Schedule B
The section of a title commitment listing what the policy will not cover.
Schedule B-I lists the requirements you must satisfy before the policy issues. Schedule B-II lists exceptions: the easements, restrictions, liens, and encroachments the insurer refuses to insure against.
Most easement surprises are buried in Schedule B-II, often written as a reference to a recorded document rather than as a plain description of what it does.
Why it matters when you buy
Schedule B is where the actual limits on your property live, and it is the section most buyers never read.
How it reads in a real document
“Schedule B — Section II Exceptions: 7. Easement granted to City of Springfield recorded 06/14/1978 in Book 512, Page 331. 8. Restrictions recorded in Book 498, Page 12.”
Each numbered line is a limitation the insurer will not cover. A bare book-and-page citation is not a description — you have to pull the referenced instrument to learn the width, the location, and what it prohibits.
The mistake people make
Skimming Schedule B because it is short. Two lines of citation can conceal a transmission corridor across the middle of the lot.
What to do next
- Number every exception and request the underlying recorded document for each one.
- Sort them into use restrictions, monetary liens, and standard boilerplate.
- Raise anything that touches your build plan before your objection deadline expires.
What it does to value
Schedule B does not change value directly, but it is where the value questions surface. Every recorded easement, covenant and mineral reservation that will affect your use is listed here, usually by book and page rather than by any description of what it does.
What is not true
It is not true that Schedule B tells you where the easements are. It tells you they exist. Location takes the underlying document plus a survey.
Questions people ask
What is the difference between Schedule B-I and B-II?
B-I lists requirements -- things that must happen before the policy issues, such as paying off a mortgage or delivering a deed. B-II lists exceptions, the matters the policy will not cover, which is where easements, covenants and reservations appear.
Can exceptions be removed?
Some can. Standard exceptions may be deleted with a survey or an affidavit, and expired or already-released items can be cleared by showing the release. Recorded easements that genuinely encumber the land will stay, because the policy cannot insure them away.
What should I actually ask for?
Copies of every instrument listed in B-II. Title companies supply them on request and often will not send them unless asked. Reading the exceptions list without reading the documents behind it is the most common way buyers miss a problem.
Related terms
Where this comes up
Homeowner questions where “schedule b” decides the answer:
- How do I find easements on my property?
- How do I read a title commitment for easements?
- What happens if I build on an easement?
- What is a blanket easement?
- Do I need a survey to locate an easement?
Time limits differ by state - see the prescriptive easement period where your property is.
Wondering what an encumbrance like this is worth? Estimate the effect on property value.
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.
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