§ 1203.54.Subcontractors Entitled to Lien

Title 4. Of the Enforcement of Liens · Chapter 2.5. Oil and Gas Liens · Enacted 1959 · no amendments on record · Last verified July 29, 2026

In one sentenceSection 1203.54 extends the same lien rights to a subcontractor who performs labor or furnishes material or services to an original contractor, or to another subcontractor under that original contractor, reaching the same property plus materials and fixtures owned by the contractor or subcontractor immediately above them.

Full Text of § 1203.54

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Any person who shall, under contract, perform any labor or furnish any material or services as a subcontractor under an original contractor or for or to an original contractor or a subcontractor under an original contractor, shall be entitled to a lien upon all the property upon which the lien of an original contactor may attach to the same extent as an original contractor, and the lien provided for in this section shall further extend and attach to all materials and fixtures owned by such original contractor or subcontractor to or for whom the labor is performed or material or services furnished and used or employed, or furnished to be used or employed in the drilling or operating of such oil or gas wells.

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Plain-English Summary

Liens under this chapter aren't limited to whoever contracts directly with the leasehold owner. A subcontractor working under an original contractor — or under another subcontractor working for that original contractor — gets a lien on all the same property that the original contractor's lien could reach.

The subcontractor's lien also extends further, to materials and fixtures owned by the specific contractor or subcontractor the subcontractor worked for or with, when those materials or fixtures are used or intended for use in drilling or operating the well. That extra reach exists because the subcontractor's own contractual relationship runs through that intermediate party, not directly through the owner.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a subcontractor get an oil and gas lien even without a direct contract with the leasehold owner?

Yes. Section 1203.54 gives a subcontractor working under an original contractor, or under another subcontractor, the same lien rights on the same property.

Does a subcontractor's lien reach anything beyond what the original contractor's lien reaches?

Yes. It also attaches to materials and fixtures owned by the specific contractor or subcontractor the subcontractor worked for, when used or intended for use in drilling or operating the well.

Amendment History

Added by Stats. 1959, Ch. 2020.

Source & verification. Section text is reproduced verbatim from the California Legislative Information. Enacted by the California Legislature. Last verified July 29, 2026. · Official source

Also known as: subcontractor oil and gas lien california