A subcontractor completed electrical work on March 15th but the general contractor has not paid the $28,000 invoice. Under NC lien law, if the subcontractor wants to preserve lien rights, the latest date to file a claim of lien is:
Correct Answer
D) July 13th
Subcontractors have 120 days from completion of their work to file a lien claim. March 15 + 120 days = July 13th.
Why This Is the Correct Answer
Under NC GS § 44A-12, a subcontractor must file a claim of lien on real property within 120 days after the last furnishing of labor or materials. Starting from March 15, counting forward 120 days: March has 16 remaining days (15th to 31st), April = 30 days (46), May = 31 days (77), June = 30 days (107), July 13 = 13 more days → total = 120 days. Therefore July 13th is the deadline.
Why the Other Options Are Wrong
Option A: May 14th
May 14th is only 60 days from March 15th — exactly half the allowed window. This is the 60-day deadline that applies to notices of subcontract in some contexts, not the lien filing deadline.
Option B: June 13th
June 13th is 90 days from March 15th. This might be confused with the 90-day deadline used in some other states or for other notice requirements, but NC allows 120 days for lien claims.
Option C: September 11th
September 11th is approximately 180 days — far beyond the 120-day statutory limit. A lien filed this late would be invalid.
Memory Technique
120 days = 4 months. March 15 + 4 months = July 15, then subtract 2 days for the month-length adjustment = July 13. Or simply count: 16 (Mar) + 30 (Apr) + 31 (May) + 30 (Jun) + 13 (Jul) = 120.
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