Michigan Lien Waiver Requirements
Michigan lien waiver workflows often involve more than a single PDF. Many owners and GCs expect lien waivers to be paired with a sworn statement during progress billing, especially on larger projects.
State guides
Michigan does not have the same “single strict statutory waiver template” feel as California, but in practice MI waiver requirements are often enforced through contracts, lender requirements, and established jobsite billing routines.
How Michigan lien waivers typically work
- Waiver form often dictated by GC/owner contract documents
- Commonly collected with each progress billing
- Often paired with sworn statements (especially on larger jobs)
- Accuracy and consistency matter more than fancy formatting
Michigan: waivers + sworn statements (why they’re paired)
On many Michigan projects, the sworn statement acts like a “who’s getting paid” disclosure. Owners and GCs use it to reduce the risk of subcontractors and suppliers filing liens after funds are released.
What this means for billing
- You may submit a sworn statement with your pay application
- You may provide lien waivers (your own, and/or lower-tier waivers)
- Any mismatch can slow approval
Choosing the correct waiver in Michigan
Michigan still follows the two-decision framework used in most non-statutory states:
- Has payment actually cleared?
- Is this a progress or final billing?
Common Michigan billing scenarios
- Progress + Conditional → most monthly billings
- Progress + Unconditional → after payment clears
- Final + Conditional → requesting final payment
- Final + Unconditional → after final payment clears
Common Michigan lien waiver rejection reasons
- Party names that don’t match the contract or sworn statement
- Amounts that don’t match the pay application
- Missing dates or unclear coverage periods
- Submitting unconditional waivers before funds clear
- Sworn statement and waiver details don’t align
How LienWaiverPro helps with Michigan waivers
- Guides users to the correct waiver type based on payment + billing stage
- Reduces mismatch errors (names, amounts, dates)
- Generates clean PDFs ready for GC/owner review
- Designed to pair cleanly with pay apps and supporting docs