What is required for an easement to be legal?

For an easement to be considered legal, it is essential that it benefits a specific property, which is often referred to as the "dominant tenement." This means that the easement must provide a tangible benefit to the property in question, allowing its owner to utilize that easement for a particular purpose. It is important to have a defined benefit because easements are about granting permission to use someone else's property for a specific reason, such as for ingress and egress, utility access, or drainage.

While it is also common and advisable for easements to be in writing, filed with the county, and agreed upon by all parties involved, these aspects do not define the legal nature of the easement itself. The fundamental requirement is that the easement must serve a purpose that benefits a specific parcel of land unless it is strictly for public use like a right-of-way. Thus, this characteristic of benefiting a specific property stands as the cornerstone of what constitutes a legal easement.