Legal Definitions - Statutory lien

A statutory lien is a type of lien that is created by a law or statute, rather than by a contract or agreement between parties. These liens do not depend on common law or specific contractual provisions for their existence. However, many statutory liens are based on liens that existed under common law.

For example, a mechanic's lien is a type of statutory lien that gives mechanics and other workers the right to place a lien on a property if they have not been paid for work they have done on that property. Another example is a tax lien, which is a lien placed on a property by a government agency to secure payment of unpaid taxes.

These examples illustrate the definition of a statutory lien because they are both created by laws or statutes, rather than by a contract or agreement between parties. They also do not depend on common law or specific contractual provisions for their existence.