Whether or not you are entitled to file a lien on a piece of property depends upon the situation you are writing about in that the filing of a lien prior to a judgment against a person in the state of California is allowed only by statute and in limited situations. Examples would be if you are a licensed California contractor and/or if any written contract allows for a pre-judgment lien filing.If you have a judgment against a person, all you need to do is have an abstract of judgment issued and then record it in the county assessor's office where the real property of the judgment debtor is located.I recommend that you consult with a debt collection attorney about the subject you are writing about for more answers to your question.Good luck.