Servient estate
The parcel burdened by an easement.
The servient owner keeps full ownership and may use the strip in any way that does not unreasonably interfere with the easement holder's rights.
Maintenance duties depend on the easement document and, absent one, on state default rules.
Why it matters when you buy
If your lot is servient, expect limits on fencing, planting, grading, and building inside the burdened strip.
Related terms
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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