InstaBidsInstaBids
Skip to content
InstaBids
Menu
Use your AIAdd InstaBids to your assistantHow InstaBids works
Use your AIStart my request

Why does your contractor's contract warn that unpaid suppliers could put a lien on your home?

Because some states require it. Minnesota and Wisconsin say a contractor who has contracted or will contract with any subcontractors shall include in any written contract with the owner the notice their statutes set out; Missouri requires a written notice prior to receiving payment. Each notice is quoted below in its own words.

Source: Minnesota Statutes section 514.011, Notice (2025 Minnesota Statutes, Office of the Revisor of Statutes), read 22 October 2026.
Source: Wisconsin Statutes section 779.02, Notice required to preserve lien rights (Wisconsin State Legislature), read 22 October 2026.
Source: Missouri Revised Statutes section 429.012 (Missouri Revisor of Statutes, version effective 1 January 2017), read 22 October 2026.

InstaBids is an AI-run marketplace for homeowners and property managers: describe a home job once, by chat or through your own AI assistant, add photos, and get multiple written quotes on the same scope, compared apples to apples, with no phone calls or home visits before you pick.

For homeowners.

By InstaBids editorial team with AI research agents. Sources read: 22 October 2026 Updated 2026-10-22

InstaBids assistantAI · builds your written scope with you

What home job do you need done in your home? Describe it once to start your written scope.

Start from a common job
You choose who gets your number
  1. Describe it onceBy chat, or through your own AI assistant, and add photos.
  2. Post it and send itContractors bid in writing on that scope.
  3. Compare line by lineEvery quote is written against the same scope.
  4. You chooseContact details stay hidden until you pick and they confirm.

Use with your AI

Add InstaBids to your assistant

Key facts

What does Minnesota's required contract notice say?

It says that any person or company supplying labor or materials for this improvement to your property may file a lien against your property if that person or company is not paid for the contributions. Minnesota Statutes section 514.011, subdivision 1, sets out who must give the notice and its full text, quoted below.

Source: Minnesota Statutes section 514.011, Notice (2025 Minnesota Statutes, Office of the Revisor of Statutes), read 22 October 2026.

Minnesota Statutes section 514.011, subdivision 1, read 22 October 2026, says: "Every person who enters into a contract with the owner for the improvement of real property and who has contracted or will contract with any subcontractors or material suppliers to provide labor, skill or materials for the improvement shall include in any written contract with the owner the notice required in this subdivision and shall provide the owner with a copy of the written contract."

Source: Minnesota Statutes section 514.011, Notice (2025 Minnesota Statutes, Office of the Revisor of Statutes), read 22 October 2026.

The notice's first part reads: "(a) Any person or company supplying labor or materials for this improvement to your property may file a lien against your property if that person or company is not paid for the contributions."

Source: Minnesota Statutes section 514.011, Notice (2025 Minnesota Statutes, Office of the Revisor of Statutes), read 22 October 2026.

Its second part reads: "(b) Under Minnesota law, you have the right to pay persons who supplied labor or materials for this improvement directly and deduct this amount from our contract price, or withhold the amounts due them from us until 120 days after completion of the improvement unless we give you a lien waiver signed by persons who supplied any labor or material for the improvement and who gave you timely notice."

Source: Minnesota Statutes section 514.011, Notice (2025 Minnesota Statutes, Office of the Revisor of Statutes), read 22 October 2026.

What does Wisconsin's contract notice tell an owner to expect?

It tells the owner that persons or companies performing, furnishing, or procuring labor, services, materials, plans, or specifications for the construction on owner's land may have lien rights on owner's land and buildings if not paid, and that the owner probably will receive notices from them. Wisconsin Statutes section 779.02(2)(a) is quoted below in its own words.

Source: Wisconsin Statutes section 779.02, Notice required to preserve lien rights (Wisconsin State Legislature), read 22 October 2026.

Wisconsin Statutes section 779.02(2)(a), read 22 October 2026, says: "Every prime contractor who enters into a contract with the owner for a work of improvement on the owner’s land and who has contracted or will contract with any subcontractors, suppliers, or service providers to perform, furnish, or procure labor, services, materials, plans, or specifications for the work of improvement shall include in any written contract with the owner the notice required by this paragraph, and shall provide the owner with a copy of the written contract."

Source: Wisconsin Statutes section 779.02, Notice required to preserve lien rights (Wisconsin State Legislature), read 22 October 2026.

The notice language begins: "As required by the Wisconsin construction lien law, claimant hereby notifies owner that persons or companies performing, furnishing, or procuring labor, services, materials, plans, or specifications for the construction on owner’s land may have lien rights on owner’s land and buildings if not paid."

