This is general information, not legal advice. Review every notice and sale with your attorney.
Every state, plus Washington DC, sets its own rules for selling the contents of a storage unit when the tenant stops paying. Find your state in the table below. Each state page covers the notice steps, advertising, late fee limits, surplus money and military rules, with statute cites.
What a storage lien is
When a tenant leaves property in your facility and does not pay, most states give you a lien on that property for the unpaid rent and certain related charges. The lien is your legal right to hold the goods and, if the tenant never pays, to sell them. To do it safely you must follow the statute's steps in order: the right kind of notice, the required waiting periods, a public advertisement, and a sale that the law accepts.
How state lien laws differ
- When you can start. Some states set a waiting period after missed rent (for example 14, 15 or 30 days). Others, like Texas and Ohio, set none.
- How you send notices. Certified mail, first-class mail with proof of mailing, hand delivery, or email. Many states allow email only if the tenant agreed in the lease.
- How long the tenant has to pay. Often between 10 and 30 days after the notice.
- Advertising. Newspaper ads, sometimes plus or instead of an online listing, and a minimum wait before the sale.
- Late fees. A few states cap them (Florida, Georgia and Ohio use $20 or 20 percent as a benchmark). Others, like Texas, have no cap in the statute.
- Surplus money. You may have to hold it for months or years and, in some states, send it to the county or state.
- Vehicles and boats. Many states add title searches, lienholder notices or a tow option.
Lien laws for all 51 jurisdictions
The timeline column is a rough guide taken from the statutes we researched in October 2026. Real timelines depend on your notice dates, ad dates and lease terms. Open the state page, or use the lien timeline calculator, before you act. States marked "under review" have unusual or recently changed rules, and we have not finished confirming them.
| State | Statute | Timeline note |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | AS 34.35.220 and 34.35.225 (general storage lien) | No dedicated storage act; general lien law |
| Alabama | Ala. Code § 8-15-40 et seq. | Shortest notice or sale wait in the research: 20 days |
| Arkansas | Ark. Code Ann. § 18-16-401 et seq. | Shortest notice or sale wait in the research: 14 days |
| Arizona | A.R.S. § 33-1701 et seq. | Shortest notice or sale wait in the research: 14 days |
| California | Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 21700 et seq. | Shortest notice or sale wait in the research: 14 days |
| Colorado | C.R.S. § 38-21.5-101 et seq. | Shortest notice or sale wait in the research: 15 days |
| Connecticut | Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 42-159 to 42-168 | Shortest notice or sale wait in the research: 14 days |
| District of Columbia | D.C. Code §§ 40-401 to 40-405 | Shortest notice or sale wait in the research: 14 days |
| Delaware | 25 Del. C. §§ 4901-4905 | Shortest notice or sale wait in the research: 30 days |
| Florida | Fla. Stat. §§ 83.801-83.809 | Shortest notice or sale wait in the research: 29 days |
| Georgia | O.C.G.A. §§ 10-4-210 through 10-4-217 | Shortest notice or sale wait in the research: 29 days |
| Hawaii | Haw. Rev. Stat. §§ 507-61 to 507-72 | Shortest notice or sale wait in the research: 30 days |
| Iowa | Iowa Code ch. 578A | Shortest notice or sale wait in the research: 14 days |
| Idaho | Idaho Code § 55-2301 et seq. | Shortest notice or sale wait in the research: 10 days |
| Illinois | 770 ILCS 95/1 et seq. | Shortest notice or sale wait in the research: 14 days |
| Indiana | Ind. Code § 26-3-8-1 et seq. | Under review: check back before relying on this state |
| Kansas | K.S.A. 58-814 et seq. | Shortest notice or sale wait in the research: 10 days |
| Kentucky | KRS 359.200 to 359.250 | Shortest notice or sale wait in the research: 14 days |
| Louisiana | La. R.S. 9:4756 to 9:4760 | Under review: check back before relying on this state |
