Design Professionals' Lien

Overview of Design Professionals' Lien (CA Only)

A "design professionals' lien" is filed to place a lien against a property for unpaid bills arising from a construction project or other form of work of improvement. This special lien is only available to licensed architects, landscape architects, registered professional engineers, or licensed land surveyors. This type of lien is used when no actual construction has commenced yet (i.e. after all the drawings are complete and building permits issued, the landowner decides to no longer proceed with the development and does not pay the architect). If actual construction such as framing has already commenced, then a regular construction lien should be used instead. Click here for more information regarding the specific requirements for a Design Professionals' Lien.

A lien will "cloud" the property title and make it difficult for the property owner to sell the property or obtain a loan until it has been removed by the person who filed the lien. If the design professional is still not paid after filing the lien, the design professional can enforce the lien by filing a lawsuit to foreclose on the property in order to repay the amount owed. Due to expensive court costs and long waiting periods, it is best to use the construction lien as leverage to obtain payment and avoid the court system. If payment is still not received after filing the lien, you should consider filing a lawsuit to foreclose.

My Legal Depot will take the confusion out of preparing and filing your design professionals' lien by taking care of all the necessary steps. Our experienced staff will research the property profile, obtain the legal description, and review your order for errors and discrepancies. Afterwards, we will prepare and file your lien with the appropriate government agency. A notice of lien will be mailed to the property owner after the lien has been filed.

Preparing a design professionals' lien can be complicated, time consuming, and expensive. My Legal Depot has registered Legal Document Assistants (LDAs) that have experience in preparing and filing thousands of legal documents. Let us prepare and file your legal documents promptly and accurately at affordable rates.

Note: We only prepare and file design professionals' liens in California. In most other states, design professionals can file a regular construction lien instead. Click here for more information regarding the specific requirements for a Design Professionals' Lien