IL mechanic's lien discharge bonds.
Clear the title. Keep moving.
A mechanic's lien freezes everything it touches — closings, refinances, draws. A discharge bond swaps the surety's guarantee for the property, so the lien comes off the title. Flat 3%, 48-hour underwriter response.
Trusted by industry leaders
From frozen title to discharged lien.
Every day the lien sits on the title costs you leverage, interest, or a closing date. Here's the entire process:
Apply + send the lien documents
The application plus a copy of the lien and any court documents — that's the file. Send documents to underwriting right after you submit; everything is reviewed together.
A human underwrites it
A licensed underwriter reviews the lien, the dispute, and your file. Larger or heavily contested liens can require financials — you'll get one checklist, once.
File & discharge
The executed bond goes to the clerk of the circuit court with your attorney's petition, the court substitutes the bond for the property, and your closing, refinance, or draw schedule starts moving again.
The whole pricing page.
Bond amount × 3% = your premium, one-time, $275 minimum. Illinois sets the bond at 175% of the lien, so a $100,000 lien means a $175,000 bond — $5,250.
What it is and who needs it.
What a discharge bond actually does
When a contractor, sub, or supplier files a mechanic's lien, the property itself becomes their security. Until it's resolved, title companies won't close, lenders won't fund, and draws stop. Since 2016, Illinois's Mechanics Lien Act lets an interested party swap the property out and a surety bond in — set by statute at 175% of the lien amount.
The lien is then released from the real estate. The dispute itself continues — bonding off a lien is not paying it and not conceding it's valid. The claimant's right to recover simply moves from the property to the bond; if they ultimately prove the claim, the bond pays; if they don't, it expires with the dispute.
That makes this the rare bond bought for leverage: you stop negotiating with your closing date held hostage and start negotiating on the merits of the claim.
You need this bond if you're
Five minutes, plus your lien documents.
Submit the application, then send the lien and any court documents to underwriting — a licensed underwriter reviews the full file and responds within 48 hours.
Start the application →Common questions.
If yours isn't here, the bond team can usually answer within the hour.
Does bonding off the lien pay the contractor? +
How is the bond amount set? +
How much does it cost? +
How fast can this happen? +
Will I need collateral or financials? +
Does bonding off the lien mean admitting it's valid? +
Other New York bonds.
Get the lien off the title this week.
Five-minute application, flat 3%, underwriter response within 48 hours. Your attorney files; the project moves.