Maine mechanic's lien discharge bonds.
Flat 2%.
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 2%, 48-hour underwriter response.
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How much does a Maine mechanic's lien discharge bond cost?
2% of the bond amount, $100 minimum, paid once.
From frozen title to vacated 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 recorded lien claim, the lien action, and your petition for release — 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 & vacate
The court-approved bond is filed with the clerk, who certifies it; recording that certificate in the registry of deeds vacates the lien, and your closing, refinance, or draw schedule starts moving again.
The whole pricing page.
Bond amount × 2% = your premium, one-time, $100 minimum. Under Title 10 §3263 the court sets the bond to cover the lien the claimant could prove plus the lienor's costs — a $100,000 lien typically means a bond near $125,000, about $2,500.
What it is and who needs it.
What a discharge bond actually does
When a contractor, sub, or supplier records 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. Maine's Title 10 §3263 lets the owner petition the court to swap the property out and a surety bond in — the court sets the amount to cover the lien the claimant could prove, plus the lienor's costs in the action.
The lien is then vacated from the real estate. The dispute itself continues — bonding off a lien is not paying it and not admitting it's valid. If the lienor ultimately proves the claim, the bond pays within 30 days of final judgment; 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
Claims, renewal, filing, and what sets the price.
If a claim is made
A claim comes from the party the bond protects, the obligee named on the form, when the duty the bond guarantees is not met.
The surety investigates and pays a valid claim, up to the bond amount. You then repay the surety: a surety bond is a guarantee of your performance, not insurance for you.
Renewal and term
A performance and payment bond runs for the life of the contract, plus any warranty period the contract sets; there is no annual renewal.
How to file it
File & vacate. The court-approved bond is filed with the clerk, who certifies it; recording that certificate in the registry of deeds vacates the lien, and your closing, refinance, or draw schedule starts moving again.
What sets the price
Bond amount times 2%, $100 minimum, one time: the rate is flat for every applicant we write, so the premium is a line in your budget, not a negotiation.
Five minutes, plus your lien documents.
Submit the application, then send the recorded lien claim, the lien action, and your petition for release to underwriting — a licensed underwriter reviews the full file and responds within 48 hours.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other Maine bonds.
The same bond in nearby states.
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Get the lien off the title this week.
Five-minute application, flat 2%, underwriter response within 48 hours. Your attorney petitions and records; the project moves.