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Course approval pending. MASONBYTE, LLC is an Approved Provider of the North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors (provider number CEP.00207, approved October 5, 2026). This course's own approval application is being filed with the Board for the 2027 CE year. Until the Board approves this course, it confers no continuing-education credit and is presented for review only.
Required Board notice — takes effect upon course approval (21 NCAC 12B .0301)

“THE NORTH CAROLINA LICENSING BOARD FOR GENERAL CONTRACTORS HAS APPROVED THIS COURSE ONLY AS TO ITS RELEVANCE TO THE PRACTICE OF GENERAL CONTRACTING IN NORTH CAROLINA. THE COURSE PROVIDER AND INSTRUCTOR ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ACCURACY OF THE CONTENT AND COMPLIANCE WITH ALL STATE AND FEDERAL LAWS DURING THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE COURSE.”

This notice is reproduced here verbatim for review. It does not yet apply: the Board has not approved this course.

NORTH CAROLINA · CONTINUING EDUCATION · ELECTIVE

NC Lien Law & the Lien Agent System

A 2-credit-hour elective (100 minutes of instruction) on the one body of law that turns unpaid construction invoices into enforceable security: N.C.G.S. Chapter 44A, Article 2 and the lien-agent system — including the $40,000 designation threshold every practicing GC must know, and the one place the statute still says $30,000.

Provider: MasonByte LLC.

Help — how to navigate and complete this course Printable course guide (PDF)

Asynchronous e-learning — study on your own schedule, at your own pace.

How this course works

  1. Read the modules in order. Each one unlocks when the module before it is complete.
  2. Only active time counts. The timer runs while you are in the course tab and pauses when you leave or go idle. Come back any time; your place, time and checks are saved.
  3. Knowledge checks come after the middle of each module and at its end. The answer and a short explanation appear right away, and the time counts. There is no final exam: finish all 6 modules and reach 100 credited minutes.

Before you start — required notices

How your time is counted
This is a 2-credit-hour course: 100 minutes of verified active instruction time, including the 12 knowledge checks. The course is gated by engagement time — the timer pauses when you are inactive or leave the tab, and each module unlocks in sequence. You may leave and return; your place, time, and completed checks are saved.
Qualifier ID
At registration — and each time you access the course — you must provide your NCLBGC Qualifier ID number and the Qualifier name on file with the Board. Look both up on the Board’s qualifier search at nclbgc.org/qualifier-search. Open the Board's qualifier search →
90-day completion window
You have 90 days from enrollment to complete this course. If you do not complete it within 90 days, you must retake the entire course on re-enrollment.
When the course is available
This course cannot be purchased, started, or completed after November 30, or at any time during the month of December.
What you need to run it
A modern browser (current Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or Safari) with JavaScript and cookies enabled, on desktop, tablet, or phone. A stable internet connection is required for time tracking; no speakers, printer, or plugins are needed. Content blockers may interfere with progress tracking. Supported systems: Windows 10 or later, macOS 12 or later, iOS 16 or later, Android 10 or later, or a Chromebook, each with a current browser.
Support
Technical support: support@masonbyte.com — monitored business days (Eastern); include "NC CE" in the subject for fastest routing.

Course outline & estimated time per module

  1. Module 1 · Why Liens Exist — the Chapter 44A Toolkit ≈ 17 min
    • State the purpose of North Carolina’s statutory lien system and locate its governing law (Chapter 44A, Article 2).
    • Identify who is entitled to claim a lien on real property under § 44A-8 and what that lien secures.
    • Distinguish the lien on real property from the subcontractor’s lien upon funds, and explain why the distinction matters on a payment dispute.
  2. Module 2 · The Lien Agent: Designation and the $40,000 Threshold ≈ 17 min
    • State the current dollar threshold that triggers the owner’s duty to designate a lien agent, and cite the session law that set it.
    • Identify when the designation must occur, who may serve as a lien agent, and where lien agents are registered.
    • Apply the owner-occupied single-family-residence exemption to project scenarios.
  3. Module 3 · Information Flows: Who Must Tell Whom, and When ≈ 16 min
    • Describe the general contractor’s duty to pass the lien agent’s contact information down the contracting chain, and its deadline.
    • Explain the permit-side disclosure duty of G.S. § 87-14(a1) and how it interlocks with § 44A-11.1(a).
    • Describe the purpose of the notice to lien agent under § 44A-11.2 and why early notice protects a claimant.
  4. Module 4 · Perfecting the Claim: 120 Days, the Right Courthouse ≈ 17 min
    • State the filing deadline for a claim of lien on real property and the event that starts the clock.
    • Identify where the claim of lien is filed and the public-notice effect of filing.
    • Distinguish the perfection path of the real-property lien from the subcontractor’s notice of claim of lien upon funds.
  5. Module 5 · Enforcement, Priority, and the Clock ≈ 16 min
    • State the deadline for commencing an action to enforce a claim of lien on real property.
    • Explain relation back — the priority date a perfected North Carolina lien takes.
    • Assemble the full lien timeline from first furnishing through enforcement.
  6. Module 6 · Lien Risk Management for the Licensed GC ≈ 17 min
    • Explain the general contractor’s two best lien-risk controls: paying subcontractors and obtaining lien waivers.
    • Describe the owner’s double-payment exposure and the GC practices that prevent it.
    • Connect the licensure statutes to lien practice: the $40,000 alignment and the unlicensed-contractor enforcement bar.

A certificate of completion is issued when all modules are complete and the 100-minute instructional-time requirement is met. Continuing-education hours are reported to the Board by the provider per 21 NCAC 12B .0204.

Independent contractor-education provider. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting for the North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors. GC Prep does not issue or grant a contractor license. This course is education, not legal advice — verify current statutes with the NC General Assembly and requirements with the Board.