What is an Easement?

An easement is defined as:

A right to use the land of another for a specific purpose, such as a right-of-way or for utilities; a nonpossessory interest in the land. – Fundamentals of Real Estate Appraisal

Easements can be temporary or permanent, said to “run with the land.” Examples of easements include:

• Land owner may have an easement over another property in order to gain access to his/her property, such as in the case of a rear lot.
• A land owner may also have an easement over another property to gain access to a beach or a boat launch.
• A developer may require an easement over a neighboring property to gain access to sewer drainage or other public utility such as power lines. 
• A developer or town may require that land be sold with conservation or wetland easements which would restrict the land owner from ever building on that part of the land.

Depending on the type, easements may have little or no effect on the value of a property.