Before you start: the three numbers
A lien is your security on the land when you have not been paid for work on it. In Alberta it is now called a construction lien, under the Prompt Payment and Construction Lien Act. It used to be a builders' lien, and contracts signed before August 29, 2022 can still fall under the old rules.
- 60 days to register it, counted in calendar days from when you finished your work or last supplied materials. 90 days for concrete work or ready-mix supply, and for oil and gas well sites.
- $700 minimum. A smaller claim cannot be registered.
- 180 days after it is registered, the lien expires unless you have started a court action on it and registered a certificate of lis pendens. Land Titles is blunt about it: an expired lien cannot be filed on the title again.
Coming back to fix a deficiency does not restart the 60 days. The prompt payment guide covers the deadlines that come before a lien.
What you file
Two documents, plus an online request.
Statement of Lien (Form A)
The Act and the Land Titles checklist ask for:
- Your full name and address, as lienholder: a person, a corporation, a partnership or a trade name.
- The owner's name and address. If you do not know it, Land Titles lets you enter "Unknown."
- The land: the full legal land description, title number or LINC number. A street address is not enough.
- A short description of the work done or materials supplied.
- The amount claimed, at least $700.
- Whether it is an oil or gas well, or ready-mix concrete, which changes the deadline to 90 days.
- An address for service in Alberta. It has to be an Alberta address.
The Act also asks for the date you finished, and the name of the person you did the work for, usually the GC.
Affidavit Verifying Claim (Form B)
The statement has to be verified under oath:
- signed the Form A yourself? Use the version for the lienholder;
- someone signed for you? Use the version for someone other than the lienholder.
For a corporation, an officer or employee swears it. It must be sworn before a commissioner for oaths: a notary public, a lawyer, and most registry agent offices have one.
The online request
Land Titles requires every document submitted for registration to come with an online Document Registration Request, created in SPIN 2, Alberta's Land Titles online system.
What it costs
From the Land Titles fee schedule in effect October 1, 2026:
| Document | Fee |
|---|---|
| Construction Lien (CONL-1) | $15 |
| Certificate of Lis Pendens (CLP-1) | $35 |
Do not overclaim
Section 40 of the Act makes you liable for the costs and damages caused if you register a lien for an amount grossly more than you are owed, or when you know, or ought to know, you have no lien. The defence is showing you acted in good faith and without negligence. Claim what is owed, and keep the invoices that show it.
A small mistake in the form does not void the lien on its own: the Act says substantial compliance is enough unless someone is actually prejudiced by the error.
After it is registered
- The owner can force your hand. Under section 45, an owner or anyone affected can serve you notice to start your court action. If you do not start it and register a lis pendens within 30 days of being served, the lien ends.
- The lien can be taken off the title without being paid: a court can remove it if security is given or money is paid into court, which then stands in for the land.
- You can ask to see the books. As a lienholder you can demand, in writing, the contract and a statement of what has been paid and what is owed.
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