When a contractor, subcontractor or supplier in El Paso is not paid for work on a house or building, Texas lets them secure a lien on the property, but only if they file a sworn lien affidavit with the El Paso County Clerk by the statutory deadline. Once the bill is paid, the owner or title company needs the opposite document: a release of lien, a partial release, or the statutory waiver forms that clear the title before the next draw or the sale closes. Framers in a Horizon City subdivision, an HVAC crew on a Westside remodel, a supplier in the Lower Valley: they sign on job sites and in pickup trucks, and QWIK Mobile Notary goes to them.
Texas Property Code chapter 53 sets the rules. The lien affidavit in section 53.054 must be signed by the claimant or someone on the claimant's behalf and contain a sworn statement of the amount owed, so it is notarized with a jurat: the signer signs in front of our notary and swears the contents are true, and it is then filed with the El Paso County Clerk by the statutory deadline. Releases of lien are acknowledged so they can be recorded under section 12.001. The statutory waiver and release forms in section 53.284 no longer require notarization under Texas law, but many general contractors and title companies still ask for a notarized signature, and we provide it.
Text or call (915) 302-0902 with the document, the number of signers and where the crew is; we confirm the fee ($10 per oath on an affidavit, or $10 for the first signature and $1 each additional on a release) plus the $39 El Paso travel fee, and meet you at the job site, your office or your home. Bring unexpired photo ID and the completed, unsigned affidavit; we cannot notarize blanks, so the amount, property and claimant details must be filled in. Signing takes about 15 minutes. We do not prepare lien affidavits, calculate deadlines or say whether you have lien rights; a construction attorney does that. Filing with the El Paso County Clerk is your step.
Documents we notarize
- Mechanic's and Materialman's Lien Affidavit (Tex. Prop. Code §53.054)
- Claim of Lien
- Release of Claim of Mechanic's Lien
- Specific Release of Lien
- Partial Release of Lien
- Conditional Waiver and Release on Progress Payment (statutory form, §53.284)
- Unconditional Waiver and Release on Progress Payment
- Conditional Waiver and Release on Final Payment
- Unconditional Waiver and Release on Final Payment
- Lien Release from a lender (paid-off mortgage or construction loan)
- Notice of Contractual Retainage
- Contractor's Affidavit of Bills Paid
- Bill of Sale for equipment
Lien documents we notarize for El Paso contractors and owners
For claimants: the Mechanic's and Materialman's Lien Affidavit under section 53.054, sworn before filing; notices of contractual retainage and other chapter 53 notices when the paying party wants them notarized; and the contractor's affidavit of bills paid that owners and title companies request at final payment. We also notarize bills of sale for equipment when a contractor sells a trailer, a skid steer or a compressor, and the acknowledgments on subcontract agreements that some El Paso general contractors require.
For owners, lenders and title companies: releases of claim of mechanic's lien, specific and partial releases of lien, the lender's release of lien when a mortgage or construction loan is paid off, and the four statutory waiver forms in section 53.284 — conditional and unconditional waivers and releases on progress payment and on final payment. The lien affidavit deadline in chapter 53 is tied to the month the work was completed and is shorter for residential projects, so contractors often book the notary for the day the affidavit is finished.
Job-site signings: how to make them go smoothly
Have the affidavit or release printed and complete, with the property's legal description or address, the claimant's name exactly as it appears on the company's registration, and the amount, and do not sign it yet — a lien affidavit is sworn, so the signature has to happen in front of the notary. When the claimant is a company, the person signing brings unexpired photo ID and signs as an officer or authorized agent; a partner, a foreman or an office manager can sign for the company only if the company has authorized them.
Tell us if the signer will be in a hard hat at a site near the airport, outside a Fort Bliss gate or on a subdivision pad in far East El Paso, and we will meet at the truck; on-post work sites have their own access rules, so plan to meet outside the gate. Keep the recording copy clean, with no highlighter and no folds across the notary seal, because the El Paso County Clerk charges by the page and images every one. After filing, keep the stamped copy with your job file.
What to bring
- Unexpired photo ID for each person signing
- The completed affidavit or release — every blank filled, nothing signed yet
- Proof that the signer may act for the company, when the claimant is a business
- The general contractor's, lender's or title company's instructions and the exact form they require
- A copy for your own records in addition to the one you will file
- Payment for the statutory fees and the $39 travel fee, confirmed when you book
How a mobile appointment works
Text or call to book
Text or call (915) 302-0902 with the document type, how many people sign and the job-site or office address in El Paso County. We confirm the statutory fee plus the $39 travel fee and set a time that works around the crew's day.
We come to you
Our notary checks ID, confirms the affidavit is complete, administers the oath as the claimant signs, or takes the acknowledgment on a release, and completes the Texas jurat or acknowledgment certificate with the El Paso County venue and seal.
Signed, sealed, done
File the lien affidavit with the El Paso County Clerk by the statutory deadline and send the notices chapter 53 requires; record releases so the title is clear. Keep the file-stamped copy and the tracking for any notice you mail.