How long a lien stays on your property in New York depends on which kind of lien you’re dealing with. A mechanic’s lien expires after one year. A judgment lien lasts ten years and can be renewed for another ten. Condominium common charge liens run six years. Federal tax liens generally run ten years from assessment, New York State tax warrants run twenty, and property tax liens and child support liens have no expiration date at all. The rules for extending, renewing, and clearing each type are different, so the specific lien on your title determines everything.
Mechanic’s Liens: One Year
A contractor, subcontractor, or supplier who wasn’t paid for work on your property can file a mechanic’s lien with the county clerk. Under New York Lien Law § 17, that lien lasts one year from the filing date.1New York State Senate. New York Code Lien Law 17 – Duration of Lien If the lienor doesn’t act within that year, the lien expires on its own.
Extensions are possible but limited. For most properties, the lienor can file an extension with the county clerk before the year runs out and buy one more year. For single-family homes, that shortcut isn’t available; the lienor has to get a court order. After that first extension, any further continuation requires a new court order, and the statute caps these at one year per order for up to two successive years.1New York State Senate. New York Code Lien Law 17 – Duration of Lien In practice, the lienor usually has to start a foreclosure lawsuit inside that window or lose the lien.
One route keeps the lien alive longer. If the lienor files a foreclosure action and records a notice of pendency (lis pendens) against the property, the lien stays active for as long as the lawsuit is pending. Cancel the notice of pendency, and the lien goes with it.
Judgment Liens: Ten Years, Renewable
When a creditor wins a money judgment against you and dockets it with the county clerk, the judgment becomes a lien on any real property you own in that county. Under CPLR § 5203, the lien lasts ten years from the date the judgment roll is filed.2New York State Senate. New York Code CPLR 5203 – Priorities and Liens Upon Real Property The creditor can also docket the judgment in other counties by filing a transcript, creating liens on property you own there.3New York State Senate. New York Code CVP 5018 – Docketing of Judgment
Renewal Adds Another Ten Years
Under CPLR § 5014, a creditor can bring a renewal action during the last year of the original ten-year period. The court enters a renewal judgment, and a fresh ten-year lien takes effect the moment the original one expires.4New York State Senate. New York Civil Practice Law and Rules 5014 – Action Upon Judgment A determined creditor can keep a lien on your property for twenty years or more this way.
CPLR § 5203(b) also allows a narrow extension of the original lien past ten years in two situations: when the creditor was legally stayed from enforcing the judgment for part of that time, or when the creditor needs more time to finish a property sale that was already underway before the ten years expired.2New York State Senate. New York Code CPLR 5203 – Priorities and Liens Upon Real Property Outside those, renewal under § 5014 is the only route.
Interest Keeps Growing
Interest accrues on the unpaid balance while the lien sits on your property. For most judgments the statutory rate is 9% per year. For consumer debts, including credit cards, medical bills, and personal loans, the rate is 2% per year, and that lower rate applies retroactively to unpaid balances on older consumer debt judgments entered before April 30, 2022.5New York State Senate. New York Civil Practice Law and Rules Law 5004 – Rate of Interest Mortgage foreclosure judgments stay at 9%.
Property Tax Liens: No Expiration
Fall behind on local property taxes and the municipality has a lien on your property for the unpaid amount. There is no fixed expiration date. The lien remains until the taxes are paid or the municipality forecloses through a proceeding in rem under Real Property Tax Law § 1120.6New York State Senate. New York Code RPT 1120 – Foreclosure by Proceeding in Rem The timeline varies by municipality, and property tax liens also jump ahead of almost every other lien in the priority line, so an unpaid tax lien can wipe out junior mortgage and judgment lienholders in a tax sale.
Federal Tax Liens: Ten Years From Assessment
A federal tax lien arises automatically when the IRS assesses tax you owe. Under 26 U.S.C. § 6322, the lien continues until the liability is fully satisfied or becomes unenforceable due to time.7Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 6322 – Period of Lien The time limit itself comes from 26 U.S.C. § 6502, which gives the IRS ten years from the date of assessment to collect by levy or by court proceeding.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 U.S. Code 6502 – Collection After Assessment
That ten-year clock can be pushed out. Entering an installment agreement can extend the collection period when the IRS and taxpayer agree in writing, and the statute keeps running for 89 days after the agreed-upon date.9eCFR. 26 CFR 301.6502-1 – Collection After Assessment If the IRS files a lawsuit to collect within the ten-year window, the collection period extends until the resulting judgment is satisfied, which can keep the lien alive indefinitely.
