In response to the recent decision of the Georgia Court of Appeals in ALA Construction Services v. Controlled Access, LLC, that held a contractor forfeited all rights to payment by failing to file a claim of lien, the Associated General Contractors of Georgia interest group is lobbying for a clarification of the lien law to reverse this decision.
Senator Lindsey Tippins (a former pipeline contractor in Cobb County) is leading this legislative effort to change the law. Tippins’ goal is to clarify that even if a contractor loses its lien rights by failing to file a lien within 60 days, this should not eliminate the right to seek payment under a contract, especially because of how common it is for project payment schedules to extend beyond 60 days.
If you would like to voice your opinion in the clarification of the lien law in the 2020 legislative session, you can contact Senator Tippins’ office at lindsey.tippins@senate.ga.gov, your local senator, or any trade groups you belong to.