A parcel of land that does not have access to a public roadway and can only be accessed by crossing another’s property.
Owners of landlocked property may be able to gain street access through an easement. The owner of a landlocked parcel may also negotiate and purchase an easement from a neighboring landowner to gain access to a public roadway. Additionally, there may be an implied easement by necessity where the owner of a parcel of land conveys part of their land to another, making the part conveyed landlocked. Here, the easement may be implied in the original transaction. It is important to note that all land in implied easements by necessity must have once been commonly owned (land entirely owned by one party, then parts were conveyed).
[Last updated in June of 2020 by the Wex Definitions Team]