What Is a Property Easement in New Hampshire Real Estate?
- Jim Johnson
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
🏡 What Is a Property Easement in New Hampshire Real Estate?
A property easement is a legal right that allows someone else to use a portion of your land for a specific purpose. Easements are extremely common in New Hampshire, especially on rural parcels, shared driveways, waterfront properties, and land with private wells or utility lines.
Here’s what buyers and sellers should understand before closing.
⭐ What Is an Easement?
An easement is a legal interest that gives another person, company, or property owner the right to use a portion of your land.
Common types include:
✔ Driveway or access easements
✔ Utility easements
✔ Well access or well-radius easements
✔ Septic or leach field easements
✔ Conservation easements
✔ Waterfront access easements
Easements stay with the property unless legally released.
⭐ Common Easements in New Hampshire
New Hampshire properties frequently have:
✔ Shared driveway easements – common on long rural roads
✔ Well radius easements – when a shared or off-lot well serves neighbors
✔ Septic easements – leach fields located partially on another lot
✔ Utility easements – power lines, fiber, or underground pipes
✔ Conservation or environmental easements – restricting development
✔ Access easements – allowing passage to back lots or landlocked parcels
These are especially common in older subdivisions and rural towns.
⭐ Why Easements Matter in NH Transactions
Easements can affect:
✔ Property value
✔ Insurance
✔ Appraisal outcomes
✔ Ability to build or expand
✔ Future land use
✔ Driveway rights
✔ Septic approvals
✔ Well placement and water rights
Buyers must understand an easement’s location and purpose before signing a purchase contract.
⭐ How Buyers Can Find Easements
Buyers should check:
✔ The property deed
✔ The title search / title commitment
✔ The plat map or subdivision plan
✔ Town records
✔ GIS maps (some towns list utility easements)
✔ Surveyor notes
Your NH home inspector may also point out visible easement features like utility boxes or shared driveways.
⭐ Do Easements Reduce Property Value?
Sometimes — depending on the type.
✔ Utility or drainage easements: little impact
✔ Shared driveways: mild impact
✔ Septic or well easements: moderate impact
✔ Major conservation easements: can reduce development value
✔ Access easements for other lots: sometimes reduce privacy
Most easements are normal and do NOT prevent a sale, but buyers must know the limitations.
⭐ Can Easements Be Removed?
Only if:
✔ All parties agree in writing
✔ A new deed or release is recorded
✔ The easement is no longer needed
✔ Town or utility approval is granted (when applicable)
Some conservation easements can never be removed.
⭐ Bottom Line
Easements are common in New Hampshire and often essential for utilities, access, and shared land use. Buyers should always review easements closely so they understand how the land can—and cannot—be used before making an offer.
Jim Johnson — Real Estate Agent
58 NH Route 25A
Wentworth, NH 03282
P: (857) 249-7392
Licensed New Hampshire REALTOR® with Three Hills Real Estate Services
Broker Email: info@ThreeHillsRES.com
Broker Website: www.ThreeHillsRES.com
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