4-201.Liens in general.
Article IV. Attachment · Part 2. Watercraft · Last amended 2007 · Last verified July 20, 2026
Full Text of 735 ILCS 5/4-201
Plain-English Summary
This section is the foundation of Part 2. It puts a lien on any sail vessel, steamboat, tug, scow, barge, or other craft over five tons that works Illinois waters or canals, trades between Illinois ports, or calls Illinois home port. The lien reaches not just the hull but the tackle, apparel, and furniture aboard.
Five categories of debt can support the lien: money owed for supplies, provisions, or work furnished to the craft (including repair and outfitting work by mechanics and tradesmen); wharfage, anchorage, or dock hire, including dry-dock use; towage and pumping-out charges, plus an agent's disbursements on the owner's behalf; damages for failing to perform a shipping contract made in Illinois; and damages from injuries the craft caused through the owner's, agent's, master's, or crew's negligence or misconduct — except injuries one crew member causes another.
Everything that follows in Part 2 — the complaint, the bond, the attachment order, the sale, and the distribution of proceeds — exists to enforce the lien this section creates.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of watercraft does the Section 4-201 lien cover?
Any sail vessel, steamboat, steam dredge, tug, scow, canal boat, barge, or lighter over five tons that is used or intended for use on Illinois waters or canals, used in trade between Illinois ports, or home-ported in Illinois.
Who can claim a lien under this section?
Anyone owed money for supplies or provisions furnished to the craft, work done aboard it, materials or labor spent building or repairing it, wharfage or dock hire, towage or pumping charges, an unperformed shipping contract made in Illinois, or injuries the craft caused through negligence.
Does the lien cover an injury one crew member causes another?
No. The section expressly excludes the craft's liability for an injury one member of the crew inflicts on another.
What must a claim based on a shipping contract show?
That the contract of affreightment or other contract for transporting property was made in Illinois.
Is this the same lien federal admiralty law recognizes?
No. This is a distinct Illinois statutory lien enforced through the state circuit courts under Part 2's own procedure, not a federal maritime lien.
Amendment History
(Source: P.A. 95-331, eff. 8-21-07.)