Easements in Denver County, CO
Denver's alley grid and ditch history define its easements: nearly every older block has a public alley, and ditch rights survive in pockets across the city.
Denver Clerk and Recorder
The county publishes a free public parcel viewer showing platted easement strips.
About 18 years of open, continuous, adverse use is generally required.
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 38-41-101
Read the Colorado rulesEasements you'll see most often here
- Public alley easements
- Historic ditch and lateral easements
- Utility easements for overhead lines in alleys
- Access easements for detached accessory units
Local things to watch for
- Building an ADU often turns on whether the alley easement supports access.
- Ditch laterals may be piped but still legally protected.
Check your own lot
Upload your title commitment and we'll translate Schedule B into plain English, then map the easements against your parcel boundary — free.
Common questions
How do I find out if my Denver County property has an easement?
Start with the title commitment or owner's policy from your purchase — easements are listed in Schedule B. Recorded easements are also indexed by the Denver Clerk and Recorder, and the county's free public parcel viewer usually shows platted easement strips. A current survey catches anything used on the ground but never recorded.
What easements are most common in Denver County?
Public alley easements, Historic ditch and lateral easements, Utility easements for overhead lines in alleys, among others. Building an ADU often turns on whether the alley easement supports access.
Can a neighbor gain a permanent right to cross my Denver County land?
In Colorado, open, continuous, and adverse use generally has to run for about 18 years before a prescriptive easement can be claimed. Permission given in writing usually stops the clock, because the use is then no longer adverse.
Does an easement lower property value in Denver?
It depends on where it sits and what it prohibits. A narrow utility strip along a rear lot line rarely affects value. An easement that crosses the buildable area, bars fences and structures, or gives someone else a driveway through the yard can meaningfully limit what the property can become.
Know your easements before you close
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General educational reference only. Prescription periods and their exceptions change, and several states set the period by case law rather than by statute. Read the linked official code and consult a licensed attorney in that state before relying on any of it.