Boundaries, Fences and Easements
Where the line actually falls, who may cross it, and how long use hardens into a right.
All 8 articles on this subject
Boundary Disputes Between California Neighbors
Where the line falls is a question of record, not memory. How California boundary disputes are proved, and what a long-standing fence really settles.
4 min readEasements in California
An easement is a right to use land you do not own. How each kind arises in California, and what the owner of the burdened land can still do.
4 min readBoundary Fences and Spite Fences
California presumes neighbors share the cost of a dividing fence and requires 30 days' written notice first. A malicious fence over 10 feet is a nuisance.
5 min readMetes and Bounds Descriptions in California
A metes and bounds description traces a boundary by bearings and distances between monuments. How to read one, and why two can describe the same land differently.
3 min readPrescriptive Easements in California
Five years of open use without permission can create a right to keep using someone else's land, with no requirement to have paid the taxes on it.
3 min readSpite Fences in California
A fence built purely to annoy a neighbor can be a private nuisance. Civil Code section 841.4 sets the test, and each of its elements defeats most complaints.
2 min readThe Agreed-Boundary Doctrine in California
Neighbors can fix a boundary by agreement, but only where the true line was genuinely uncertain. Bryant v. Blevins defeats most fence-based claims.
3 min readWhen a Neighbor's Structure Is on Your Land
California courts do not automatically order an encroachment removed. They weigh the hardship of removal against the harm of leaving it in place.
3 min read