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H.B. 207

             1     

PRESCRIPTIVE EASEMENTS ACT

             2     
2005 GENERAL SESSION

             3     
STATE OF UTAH

             4     
Sponsor: Gregory H. Hughes

             5     
             6      LONG TITLE
             7      General Description:
             8          This bill modifies the Real Estate title to address prescriptive easements.
             9      Highlighted Provisions:
             10          This bill:
             11          .    defines terms;
             12          .    requires a person seeking to create a prescriptive easement to file notice with the
             13      county recorder;
             14          .    codifies the period of time necessary to establish a prescriptive easement; and
             15          .    requires an owner of real property establishing a prescriptive easement to
             16      compensate the owner of the affected property under certain circumstances.
             17      Monies Appropriated in this Bill:
             18          None
             19      Other Special Clauses:
             20          None
             21      Utah Code Sections Affected:
             22      ENACTS:
             23          57-13b-101, Utah Code Annotated 1953
             24          57-13b-102, Utah Code Annotated 1953
             25          57-13b-201, Utah Code Annotated 1953
             26          57-13b-202, Utah Code Annotated 1953
             27          57-13b-203, Utah Code Annotated 1953



             28     
             29      Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
             30          Section 1. Section 57-13b-101 is enacted to read:
             31     
CHAPTER 13b. PRESCRIPTIVE EASEMENTS ACT

             32     
Part 1. General Provisions

             33          57-13b-101. Title.
             34          This chapter is known as the "Prescriptive Easements Act."
             35          Section 2. Section 57-13b-102 is enacted to read:
             36          57-13b-102. Definitions.
             37          As used in this chapter:
             38          (1) "Dominant estate" means real property that benefits from the existence of a
             39      prescriptive easement.
             40          (2) "Prescriptive easement" means a right to use another's real property that is acquired
             41      through a continuous period of open and notorious adverse use, as determined in a judicial
             42      proceeding.
             43          (3) "Prescriptive period" means the length of time of continuous use, as defined in
             44      Section 57-13b-202 , necessary to establish a prescriptive easement.
             45          (4) "Servient estate" means real property subject to a prescriptive easement.
             46          Section 3. Section 57-13b-201 is enacted to read:
             47     
Part 2. Establishing a Prescriptive Easement

             48          57-13b-201. Notice of prescriptive easement claim.
             49          (1) To establish a prescriptive easement, a person seeking to establish a prescriptive
             50      easement must file notice of that person's intent to establish a prescriptive easement at least one
             51      year before the day on which the prescriptive period described in Section 57-13b-202 ends.
             52          (2) The notice required by Subsection (1) shall:
             53          (a) be filed in the office of the county recorder for the county in which the servient
             54      estate lies;
             55          (b) specifically identify the servient estate;
             56          (c) specifically identify the dominant estate; and
             57          (d) include a legal description of the prospective prescriptive easement.
             58          (3) In addition to the notice required by Subsection (1), a person seeking to establish a


             59      prescriptive easement must send a copy of the notice by certified mail at least one year before
             60      the day on which the prescriptive period described in Section 57-13b-202 ends to any person
             61      who appears as an owner of the servient estate in the county recorder's records.
             62          Section 4. Section 57-13b-202 is enacted to read:
             63          57-13b-202. Prescriptive period.
             64          (1) Except as provided in Subsection (2), the prescriptive period for establishing a
             65      prescriptive easement is 20 years.
             66          (2) If a person fails to file the notice required by Section 57-13b-201 , the prescriptive
             67      period is extended until one year after the day on which the notice required by Section
             68      57-13b-201 is filed.
             69          Section 5. Section 57-13b-203 is enacted to read:
             70          57-13b-203. Compensation for a prescriptive easement.
             71          (1) The owner of a dominant estate shall compensate the owner of a servient estate for
             72      any decrease in value of the servient estate caused by the existence of a prescriptive easement if
             73      the existence of the prescriptive easement is not necessary for the owner or user of the
             74      dominant estate to accomplish the purposes for which the prescriptive easement is used.
             75          (2) Compensation is not due under Subsection (1) until a prescriptive easement is
             76      established in a judicial proceeding in which:
             77          (a) the owner of the dominant estate is a party; and
             78          (b) the owner of the servient estate is a party.
             79          (3) The amount of compensation due under Subsection (1) shall be the difference
             80      between the value of the servient estate in the absence of the prescriptive easement and the
             81      value of the servient estate encumbered by the prescriptive easement.




Legislative Review Note
    as of 1-17-05 4:37 PM


Based on a limited legal review, this legislation has not been determined to have a high
probability of being held unconstitutional.

Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel


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