Easements appurtenant are adjacent to the servient estate (the underlying land). If the dominant estate (the property which enjoys the benefit of an easement over the servient estate) is sold or otherwise transferred to another, the easement over the servient land is transferred with it.

Also asked, can utility easements be moved?

To be a legal appurtenant easement, the properties involved must be adjacent to each other and must be owned by separate entities. The characterization of an easement will affect the rights to transfer the easement to another. Easements appurtenant are adjacent to the servient estate (the underlying land).

Furthermore, how do I terminate a utility easement? Terminating easements by express release or agreement Or the dominant owner can transfer the easement by deed to the servient owner. As soon as the same person owns both the easement and the servient land, the two merge because you can't have an easement on your own land.

Also to know, how close can you build to a utility easement?

Normally an easement will not prevent you from building over or under it. For example, if there is an access way through your property, you probably will be able to put a sewer under it or a structure over it.

What is the utility easement?

Utility easements are areas of a property that were defined for use by utility companies when the property was first put on a plat. They are designated for overhead electric, telephone and television lines and underground electric, water, sewer, telephone, and cable lines.

Related Question Answers

Can you put a driveway over a utility easement?

Property easements come in many shapes and forms. There are utility easements that allow sewer and gas lines. There are driveway easements that allow access to your property in the form of a short road or driveway. You do own your property.

Who is responsible for maintaining utility easement?

One issue that comes up from time to time is whose responsibility it is to maintain an easement. The short answer is – the owner of the easement is responsible for maintaining the easement.

Can you be forced to give an easement?

An easement is a request from either a public or private source to access your property for their benefit. However, with both public and private easements, the entity may take you to court in specific cases and a judge may force the easement on you when they deem it a necessity or relevant.

Can a utility company come on my property?

The typical utility easement allows the utility provider, be they electric, water, gas, cable, etc., to come onto a property to install or maintain their physical infrastructure. Regardless, the utility company didn't run their services until they had guaranteed themselves an easement.

Can you fence in a utility easement?

Building a fence on an easement is risky, because the property owner may be ordered to take it down, or find it destroyed by a public utility that has easement access to the property. Utility easements can be above or below ground, and these are usually electrical power lines, gas lines and telephone lines.

Do utility easements affect property value?

Utility easements generally don't affect the value of a property unless it imposes tight restrictions on what the property owner may and may not do. For example, beach access paths that are technically on private land, but have been used by the public for years, may be subject to such public easements.

Who owns the easement on my property?

Basically, the person or party using an easement, known as an easement holder, has a duty to maintain it. Easement holders don't become owners of the land attached to their easements, though, and within limits the actual landowners retain most rights over it.

Should I sign a utility easement?

The bottom line is that developers and builders who are presented with utility company easement forms should not just sign them, but think about the kinds of issues they can present. It is easier to negotiate these concessions up front before the lines go in, than to ask the utility company to amend its easement later.

Is it bad to have a drainage easement on your property?

A drainage easement may have a negative impact on property value if it severely restricts the use of the property, but that generally occurs only on smaller parcels in which the easement makes up a good deal of the yard area.

How much should I pay for an easement?

The owner should consider asking an easement holder to pay part of the property taxes as part of the negotiation process. If the easement impacts 2 percent of the value of the property, then an agreement to pay 2 percent of the real property taxes every year would be appropriate.

How wide must an easement be?

The minimum width of the tract or access easement serving four or more lots shall be thirty feet.

Can you put a gate on an easement?

Matthew Ace Johnson. The short answer is that yes the land owner likely can close and/or lock the gate across an easement. However, the land owner would need to provide the easement holder with access (so a key to the lock for instance); otherwise they are

What is a private drainage easement?

A drainage easement is a part of your property where the City has limited rights of access and/or use. Generally, you cannot make any improvements in a drainage easement. That means no fences, sheds, walls, trails or buildings. You should avoid planting trees or much landscaping as well.

What is the easement in my backyard?

Backyard Easements Affect Your Building. Easements are a right given to another person or entity to trespass upon or use land owned by someone else. The most common type of easement found in residential neighborhoods are public utilities. This can include above ground easements such as power lines or telephone lines.

What is an access and utility easement?

A utility easement is an easement that allows a utility the right to use and access specific area of another's property for laying gas, electric, water, and sewer lines. Having an easement gives the utility the right to use the land, but the utility does not own it.

What is a waterline easement?

An easement is a legal right to use someone else's land for a particular purpose. For example, the municipal water company may have an easement to run water pipes under your property. Easements are sometimes in writing and referred to in property deeds or title papers prepared by a title insurance company or attorney.

What can I put on an easement?

Building over an easement
  • garden sheds.
  • water tanks.
  • barbecues.
  • pergolas.
  • cubby houses.
  • fences (not including paling fences)
  • garages, carports.
  • home extensions.

How long does a property easement last?

The individual actually uses the property. The use is continuous for the statutory period – typically between 5 and 30 years. The use is adverse to the true owner, i.e. without the owner's permission.

Which would terminate an easement?

  • Expiration. The simplest way an easement can terminate is if the time period for the easement's existence expires.
  • Merger of Title.
  • Release or Abandonment by the Easement Holder.
  • Cessation of the Purpose of the Easement.
  • Destruction of the Servient Tenement.
  • Prescription.