Reviewed by Casa Academy and updated July 29, 2026 using the current DBPR checklist and Pearson VUE scheduling guidance.
Accession
Accession is the acquisition of additional land or improvements by natural growth, attachment, or human labor such that the new value becomes part of the real property owned by the landowner.
Exam context
Questions contrast accession with annexation, emblements, and trade fixtures. Identify who owns the improvement and whether removal is allowed without damaging the real estate.
Natural accession
Soil deposited by a river (alluvion), gradual shoreline shifts (reliction), or attached vegetation can increase a parcel by operation of law. Ownership follows the underlying land unless statute or court order says otherwise. Boundary disputes often turn on whether deposition was gradual and identifiable.
Artificial accession and fixtures
When personal property is affixed to land or when a landowner builds on their own soil, accession principles ask whether the item became a fixture. Trade fixtures installed by a tenant are a common exception: commercial equipment may remain personal property if removed before lease end, even when bolted down.
Examples
River deposit
Silt builds up along a riverbank over many years, adding dry land to a farm. The riparian owner may gain title to the accreted strip under state accession rules.
Tenant trade fixture
A restaurant tenant installs a walk-in cooler bolted to the slab. At lease end, the tenant may remove the cooler if the lease allows trade fixtures and removal does not cause substantial damage.
Keep studying
Related terms
- AppurtenantRights that run with the land rather than the owner personally.
- Adverse possessionGaining title through long-term hostile possession.
Related resources
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