Glossary · Property
Easement
easement-d34d178a44898385-2026-07-28
- Type
- Glossary
- Jurisdiction
- National
- Date
- 2026-07-28
- Topic
- Property
A legal right to use another person's land for a specific purpose without owning it, such as a driveway crossing a neighbor's parcel or a utility line running beneath it. Easements can be created by written grant, by necessity, or by long-continued use, and many run with the land, binding future owners. The landowner keeps full ownership but cannot interfere with the easement holder's permitted use.
Definition
A legal right to use another person's land for a specific purpose without owning it, such as a driveway crossing a neighbor's parcel or a utility line running beneath it. Easements can be created by written grant, by necessity, or by long-continued use, and many run with the land, binding future owners. The landowner keeps full ownership but cannot interfere with the easement holder's permitted use.
Easement. A legal right to use another person's land for a specific purpose without owning it, such as a driveway crossing a neighbor's parcel or a utility line running beneath it. Easements can be created by written grant, by necessity, or by long-continued use, and many run with the land, binding future owners. The landowner keeps full ownership but cannot interfere with the easement holder's permitted use. Example: The beach cottage came with a recorded easement allowing its owners to cross the adjacent lot to reach the shore.