| Massachusetts | M.G.L. c. 106, 7-209 and 7-210 (UCC warehouse lien) | Under review: check back before relying on this state |
| Maryland | Md. Code, Commercial Law §§ 18-501 to 18-506 | Shortest notice or sale wait in the research: 14 days |
| Maine | 10 M.R.S. §§ 1371 to 1378 | Shortest notice or sale wait in the research: 15 days |
| Michigan | Self-Service Storage Facility Act, 1985 PA 148, MCL 570.521 to 570.527 | Shortest notice or sale wait in the research: 14 days |
| Minnesota | Minn. Stat. 514.970 to 514.979 | Shortest notice or sale wait in the research: 14 days |
| Missouri | RSMo §§ 415.400 to 415.425 | Shortest notice or sale wait in the research: 10 days |
| Mississippi | Miss. Code Ann. §§ 85-7-121 to 85-7-129 | Under review: check back before relying on this state |
| Montana | MCA §§ 70-6-601 to 70-6-609 | Shortest notice or sale wait in the research: 30 days |
| North Carolina | N.C. Gen. Stat. 44A-40 to 44A-46 | Shortest notice or sale wait in the research: 20 days |
| North Dakota | N.D. Cent. Code ch. 35-33 | Shortest notice or sale wait in the research: 10 days |
| Nebraska | Neb. Rev. Stat. 69-2301 to 69-2314 | Under review: check back before relying on this state |
| New Hampshire | RSA 451-C:1 to 451-C:16 | Shortest notice or sale wait in the research: 14 days |
| New Jersey | N.J.S.A. 2A:44-187 to 2A:44-193 | Shortest notice or sale wait in the research: 14 days |
| New Mexico | Self-Service Storage Lien Act, NMSA 1978, Sections 48-11-1 to 48-11-9 | Under review: check back before relying on this state |
| Nevada | NRS 108.473 to 108.4783 | Shortest notice or sale wait in the research: 14 days |
| New York | N.Y. Lien Law Section 182 | Shortest notice or sale wait in the research: 30 days |
| Ohio | Ohio Rev. Code ch. 5322 | Shortest notice or sale wait in the research: 10 days |
| Oklahoma | Self-Service Storage Facility Lien Act, 42 O.S. 191 to 200 | Shortest notice or sale wait in the research: 30 days |
| Oregon | Oregon Self-Service Storage Facility Act, ORS 87.685 to 87.695 | Shortest notice or sale wait in the research: 45 days |
| Pennsylvania | 12 Pa.C.S. 5601 to 5619 | Shortest notice or sale wait in the research: 40 days |
| Rhode Island | R.I. Gen. Laws 34-42-1 to 34-42-9 | Shortest notice or sale wait in the research: 14 days |
| South Carolina | S.C. Code 39-20-10 to 39-20-50 | Shortest notice or sale wait in the research: 14 days |
| South Dakota | SDCL 44-14-1 to 44-14-10 | Shortest notice or sale wait in the research: 14 days |
| Tennessee | Tenn. Code Ann. 66-31-101 et seq. | Shortest notice or sale wait in the research: 30 days |
| Texas | Tex. Prop. Code ch. 59 | Shortest notice or sale wait in the research: 26 days |
| Utah | Utah Code 38-8-1 et seq. | Shortest notice or sale wait in the research: 15 days |
| Virginia | Va. Code §§ 55.1-2900 to 55.1-2905, Virginia Self-Service Storage Act | Shortest notice or sale wait in the research: 20 days |
| Vermont | 9 V.S.A. ch. 98, Storage Units, §§ 3901-3908 | Shortest notice or sale wait in the research: 15 days |
| Washington | RCW 19.150 | Shortest notice or sale wait in the research: 14 days |
| Wisconsin | Wis. Stat. 704.90 | Shortest notice or sale wait in the research: 14 days |
| West Virginia | W. Va. Code 38-14-1 to 38-14-9 | Shortest notice or sale wait in the research: 14 days |
| Wyoming | Wyo. Stat. 29-7-101 to 29-7-106 | No dedicated storage act; general lien law |
Pages for states that are not yet published show as plain text until they go live.
Active-duty military (SCRA)
Federal law adds protections for servicemembers, and owners must check status before a sale. See 50 U.S.C. 3958.
How to use these pages
- Find your state in the table and read its page start to finish.
- Compare your rental agreement to the state's required terms.
- Build your calendar with the lien timeline calculator.
- Draft notices from the lien notice template and have your attorney review them.
- Run the sale using the self storage auction process guide.
If you want the dates tracked for you, see lien and auction management.
Last reviewed: October 19, 2026. This page is general information, not legal advice. Review every notice and sale with your attorney.