Source: Wisconsin Statutes section 779.02, Notice required to preserve lien rights (Wisconsin State Legislature), read 22 October 2026.

It goes on: "Accordingly, owner probably will receive notices from those who perform, furnish, or procure labor, services, materials, plans, or specifications for the construction, and should give a copy of each notice received to the mortgage lender, if any."

Source: Wisconsin Statutes section 779.02, Notice required to preserve lien rights (Wisconsin State Legislature), read 22 October 2026.

It ends: "Claimant agrees to cooperate with the owner and the owner’s lender, if any, to see that all potential lien claimants are duly paid"

Source: Wisconsin Statutes section 779.02, Notice required to preserve lien rights (Wisconsin State Legislature), read 22 October 2026.

If a lien is filed anyway, section 779.02(6) says: "Where a lien is filed under this subchapter by any person other than the prime contractor, the prime contractor shall defend any action thereon at personal expense, and during the pendency of the action the owner may withhold from the prime contractor the amount for which the lien was filed and sufficient to defray the costs of the action."

Source: Wisconsin Statutes section 779.02, Notice required to preserve lien rights (Wisconsin State Legislature), read 22 October 2026.

When must a Missouri contractor give you its notice?

Prior to receiving payment in any form of any kind from such person, at one of the four points the statute lists. Missouri Revised Statutes section 429.012, subsection 1, names those points and the notice text, quoted below.

Source: Missouri Revised Statutes section 429.012 (Missouri Revisor of Statutes, version effective 1 January 2017), read 22 October 2026.

Section 429.012, subsection 1, read 22 October 2026, says every original contractor "shall provide to the person with whom the contract is made or to the owner if there is no contract, prior to receiving payment in any form of any kind from such person, (a) either at the time of the execution of the contract, (b) when the materials are delivered, (c) when the work is commenced, or (d) delivered with first invoice, a written notice which shall include the following disclosure language in ten-point bold type:"

Source: Missouri Revised Statutes section 429.012 (Missouri Revisor of Statutes, version effective 1 January 2017), read 22 October 2026.

Under the heading "NOTICE TO OWNER", the notice opens: "FAILURE OF THIS CONTRACTOR TO PAY THOSE PERSONS SUPPLYING MATERIAL OR SERVICES TO COMPLETE THIS CONTRACT CAN RESULT IN THE FILING OF A MECHANIC'S LIEN ON THE PROPERTY WHICH IS THE SUBJECT OF THIS CONTRACT PURSUANT TO CHAPTER 429, RSMO."

Source: Missouri Revised Statutes section 429.012 (Missouri Revisor of Statutes, version effective 1 January 2017), read 22 October 2026.

Its last sentence reads: "FAILURE TO SECURE LIEN WAIVERS MAY RESULT IN YOUR PAYING FOR LABOR AND MATERIAL TWICE."

Source: Missouri Revised Statutes section 429.012 (Missouri Revisor of Statutes, version effective 1 January 2017), read 22 October 2026.

Which jobs need a notice, and what if it is missing?

In our reading, the contractor puts its own lien rights at risk, not yours. Each of the three statutes has its own sentence on a missing notice, and all three are quoted below in their own words.

Source: Minnesota Statutes section 514.011, Notice (2025 Minnesota Statutes, Office of the Revisor of Statutes), read 22 October 2026.
Source: Wisconsin Statutes section 779.02, Notice required to preserve lien rights (Wisconsin State Legislature), read 22 October 2026.
Source: Missouri Revised Statutes section 429.012 (Missouri Revisor of Statutes, version effective 1 January 2017), read 22 October 2026.

Minnesota Statutes section 514.011, subdivision 1, says: "A person who fails to provide the notice shall not have the lien and remedy provided by this chapter."

Source: Minnesota Statutes section 514.011, Notice (2025 Minnesota Statutes, Office of the Revisor of Statutes), read 22 October 2026.

Wisconsin Statutes section 779.02(2)(c) says: "If any prime contractor required to give the notice prescribed in par. (a) fails to give notice as required, the prime contractor does not have the lien and remedy provided by this subchapter unless the prime contractor pays all of the prime contractor’s obligations to its subcontractors, suppliers, and service providers in respect to the work of improvement within the time periods under s. 779.06 and until the time for notice under par. (b) has elapsed and either none of its subcontractors, suppliers, or service providers gives notice as a lien claimant under par. (b) or all of its subcontractors, suppliers, and service providers have waived all lien rights in full under s. 779.05."

Source: Wisconsin Statutes section 779.02, Notice required to preserve lien rights (Wisconsin State Legislature), read 22 October 2026.

Missouri Revised Statutes section 429.012, subsection 2, says: "Compliance with subsection 1 of this section shall be a condition precedent to the creation, existence or validity of any mechanic's lien in favor of such original contractor."

