The Pennsylvania Mechanics’ Lien statute has undergone several substantive revisions since its first iteration in 1803. Generally, the statute was broadened to reflect a common law that had consistently grown more amenable to the idea of real property encumbrances. Under the current version of the statute, 49 Pa. C.S. § 1101, et seq. (2011), it appears to be an open question as to whether oil and gas wells are proper subjects of liens for the payments of debts due to contractors or subcontractors for labor and materials furnished in the erection, construction, alteration or repair of the wells.
This uncertainty arises because Pennsylvania, a relative newcomer to the gas industry’s big stage, does not have a distinct statute devoted to liens against wells like many traditional oil- and gas-rich states.
