As the construction industry prepares for the 2025 winter break, a recent executive order has introduced unexpected complexity to year-end compliance. While these additional days off are intended for federal personnel, they create a ripple effect that could jeopardize your payment rights if state and local filing offices follow suit.
The End-of-Year Deadline “Curveball”
President Trump recently issued a new Executive Order, and it’s throwing a bit of a curveball into the end-of-year calendar. All federal executive departments and agencies will be closed on Wednesday, December 24, 2025, and Friday, December 26, 2025. While a five-day holiday weekend sounds great for federal employees, it creates some “holiday homework” for contractors and suppliers tracking strict lien deadlines.
Is it a “Real” Federal Holiday?
Technically, this order is an administrative closure of federal executive offices rather than a blanket declaration of a new federal legal holiday for all purposes. The order treats these dates as within the scope of federal pay and leave statutes for federal employees.
Because it doesn’t automatically create a universal “federal holiday” for private filing deadlines, the impact on your specific lien depends entirely on state law.
How This Affects Your Deadlines
The practical effect on your mechanics lien depends on how your specific state handles “legal holidays” and office closures:
- The “Next Day” Rule: Many states push a deadline falling on a holiday or weekend to the next business day.
- The “Previous Day” Rule: Some states are less forgiving and push the deadline to the previous business day.
- State Definitions: Some states only recognize holidays listed in their own statutes, while others include any day “appointed by the President”.
- Local Office Reality: Even if the date isn’t a “legal holiday,” your local county recorder or clerk’s office might decide to close anyway if they follow federal schedules.
Don’t Wait and See
Because there isn’t yet clear guidance on how every local jurisdiction will interpret these closures, we recommend a conservative filing posture.
The Best Defense: Aim to get your notices, liens, and bond claims out before the holiday break rather than relying on a potential extension that might not exist. Don’t let an administrative closure turn into a lost lien right. Verify the operating status of your specific recording office now to ensure you aren’t caught off guard.
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