Casa Academy

Reviewed by Casa Academy and updated July 29, 2026 using the current DBPR checklist and Pearson VUE scheduling guidance.

Appurtenant

Appurtenant describes a right or improvement that belongs to and transfers with a specific parcel of land, such as an easement benefiting a dominant tenement or a fixture that became part of the real estate.

Exam context

Label the dominant and servient estates in easement questions. If the benefit is tied to Lot B and Lot B sells, an appurtenant easement follows Lot B. Personal licenses and easements in gross usually do not.

Runs with the land

Appurtenant interests attach to ownership of the benefited parcel rather than to an individual person. When the parcel sells, the easement or benefit passes automatically to the grantee unless the deed or court order says otherwise. Easements in gross, by contrast, benefit a person or utility company and may not transfer with land.

Fixtures and appurtenances

Items once personal property can become appurtenant fixtures when annexed to real estate with intent for permanence. Trade fixtures are a deliberate exception for certain commercial equipment. Exam fact patterns ask whether the right or item transferred with the deed or stayed with the former owner.

Examples

  • Driveway easement

    Lot A holds an appurtenant easement across Lot B for driveway access. Buyer of Lot A receives the easement even if the deed is silent because it runs with the land.

  • Easement in gross contrast

    A utility company holds an easement in gross to run lines. That right benefits the company, not a particular neighboring parcel, and is not appurtenant to a dominant lot.

Keep studying

Practice appurtenant questionsEnroll in pre-licensing

Related terms

  • AccessionHow attached items become part of real property.
  • Air rightsVertical interests that may transfer with or apart from land.

Related resources

Sources