Easements Relating to Land Surveying and Title Examination

Preface ix
<p>Acknowledgments xiii</p>
<p>1 Introduction 1</p>
<p>Rights and Interests in Land; Transfer of Ownership 1</p>
<p>Means of Transferring or Obtaining Title or Rights in Land 3</p>
<p>2 Easements in General 8</p>
<p>Definition: What is an Easement? 8</p>
<p>Easement Terminology 20</p>
<p>Intermittent Easements 25</p>
<p>3 Types of Easements 29</p>
<p>Right of Way 29</p>
<p>Right of Way Line 31</p>
<p>4 Creation of Easements 45</p>
<p>Express Grant 46</p>
<p>Reservation or Exception 49</p>
<p>Agreement or Covenant 51</p>
<p>Implication 51</p>
<p>Estoppel 62</p>
<p>Prescription 63</p>
<p>Eminent Domain 72</p>
<p>Custom 74</p>
<p>Vote of a Governing Body 82</p>
<p>5 Termination of Easements 85</p>
<p>Expiration 85</p>
<p>Release 86</p>
<p>Merger of Title 87</p>
<p>Abandonment 87</p>
<p>Estoppel 90</p>
<p>Prescription or Adverse Possession 90</p>
<p>Destruction of the Servient Estate 91</p>
<p>Cessation of Necessity 92</p>
<p>Eminent Domain 92</p>
<p>Frustration of Purpose 92</p>
<p>Overburden 94</p>
<p>6 Easements and Descriptions 96</p>
<p>General 96</p>
<p>Void Instruments 100</p>
<p>Interpretation 102</p>
<p>Compilation 105</p>
<p>7 Problem Easements 108</p>
<p>Undescribed Easements, Blanket Easements 108</p>
<p>Locating an Undefined Easement 109</p>
<p>Hidden Easements 110</p>
<p>Rolling Easements 111</p>
<p>Shore Road Allowances in Canada 114</p>
<p>The New Zealand Example 115</p>
<p>8 The Process of Reversion 117</p>
<p>Estate in Reversion 117</p>
<p>Possibility of Reverter 117</p>
<p>9 Reversion of Easements 122</p>
<p>Highways 124</p>
<p>Flowage 124</p>
<p>Railroads 125</p>
<p>10 Reversion Relating to Highways (and to Other Types of Rights of Way) 127</p>
<p>Discontinuance or Abandonment 128</p>
<p>Actual Highway Abandonment 128</p>
<p>Procedure 129</p>
<p>Presumption of Law 131</p>
<p>Overcoming the Presumption 135</p>
<p>Abandonment, Strictly Speaking 137</p>
<p>11 Rules of Locating and Defining Reversions 140</p>
<p>Basic Rule 141</p>
<p>Curved Street 142</p>
<p>Street Intersection 142</p>
<p>Ownership at Intersection with Reversion Only at One Street 143</p>
<p>Curved Street Intersection 144</p>
<p>Lots at an Angle Point in the Road 144</p>
<p>Lots Adjoining a Subdivision Boundary 145</p>
<p>Marginal Road 146</p>
<p>Special Cases 146</p>
<p>Problem Cases 147</p>
<p>Documents Indefinite or Not Available 150</p>
<p>Summary of Procedure for Determining Reversion Rights in Vacated Highways 151</p>
<p>12 Easements and the Land Surveyor 153</p>
<p>ALTA/ACSM Standards 153</p>
<p>Right of Way as Boundary Line 154</p>
<p>Retracement of Right of Way Line 154</p>
<p>Retractment of Original Survey of Highway 155</p>
<p>Easement Plans are Land Surveys 155</p>
<p>Liability of the Land Surveyor 156</p>
<p>Easements are Similar to Other Land 156</p>
<p>13 Easements and the Title Examiner (or Records Researcher) 157</p>
<p>Items Outside the Period of Search 157</p>
<p>Items Not on the Public Record at the Court House 157</p>
<p>Items to Be Shown by an Accurate Survey 158</p>
<p>Implied Dedication and/or Acceptance 158</p>
<p>What Insurance Does Not Cover 158</p>
<p>Liability of the Title Examiner 162</p>
<p>14 Case Studies 164</p>
<p>Case #1 Who Owns the Road? 164</p>
<p>Case #2 Who Owns the Land? 168</p>
<p>Case #3 How Much Research is Necessary? 170</p>
<p>Case #4 How Wide is the Right of Way? 173</p>
<p>Case #5 When Does a Road Become Not a Road? 179</p>
<p>Case #6: Presumption of Ownership to Centerline Overcome 182</p>
<p>Case #7 Right of Way Created by Estoppel 187</p>
<p>Case #8 The Marginal Road, a Special Case 191</p>
<p>Case #9 Road Constructed Outside of Layout 194</p>
<p>Case #10 Reversion of a Cemetery Lot 196</p>
<p>Case #11 Determining Title to Land Parcel When a Road is Relocated 205</p>
<p>Case #12 Easement by Agreement Resulting in Cessation of Necessity 214</p>
<p>Case #13 Road Shown on Subdivision Plat Not a Public Way 218</p>
<p>Case #14 Railroad as Abutter Not Receiving One–Half of Vacated Highway 225</p>
<p>Case #15 Overburdening an Easement Causing Its Termination 231</p>
<p>Case #16 Major Expansion of Development Not Causing an Overburden 238</p>
<p>Case #17 Proprietor′s Way 242</p>
<p>Case #18 Easement by Custom 249</p>
<p>References 259</p>
<p>For Further Reference 260</p>
<p>Glossary 264</p>
<p>Index 281</p>