What is an easement?

Easements appear on the plat and in the declaration, and they bind whoever owns the land next. Utility easements let a provider run and service lines; drainage easements keep stormwater flowing where it was engineered to go; access easements allow the association or a neighbour to cross.

The practical consequence is what may be built. Fences, sheds, pools, trees and additions placed inside an easement can be removed at the owner's expense, sometimes years later, when the holder needs access — which is why architectural review should check the plat rather than only the aesthetics.

Associations also hold easements of their own, typically the right to enter a lot to inspect or to abate a violation after notice. That right is defined in the declaration and should be exercised strictly within it.