Any person who shall, under contract with the owner of any leasehold for oil or gas purposes perform any labor or furnish any material or services used or employed, or furnished to be used or employed in the drilling or operating of any oil or gas well upon such leasehold, or in the constructing, putting together, or repairing of any material so used or employed, or furnished to be so used or employed, shall be entitled to a lien under this chapter, whether or not a producing well is obtained and whether or not such material is incorporated in or becomes a part of the completed oil or gas well, for the amount due him for any such labor performed, or materials or services furnished, within six months prior to the date of recording the statement of lien as provided in Section 1203.58, including, without limitation, shipping and mileage charges connected therewith, and interest from the date the same was due.
§ 1203.52.Persons Entitled to Lien Under Chapter
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 1203.52 gives a lien to anyone who, under contract with the leasehold owner, performs labor or furnishes material or services used in drilling or operating an oil or gas well, for amounts due within the six months before recording the lien statement required by § 1203.58.
Full Text of § 1203.52
Plain-English Summary
This is the heart of the Oil and Gas Lien Act — the section that creates the lien itself. Anyone under contract with the owner of an oil or gas leasehold who performs labor, or furnishes material or services used or intended for use in drilling or operating a well on that leasehold, earns a lien for what's owed.
The lien attaches whether or not the drilling ever produces a working well, and whether or not the material furnished ends up incorporated into the completed well. What matters is that the labor was performed, or the material or services were furnished, for that purpose. The amount secured includes shipping and mileage charges connected with the work, plus interest running from the date payment was due.
There's a time limit built in: the lien covers labor performed or materials or services furnished within the six months before the claimant records the verified statement of lien that § 1203.58 requires. Work or materials furnished outside that six-month window aren't covered by a lien recorded at that time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I get a lien even if the well I worked on never produces oil or gas?
Yes. Section 1203.52 grants the lien whether or not a producing well results and whether or not the material is ever incorporated into the completed well.
How far back does the lien reach?
To labor performed or materials or services furnished within the six months before the claimant records the statement of lien required by § 1203.58.
Does the lien cover shipping and mileage charges?
Yes, along with interest running from the date the amount became due.
Do I need a contract with the well operator to get this lien?
You need a contract with the owner of the leasehold, though § 1203.54 extends a parallel lien to subcontractors working under an original contractor.
Amendment History
Added by Stats. 1959, Ch. 2020.
Source & verification. Section text is reproduced verbatim from
the Deering's California Codes Annotated / vLex. Enacted by the California Legislature.
Last verified July 29, 2026.
· Official source
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