An easement grants a party a non-possessory interest in the property of another individual. An easement can be created in a variety of ways to benefit the parties, such as providing a utility company with access to land to lay wires or granting a neighbor access to a walkway to reach his own property. Once an easement is created, it continues to benefit the easement holder until it is terminated. An easement can be terminated once a specific time has passed, as a result of actions or inactions taken by one or both parties, or through altered circumstances. Below is a summary of some of the methods of extinguishing an easement.
Expiration. An easement may expire after a certain period of time in accordance with the terms set forth in the grant. An easement can also terminate upon the occurrence of a specific event. In both cases, the easement automatically expires.
Release or abandonment. The holder of the easement can release the easement grantor from its terms. Alternatively, the owner of the easement can extinguish an easement through his actions. If the owner of the easement has not used the easement for a reasonable amount of time or has demonstrated that he has no future intention of using the easement or transferring it to another party, the easement may be extinguished on the grounds of abandonment.
Prescription. The grantor of the easement may also terminate the easement through his own actions. Prescription occurs when the owner of the servient estate (the estate that has granted the easement) behaves in a manner that is contradictory to the use for which the easement was granted. This might occur if the owner of the servient estate erects a fence on an access road which the easement holder has used to reach his property.
Estoppel. The equitable doctrine of estoppel terminates an easement when the holder of the easement engages in conduct that indicates an intent to abandon the easement and the owner of the servient estate acts in reliance on this assumption. If the servient estate holder makes alterations to his property based on nonuse and he would be harmed if the easement was used again, then the easement holder may be estopped.
Merger. An easement can be terminated through merger when the same person acquires ownership of both the servient and dominant estates.
Contact Shane Coons at 949-333-0900 or visit his website at www.ShaneCoonsLaw.com to find out more about his practice.