B.C.’s Commercial Liens Act: Key Lessons From The First Year In The Courts

British Columbia’s Commercial Liens Act (the “Act”) came into force on June 30, 2025, giving businesses that transport, tow, store, salvage, repair, maintain, or improve goods a statutory lien to secure payment for their services. By replacing a patchwork of older lien statutes and common law liens with a single regime, the Act changes how service providers can secure payment, and how they must document and enforce their rights.

The Act is a significant change for carriers in particular. Previously, road carriers generally relied on the common law carrier’s lien, which depended on retaining possession of the goods, and was lost on delivery. Under the Act, with the right paperwork, a lien can be registered and enforced after the goods are released. But the Act’s formal requirements matter: a lien that does not comply may be unenforceable, and improper enforcement can expose the service provider to liability.