A mechanic’s lien is a privilege authorized by state law that permits contractors, suppliers, and certain qualifying construction professionals who have provided labor or materials to improve real property to publicly record the value of the unpaid improvements against the property owner’s title.
The term “artisan’s lien” may be defined more specifically by the law in your state, but it generally refers to a creator’s ongoing security interest in a client’s movable property until that creator has been paid for her work. In the context of construction law, design professionals in certain states (such as California), a design professional may be entitled to secure his debt through artisan’s lien even if no physical work was performed to the real property.