Source: Missouri Revised Statutes section 429.012 (Missouri Revisor of Statutes, version effective 1 January 2017), read 22 October 2026.

No. Each statute lists cases where the notice is not required, and the ones that name homes or residences are quoted below.

Source: Minnesota Statutes section 514.011, Notice (2025 Minnesota Statutes, Office of the Revisor of Statutes), read 22 October 2026.
Source: Wisconsin Statutes section 779.02, Notice required to preserve lien rights (Wisconsin State Legislature), read 22 October 2026.
Source: Missouri Revised Statutes section 429.012 (Missouri Revisor of Statutes, version effective 1 January 2017), read 22 October 2026.

Minnesota Statutes section 514.011, subdivision 4b, says: "The notice required by this section shall not be required to be given in connection with an improvement to real property consisting of or providing more than four family units when the improvement is wholly residential in character."

Source: Minnesota Statutes section 514.011, Notice (2025 Minnesota Statutes, Office of the Revisor of Statutes), read 22 October 2026.

Wisconsin Statutes section 779.02(1) begins "The notice required to be given by lien claimants under sub. (2) shall not be required to be given in the following cases only:" and its paragraph (c) reads: "By any lien claimant performing, furnishing, or procuring labor, services, materials, plans, or specifications for an improvement in any case where more than 4 family living units are to be provided or added by such work of improvement, if the improvement is wholly residential in character, or in any case where the improvement is partly or wholly nonresidential in character."

Source: Wisconsin Statutes section 779.02, Notice required to preserve lien rights (Wisconsin State Legislature), read 22 October 2026.

Missouri Revised Statutes section 429.012, subsection 4, says: "The provisions of subsections 1 and 2 of this section shall not apply to new residences for which the buyer has been furnished mechanics' and suppliers' lien protection through a title insurance company registered in the state of Missouri."

Source: Missouri Revised Statutes section 429.012 (Missouri Revisor of Statutes, version effective 1 January 2017), read 22 October 2026.

These are only some states' statutes. Other states' lien laws are not quoted on this page, so read your own state's statute before you rely on any of the rules above.

What should you do when your contract carries this notice?

Treat the notice as a reminder that people you never hired directly can be owed money for work on your home, and plan each payment with that in mind. Keep the signed contract that holds the notice, keep every later notice from a subcontractor or supplier, and ask for written lien waivers before you pay. This is practical reasoning, not legal advice and not a finding from any agency.

  1. Read the notice before you sign, then keep a signed copy of the whole contract. In Minnesota, the statute quoted above says: "Every person who enters into a contract with the owner for the improvement of real property and who has contracted or will contract with any subcontractors or material suppliers to provide labor, skill or materials for the improvement shall include in any written contract with the owner the notice required in this subdivision and shall provide the owner with a copy of the written contract."

    Source: Minnesota Statutes section 514.011, Notice (2025 Minnesota Statutes, Office of the Revisor of Statutes), read 22 October 2026.

  2. Ask the contractor in writing to list each subcontractor and supplier expected on the job, and to tell you when that list changes.
  3. Keep every notice that arrives about the job, with the date it reached you. Wisconsin's notice itself says: "Accordingly, owner probably will receive notices from those who perform, furnish, or procure labor, services, materials, plans, or specifications for the construction, and should give a copy of each notice received to the mortgage lender, if any."

    Source: Wisconsin Statutes section 779.02, Notice required to preserve lien rights (Wisconsin State Legislature), read 22 October 2026.

  4. If a loan is paying for the work, send your lender a copy of each notice you receive, and keep a note of when you sent it.
  5. Before each payment, ask for a written lien waiver from every subcontractor or supplier who sent you a notice. Missouri's notice puts the risk this way: "FAILURE TO SECURE LIEN WAIVERS MAY RESULT IN YOUR PAYING FOR LABOR AND MATERIAL TWICE."

    Source: Missouri Revised Statutes section 429.012 (Missouri Revisor of Statutes, version effective 1 January 2017), read 22 October 2026.

  6. If a lien claim arrives after you have paid, read your state's lien statute and consider asking a lawyer before you pay anyone a second time.

Who sees your contact details when you post on InstaBids?

A lien notice is about who gets paid; posting a job raises a separate question of who gets your phone number. Contact details stay hidden until the homeowner picks a contractor and they confirm the connection.

Source: InstaBids process and privacy, live-page excerpts, read 22 October 2026.

Post your job on InstaBids, and contractors can bid in writing on one written scope.

Homeowners anywhere in the US can post a job; once you send it, InstaBids finds contractors to bid on it.

Start my request

Sources for the facts on this page

Start my requestUse your AI