2012 Connecticut General Statutes
Title 49 - Mortgages and Liens
Chapter 847 - Liens
Section 49-33 - Mechanic’s lien. Precedence. Rights of subcontractors.

(a) If any person has a claim for more than ten dollars for materials furnished or services rendered in the construction, raising, removal or repairs of any building or any of its appurtenances or in the improvement of any lot or in the site development or subdivision of any plot of land, and the claim is by virtue of an agreement with or by consent of the owner of the land upon which the building is being erected or has been erected or has been moved, or by consent of the owner of the lot being improved or by consent of the owner of the plot of land being improved or subdivided, or of some person having authority from or rightfully acting for the owner in procuring the labor or materials, the building, with the land on which it stands or the lot or in the event that the materials were furnished or services were rendered in the site development or subdivision of any plot of land, then the plot of land, is subject to the payment of the claim.

(b) The claim is a lien on the land, building and appurtenances or lot or in the event that the materials were furnished or services were rendered in the site development or subdivision of any plot of land, then on the plot of land and the claim takes precedence over any other encumbrance originating after the commencement of the services, or the furnishing of any such materials, subject to apportionment as provided in section 49-36.

(c) If any such liens exist in favor of two or more persons for materials furnished or services rendered in connection with the same construction, raising, removal or repairs of any building or any of its appurtenances, or in the improvement of any lot, or in the site development or subdivision of any plot of land, no one of those persons shall have any priority over another except as hereinafter provided.

(d) If any instrument constituting a valid encumbrance upon such land other than a mechanic’s lien is filed for record while the building is being constructed, raised, removed or repaired, or the lot is being improved, or the plot of land is being improved or subdivided, all such mechanic’s liens originating prior to the filing of that instrument for record take precedence over that encumbrance and no such mechanic’s lien shall have priority over any other such mechanic’s lien. That encumbrance and all such mechanic’s liens shall take precedence over any mechanic’s lien which originates for materials furnished or services rendered after the filing of that instrument for record, but no one of the mechanic’s liens originating after the filing of that instrument for record has precedence over another. If any lienor waives or releases his lien or claim of precedence to any such encumbrance, that lien shall be classed with and have no priority over liens originating subsequent to that encumbrance.

(e) A mechanic’s lien shall not attach to any such building or its appurtenances or to the land on which the same stands or to any lot or to any plot of land, in favor of any subcontractor to a greater extent in the whole than the amount which the owner has agreed to pay to any person through whom the subcontractor claims subject to the provisions of section 49-36.

(f) Any such subcontractor shall be subrogated to the rights of the person through whom the subcontractor claims, except that the subcontractor shall have a mechanic’s lien or right to claim a mechanic’s lien in the event of any default by that person subject to the provisions of sections 49-34, 49-35 and 49-36, provided the total of such lien or liens shall not attach to any building or its appurtenances, or to the land on which the same stands or to any lot or to any plot of land, to a greater amount in the whole than the amount by which the contract price between the owner and the person through whom the subcontractor claims exceeds the reasonable cost, either estimated or actual, as the case may be, of satisfactory completion of the contract plus any damages resulting from such default for which that person might be held liable to the owner and all bona fide payments, as defined in section 49-36, made by the owner before receiving notice of such lien or liens.

(g) In the case of the removal of any building, no such mechanic’s lien shall take precedence over any encumbrance upon the land to which such building has been removed which accrued before the building was removed upon the land.

(h) If any person has a claim for more than ten dollars for materials furnished or services rendered in the construction, raising, removal or repairs of any real property, and the claim is by virtue of an agreement with or by consent of the lessee of such real property or of some person having authority from or rightfully acting for such lessee in procuring the materials or labor, then the leasehold interest in such real property is subject to the payment of the claim. This subsection shall not be construed to limit any of the rights or remedies available to such person under subsection (a) of this section.

(i) Any mechanic’s lien may be foreclosed in the same manner as a mortgage.

(1949 Rev., S. 7217; 1949, 1953, S. 2973d; P.A. 74-310, S. 1; P.A. 79-602, S. 86; P.A. 99-153, S. 7.)

History: P.A. 74-310 applied provisions with respect to improvement of lots, site improvements and subdivisions of land; P.A. 79-602 divided section into Subsecs. and restated provisions but made no substantive changes; P.A. 99-153 added new Subsec. (h) to allow mechanic’s liens to attach to leasehold interests without limiting existing lien rights or remedies and relettered the remaining Subsec. accordingly.

See Sec. 49-9 re form of release of mechanic’s liens.

Cited. 5 CA 106; 6 CA 180; 27 CA 199; 31 CA 485; 37 CA 547; 39 CA 544. Removal of underground storage tank and remediation of contaminated soil were services and materials within the construct of statute. 77 CA 474. Legislature intended to extend benefits under mechanic’s lien statute to an architect who provides architectural services; architectural services satisfied the physical enhancement test, thus evidencing direct association with the physical construction or improvement of defendant’s real property. 103 CA 710. Defendant, despite having paid general contractor the original contract price in full, still owed general contractor for “extras” and therefore a lienable fund existed and subcontractor’s lien was not invalid. 136 CA 184.

Cited. 4 CS 432; 10 CS 57. Owner’s interest in real property not subject to mechanic’s lien where owner merely consented that work be done and was not a party to the contract or a guarantor of it. 13 CS 196. Cited. 15 CS 360. Materialman’s right to foreclose a mechanic’s lien upheld where owner had knowledge of and consented to lessee’s improvement of property. 19 CS 55. Nature of consent discussed. 20 CS 460. Reformation of a mechanic’s lien is legally impossible unless there is mutual mistake or unilateral mistake coupled with fraud or inequitable conduct. 22 CS 230. One for whose benefit a mechanic’s lien is waived may enforce the waiver; the binding effect of a waiver in a subcontract of the right to a mechanic’s lien is not obviated by the contractor’s breach of contract. Id., 293. Cited. 23 CS 380; 27 CS 203; 34 CS 638; 42 CS 460.

Cited. 2 Conn. Cir. Ct. 622.

Subsec. (a):

Owner’s permission for lessee to perform leasehold improvements did not constitute the consent required by statute. 193 C. 290, 291. Cited. Id., 580, 586; 235 C. 595. Surveying and engineering services are lienable. 243 C. 601. Where removal of contractor’s equipment necessarily involves repair to building, such repair is a lienable service. 247 C. 234.

Cited. 9 CA 682; 15 CA 633; 44 CA 240. Based on facts presented, plaintiff’s services were not lienable under section. 51 CA 773. Benefit fund acting on behalf of those who performed services qualifies as “any person who has a claim” under Subsec. and thus has standing to sue; in a mechanic’s lien foreclosure action, plaintiff must allege only that defendant consented to have work done, and plaintiff is not required to plead that defendant was aware of the terms of the agreement, or that defendant agreed to make payment for services or failed to make payments. 83 CA 352. Consent under Subsec. is consent that indicates an agreement that owner of at least the land shall be, or may be, liable for the materials or labor. 125 CA 561.

Subsec. (d):

Cited. 230 C. 807.

Subsec. (f):

Cited. 23 CA 453; 27 CA 199. Subrogation language should not be interpreted to bar claims of subcontractors who were not involved in the formation of an invalid contract between the general contractor and the homeowner. 136 CA 184.