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

Easement in Gross

An easement in gross benefits a specific person or company rather than adjacent land, commonly used for utility lines, billboard sites, or pipeline corridors, and may or may not be transferable depending on the grant language.

Exam context

Identify gross easements when the beneficiary is a utility or individual, not a neighboring parcel. Appurtenant easements require dominant and servient estates; gross easements attach to the holder.

Personal vs commercial gross easements

A personal easement in gross might let a neighbor fish on a pond and ends when that neighbor dies or sells unless assigned. A commercial easement in gross to a utility company typically survives sale of the servient estate and assigns to successor utilities.

Title and valuation impact

Gross easements appear as exceptions on title commitments and may reduce buildable area or market value. Buyers must review width, maintenance duties, and indemnity clauses. Exams ask whether the easement runs with the utility company or the landowner's personal privilege.

Examples

  • Power transmission

    A regional utility holds a 100-foot easement in gross across farmland to maintain transmission towers. The easement assigns to successor utilities and binds all future farm owners.

  • Personal recreational use

    A grant allows a specific individual to hunt on a tract. Unless assignable, the right terminates when that individual dies even though the land passes to heirs.

Keep studying

Practice easement in gross questionsEnroll in pre-licensing

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