There is no single “Canadian lien deadline.” Each province and territory has its own statute, its own day count, and its own idea of what event starts the clock. The numbers are not close to each other. Ontario gives you 60 days from last supply. Quebec gives you 30. Saskatchewan gives you 40. Alberta gives you 60 in most cases but 90 if you supplied concrete or worked on an oil or gas well site. Miss the deadline anywhere and the right to preserve a lien is permanently extinguished, regardless of how much you are still owed.
This guide gives you every province and territory in one place, with the statute and section reference, so you can find your specific deadline in under a minute. If you want a calculator that does the date math for you, use the free multi-province lien deadline calculator.
Preservation vs perfection: two deadlines, not one
Before the day counts, one piece of vocabulary that trips up most contractors. Almost every Canadian lien statute has two steps:
- Preservation: registering the claim of lien on title at the land registry. This is the deadline everyone talks about. It is the most time-sensitive.
- Perfection: commencing a court action to enforce the lien, usually combined with registering a Certificate of Action on title. This deadline is longer (typically 90 days in Ontario, up to two years in some provinces) but missing it also extinguishes the lien.
Throughout this article the “X days” figure refers to the preservation step unless otherwise stated. Note the perfection follow-up for your province too; many liens die at the perfection stage, not the preservation stage.
Lien preservation deadlines, every province
Ontario: 60 days
Under section 31 of the Construction Act (SO 2017 c.10 Sch.1), a lien expires 60 days after the earliest of: publication of a Certificate of Substantial Performance, completion or abandonment or termination of the contract, or (for subcontractors) the last day on which the lien claimant supplied services or materials.
The preservation period was extended from 45 to 60 days as part of the 2018 amendments. Older articles and templates still cite 45 days, and they are wrong. Perfection requires commencing an action and registering a Certificate of Action within an additional 90 days (s.36).
British Columbia: 45 days, strictly enforced
Under section 20 of the Builders Lien Act (SBC 1997 c.45), a lien is preserved by filing a claim of lien within 45 days of the earliest of: a certificate of completion under section 7, completion or abandonment or termination of the head contract, or (where there is no head contract) completion or abandonment of the improvement.
BC courts apply the 45-day deadline strictly. There is no equitable extension. Note that BC’s Construction Prompt Payment Act (Bill 20, Royal Assent November 27, 2025) does not change this preservation deadline, but bundled Builders Lien Act amendments do reduce the related holdback period from 55 days to 46 days. Read the BC Bill 20 guide.
Alberta: 60 days, or 90 for concrete and oil/gas
Under section 41 of the Prompt Payment and Construction Lien Act (RSA 2000 c.P-26.4), the general preservation period is 60 days from the last day of work or material supply under the lien claimant’s own contract. Two exceptions extend the window to 90 days: lien claimants who supplied concrete for the foundation or structure, and lien claimants who worked on an oil or gas well site.
Perfection requires filing a statement of claim plus a lis pendens within 180 days of registration (longer if the owner serves a notice to prove lien).
Saskatchewan: 40 days
Under section 49 of the Builders’ Lien Act (SS 1984-85-86 c.B-7.1), a lien claim must be registered within 40 days of last work, supply, or substantial completion of the contract. SK is the shortest preservation window of the prairie provinces. A statement of claim must follow within two years of registration.
Manitoba: 60 days (changed in April 2024)
Under section 43 of The Builders’ Liens Act (CCSM c.B91), as amended by Bill 38, the preservation period is 60 days from the earliest of substantial performance, completion, abandonment, or termination. The period was extended from 40 to 60 days effective April 1, 2024. Articles and templates that still cite 40 days for MB are out of date. An action must be commenced within two years of registration.
Quebec: 30 days for the legal hypothec
Quebec does not use a lien system. Instead, contractors register a legal hypothec on the immovable under article 2727 of the Code civil du Québec. Notice must be registered within 30 days of the end of the work as a whole (not the lien claimant’s own work). The hypothec must then be followed by an action to preserve it within 6 months of completion of the work.
Atlantic Canada
New Brunswick: 60 days.Under the Construction Remedies Act (SNB 2020 c.29, in force April 1, 2022, which replaced the Mechanics’ Lien Act): preservation within 60 days of the earliest of substantial performance, completion, termination, abandonment, or last supply.
Nova Scotia: 60 days to register, 105 days total. Under the Builders’ Lien Act (RSNS 1989 c.277): a claim of lien must be registered within 60 days of last work, plus a Statement of Claim and lis pendens must be filed within 105 days total. The 105-day step is hard-coded, and missing it kills the lien even if registration was timely.
Newfoundland & Labrador: 30 days to file, 90 days total. Under the Mechanics’ Lien Act (RSNL 1990 c.M-3): 30 days to register from last supply, completion, or abandonment, and 90 days total from the same trigger to commence an action and register the certificate.
Prince Edward Island: 60 days.Under the Mechanics’ Lien Act (RSPEI 1988 c.M-4): 60 days from completion or abandonment of the lien claimant’s contract, plus action within 90 days of registration.
Territories
Northwest Territories and Nunavut: 45 days. Both territories use the Mechanics Lien Act (RSNWT 1988 c.M-7, as consolidated). The preservation deadline is 45 days from last supply, with action required within one year of registration.
Yukon: varies by claimant.Under the Builders Lien Act (RSY 2002 c.18), preservation deadlines differ by claimant type (for example, materials suppliers and wage claimants each have their own rule, typically 35 days). Markup’s lien tracker does not default to a single number for Yukon; contractors operating in Yukon should confirm the specific rule for their claim type against the statute or with counsel.
All provinces at a glance
Numbers reflect lien preservation (registering the claim of lien on title). Each province also has a separate perfection step within a longer window.
- ON: 60 days · Construction Act s.31
- BC: 45 days · Builders Lien Act s.20
- AB: 60 days (90 for concrete and oil/gas) · PPCLA s.41
- SK: 40 days · Builders’ Lien Act s.49
- MB: 60 days (extended from 40 on Apr 1, 2024) · Builders’ Liens Act s.43
- QC: 30 days · CCQ art. 2727 (legal hypothec)
- NB: 60 days · Construction Remedies Act
- NS: 60 days + 105 days total · Builders’ Lien Act
- NL: 30 days + 90 days total · Mechanics’ Lien Act
- PE: 60 days · Mechanics’ Lien Act
- NT / NU: 45 days · Mechanics Lien Act
- YT: varies by claimant type · Builders Lien Act
This article is general information for Canadian trades contractors, not legal advice. Lien deadlines are strictly enforced and one missed day extinguishes the right permanently. Statutes change. Most provinces also require a separate perfection step (court action plus certificate registration) within a longer window; failing the perfection step also kills the lien. Before relying on any date, confirm with the current statute or a licensed lawyer in your province.