Once the liability is paid or becomes legally unenforceable, the IRS must release the lien within 30 days. It also has to release the lien if you post a bond covering the amount owed.10Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 6325 – Release of Lien
New York State Tax Warrants: Twenty Years
If you owe back taxes to New York State, the Department of Taxation and Finance can file a tax warrant, which acts as a lien on your real property. Under Tax Law § 174-b, the state has 20 years from the first date a warrant could have been filed to collect the debt, and that clock starts even if the warrant hasn’t actually been filed yet.11New York State Senate. New York Tax Law 174-B – Limitation on the Time to Collect Tax Liabilities After 20 years, the liability is extinguished.
The “first date a warrant could be filed” is the day after the last day specified for payment in the notice and demand, assuming no right to a hearing exists. If you did have a right to a hearing, the clock starts once that hearing opportunity has been exhausted. Either way, the 20-year period runs from when the state could have acted, not from when it actually did.
Condominium Common Charge Liens: Six Years
Fall behind on common charges as a condo owner in New York, and the board of managers can file a lien against your unit. Under Real Property Law § 339-aa, the lien expires six years from the filing date or when all amounts owed (including interest) are paid, whichever comes first.12New York State Senate. New York Real Property Law 339-AA – Lien for Common Charges The board can foreclose in the same way a mortgage lender forecloses.
A 2025 amendment added protections for unit owners. The board cannot file the lien until unpaid charges are at least 60 days overdue. Before starting a foreclosure action, the board also has to send written notice to the unit owner at least 90 days in advance, in 14-point type, stating the specific amount owed and the intent to foreclose.12New York State Senate. New York Real Property Law 339-AA – Lien for Common Charges Skipping that notice gets the foreclosure dismissed.
Child Support Liens: No Expiration
Past-due child support can also become a lien on your property. Under New York Lien Law § 65, a lien may be filed against your real estate once your support arrears equal or exceed four months’ worth of court-ordered payments.13New York State Senate. New York Consolidated Laws, Lien Law – LIE 65 – Arrears/Past Due Support The lien covers the full unpaid amount, including any retroactive support once the four-month threshold is met.
There is no expiration date on a child support lien. It stays on the property until every dollar of past-due support is paid. It also cannot be removed through bankruptcy; federal law specifically exempts domestic support obligations from lien avoidance under 11 U.S.C. § 522(f).14Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 11 USC 522 – Exemptions
Removing a Lien Before It Expires
Waiting out a lien is one option. Getting it off the record faster usually takes one of three routes: paying, bonding, or bankruptcy.
Payoff and Discharge
Paying the underlying debt is the direct route, but the paperwork doesn’t happen on its own. For a mechanic’s lien, Lien Law § 19 lets you get a discharge by having the lienor file a signed certificate of satisfaction with the county clerk. If the lienor won’t cooperate, the lien can be discharged by court order when the lienor neglects to prosecute it, or it simply dies when the one-year window closes without foreclosure or a continuation.15New York State Senate. New York Lien Law 19 – Discharge of Lien for Private Improvement
For a judgment lien, the creditor has to file a satisfaction piece with the court clerk once the debt is paid, acknowledged in the same form required for recording a deed. The clerk then enters satisfaction on the judgment docket.16New York State Senate. New York Code 5020 – Satisfaction-Piece If the creditor refuses after receiving full payment, CPLR § 5021 lets you ask the court to order the clerk to enter satisfaction.17New York State Senate. New York Code CPLR 5021 – Entry of Satisfaction A creditor who fails to file within 20 days of full payment faces a penalty of $100 for judgments under $5,000 and $500 for judgments of $5,000 or more.
Bonding Off a Mechanic’s Lien
You don’t have to wait for a mechanic’s lien to expire to sell or refinance. By posting a surety bond equal to 110% of the lien amount, the lien shifts from the property to the bond, and the underlying dispute continues separately.15New York State Senate. New York Lien Law 19 – Discharge of Lien for Private Improvement
Avoiding a Judicial Lien in Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy doesn’t automatically erase liens, but 11 U.S.C. § 522(f) lets you file a motion to avoid a judicial lien to the extent it impairs your homestead exemption.14Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 11 USC 522 – Exemptions Subtract all senior liens (such as mortgages) from the property’s fair market value; if the remaining equity is less than your homestead exemption, the judicial lien can be avoided in whole or in part.
New York’s homestead exemption varies by county. It’s $150,000 in New York City, Nassau, Suffolk, Rockland, Westchester, and Putnam counties; $125,000 in Dutchess, Albany, Columbia, Orange, Saratoga, and Ulster counties; and $75,000 in all other counties.18New York State Senate. New York Civil Practice Law and Rules Law 5206 – Real Property Exemption Two limits: liens for unpaid child support or alimony can never be avoided in bankruptcy, and you must have owned the property before the judicial lien attached.
One practical note about all of these liens, whatever the expiration rule: while any lien is on the record, a title search will show it, and most buyers and lenders won’t close until it’s cleared. Even a lien with only weeks left to run can hold up a sale.