Easements in Broward County, FL
Broward County lots are almost entirely platted, and water management easements are the single most common restriction homeowners run into.
Broward County Records, Taxes and Treasury Division
The county publishes a free public parcel viewer showing platted easement strips.
About 20 years of open, continuous, adverse use is generally required.
Fla. Stat. § 95.361; Downing v. Bird, 100 So. 2d 57 (Fla. 1958)
Read the Florida rulesEasements you'll see most often here
- Water management and drainage easements
- Utility easements along side and rear lot lines
- Lake maintenance easements
- Access easements for interior and flag lots
Local things to watch for
- Water management districts hold easements separately from the county.
- Screen enclosures and pools are the usual sources of easement encroachment claims here.
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 Broward 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 Broward County Records, Taxes and Treasury Division, 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 Broward County?
Water management and drainage easements, Utility easements along side and rear lot lines, Lake maintenance easements, among others. Water management districts hold easements separately from the county.
Can a neighbor gain a permanent right to cross my Broward County land?
In Florida, open, continuous, and adverse use generally has to run for about 20 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 Fort Lauderdale?
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.