Because publicly owned property does not generally appreciate surprise mechanics liens.
One of the most common public project assumptions sounds like this:
“We didn’t get paid. Let’s file a lien.”
Reasonable thought.
Wrong project.
Publicly owned property generally does not follow traditional private-project lien workflows. Payment protection often shifts to bond claim remedies instead.
The Practical Takeaway
The better question is:
“What payment protection option applies here?”
Because public project remedies often follow a different path.