Types of easements

What is a utility easement on my property?

A utility easement gives a power, water, gas, telecom, or sewer company the legal right to enter, use, and maintain a defined strip of your land for infrastructure.

Utility easements are the most common type of easement on residential lots. They let public and private utilities install, inspect, repair, and replace lines, poles, transformers, manholes, and other equipment. The easement is usually recorded on the plat or in a separate deed.

The easement typically limits what you can build, plant, or store inside the corridor. Structures, permanent fences, deep-rooted trees, and pools are often prohibited because they interfere with maintenance access.

Some utility easements are blanket easements, meaning they cover the entire parcel until the utility actually locates facilities. Blanket easements can be hard to spot on a survey because there may be no visible corridor.

What this looks like in practice

A utility easement is a permanent burden on the land, not a lease you can wait out. It survives sale, subdivision, and refinancing, and the utility does not have to ask permission each time it needs access. In practice that means periodic vegetation clearing, occasional heavy equipment, and the right to dig, including through landscaping you paid for.

The width matters more than most buyers expect. A 10-foot rear-lot easement is usually background noise; a 50- or 100-foot transmission corridor can remove a meaningful share of your usable yard and dictate where a pool, garage, or addition can go. Read the granted width and the stated purpose together, because a corridor described for 'distribution lines' can sometimes be used for additional facilities.

What to do next

1Locate the easement on the recorded plat and note its width and which lot line it follows.
2Pull the recorded documents from the county recorder, clerk, or register of deeds, most offices provide a certified copy for a few dollars per page, and many publish a free online index.
3Call 811 before any digging, free in every state. To have existing lines marked so you know what actually sits in the corridor.
4Ask the utility's real estate or right-of-way department in writing what is permitted inside the strip; many publish an encroachment policy at no cost.

What to look for

The recorded width and location on the plat or in a utility deed.
Whether the mapped corridor matches the location of poles, pedestals, transformers, or manholes.
Blanket easements that encumber the whole parcel until facilities are built.
Maintenance clauses that allow crews to clear vegetation or remove obstructions.

Questions people ask next

Do I still own the land under a utility easement?

Yes. You keep ownership, you pay the property taxes on it, and it counts toward lot area in most jurisdictions. What you give up is exclusive control: the utility holds a right to enter and use the strip for its stated purpose.

Can a utility easement be moved?

Sometimes, by agreement and at the landowner's expense. Utilities will occasionally relocate facilities if the new alignment serves them equally well and the owner pays engineering and construction costs, which are frequently substantial.

Will the utility pay me for the easement?

For a new easement, generally yes, compensation is typically based on the value of the strip taken plus any reduction in value to the remainder. For an easement recorded decades ago, that payment was made to a prior owner.

Related terms