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H.B. 207
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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
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29 Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
30 Section 1. Section 57-13b-101 is enacted to read:
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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:
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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.