien
The owner of a self-service storage facility has a lien upon all personal property stored at the facility for rent, expenses necessary for the...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-42. When self-service storage facility lien arises and terminates
The lien conferred under this Article arises only when the owner acquires possession of the property stored in the self-service storage facility; and it...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-43. Enforcement of self-service storage facility lien
(a) If the rent and other charges for which the lien is claimed under this Article remain unpaid or unsatisfied for 15 days following...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-44. Right of redemption; good faith purchaser's right; disposition of proceeds; lienor's liability
(a) Before the sale authorized by G.S. 44A-43, or other disposition of the property, the occupant may pay the amount necessary to satisfy the...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-44.1. Possession vested in occupant
Unless the rental agreement specifically provides otherwise, the exclusive care, custody, and control of all personal property stored in a storage space at a...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-45. Article is supplemental to lien created by contract
Nothing in this Article shall be construed as in any manner impairing or affecting the right of parties to create liens by contract or...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-46. Application
All rental agreements entered into before September 1, 1982, and not extended or renewed after that date, and the rights and duties and interests...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-47. Reserved for future codification purposes
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-48. Reserved for future codification purposes
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-49. Reserved for future codification purposes

Article 5 - Aircraft Labor and Storage Liens.

N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-50. Definitions
As used in this Article, the following terms mean: (1) Aircraft. - As the term is defined in G.S. 63-1(3), or any engine, part,...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-55. Persons entitled to a lien on an aircraft
Any person who has expended labor, skill, or materials on an aircraft or has furnished storage for an aircraft at the request of its...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-60. Notice of lien on an aircraft
(a) The lien under G.S. 44A-55 expires 120 days after the date the lienor voluntarily surrenders possession of the aircraft, unless the lienor, prior...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-65. Notice of lien filed by the clerk of court
Upon presentation of a notice of lien pursuant to this Article, the clerk of court shall file the notice of lien and shall index...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-70. Priority of a lien on an aircraft
The lien under this Article shall have priority over perfected and unperfected security interests. (2006-222, s. 1.1.)
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-75. Termination of a lien on an aircraft
(a) Termination by Payment of Amount Owed. - Any lien under this Article shall be terminated upon receipt by the lienor of the full...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-80. Fees
The clerk of court shall collect fees for filing, copying, and certifying any document under this Article as set forth in G.S. 7A-308. (2006-222,...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-85. Enforcement of lien by sale
A lien filed under this Article may be enforced in accordance with G.S. 44A-4, and the proceeds of sale shall be applied as set...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-90. Title of purchaser
(a) A purchaser for value at a properly conducted sale under this Article, and a purchaser for value without constructive notice of a defect...

Last modified: March 23, 2014