We Protect Your California Easement Rights

California easement law refers to the right to use the land of another person for a particular purpose.  California easements are not an uncommon phenomenon.  Many properties have easements.  They may be for made for public utility or power lines, phone lines, water pipes, sewers pipes, or gas lines.  They can also include shared driveways and fences between neighbors, as well as circumstances in which one person needs to cross the land of another in order to access a public road.

Know your California easement rights

It will come as no surprise that California property easement can sometimes cause legal difficulties between two parties.  If you are involved in such a dispute, you should be aware of your California easement rights in order to determine whether they are being breached.

Typically, an easement grants only the rights specified and no others.  For example, if the easement states that another party may pass and repass for access, that party does not have the right to park his or her car on your property, or to install utility lines.  Similarly, if the easement is for utilities, it will likely not include the right to access your property in order to pass through it.

A California easement usually serves only the property to which it is granted.  For instance, if you have a driveway easement over your property, the easement does not extend to your front yard, backyard, or home itself.  It is for your driveway and your driveway only.  If a party wanted to expand its rights to use the driveway—and you were unwilling to grant the requested access—under property easement law in California, the other party could pursue the issue in court in order to obtain access.

And when you do grant an easement, you still own the land under it.  Generally, you may do whatever you wish with that property as long as it does not contradict California property easement law.  For instance, if your neighbor has an easement for access to a shared driveway, you are still allowed to landscape the path along the driveway, as long as it does not block the access of your neighbor to park his or her car.

Oliver, Sandifer, & Murphy are familiar with both state and local California easement laws.  If you feel that your easement rights are not being respected, discuss your case with our firm today, and get the experienced legal help you need.

Contact us about your California easement dispute

If you are looking for an eminent domain lawyer in California Oliver, Sandifer, & Murphy are skilled in handling California easement litigation, and we serve clients statewide from offices in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area.  You may contact us by calling 888-336-6246 (888-EDomain).