Also known as: prescribe · prescribes · prescribed · prescribing · prescriptions · statute of limitations · acquisitive prescription
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
A doctrine by which one acquires an easement or other property interest through open, notorious, adverse, and continuous use of another's land for the statutory period. The doctrine also extinguishes easements or covenants when the servient owner or a third party engages in long-continued conduct inconsistent with the right for the statutory period.
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Preston Pratt regularly drove across the corner of Pearl Porter's ranch to reach his barn for fifteen years without permission. When Porter erected a fence blocking the path, Pratt claimed a prescriptive easement. The court recognized the right because the use satisfied all elements of prescription for the statutory period.
Phoebe Park used an alley behind Portia Price's house daily for ten years to reach her storeroom. Price later built a fence blocking the alley. Park's prescriptive easement claim failed because Price's adverse conduct for the statutory period terminated the right under the doctrine of prescription.
Priscilla Parks violated a subdivision covenant by operating a home business for the full statutory period without objection from neighbors. When the homeowners association sued, the court held the covenant terminated by prescription because the open violation went unchallenged for the required time.
Pilar Pena crossed a neighbor's vacant lot daily to reach a public road for twelve years. The neighbor then installed a locked gate. Pena established a prescriptive easement because her use met the adverse, open, and continuous requirements throughout the statutory period.
Peak Performance used a shared driveway across Prosperity Investments' parcel for the statutory period without permission. When Prosperity fenced the drive, the court found the easement extinguished by prescription due to Prosperity's long inconsistent use.
Pulse Media employees crossed Progressive Healthcare's coastal property daily for fifteen years to reach the beach. When Progressive blocked the path, the employees prevailed on a prescriptive easement claim because the use satisfied every element for the full statutory period.
Prescription creates or extinguishes easements and servitudes through long use or violation, while adverse possession transfers title to the entire parcel. Both require adverse, open, notorious, continuous, and hostile acts for the statutory period, but prescription does not demand exclusivity in the same way.
The claimant must show use that is adverse, open and notorious, continuous, and without permission for the full statutory period. Mere nonuse by the dominant owner does not create the right. Affirmative inconsistent acts by the servient owner can instead extinguish an existing easement.
…is only to be affixed to an instrument which is complete. The commission being signed, the subsequent duty of the Secretary is prescribed by law and not to be guided by the will of the President. He is to affix the seal and to record it; these are ministerial acts imposed by law. Supposing delivery to be necessary to…
…Further, the penalty for criminal abortion specified by Art. 1195 is significantly less than the maximum penalty for murder prescribed by Art. 1257 of the Texas Penal Code. If the fetus is a person, may the penalties be different? [^maj-55]: Cf. the Wisconsin abortion
…legislation to circumstances. Examples show this narrow construction would be pernicious: various incidental powers such as prescribing oaths, establishing penal provisions, or enforcing observance of law are essential to effective government though not expressly enumerated. The clause authorizing "necessary and proper"…
…solved by reference to any traditional or common-sense substance-procedure distinction: "And so the question is not whether a statute of limitations is deemed a matter of procedure' in some sense. The question is . . . does it significantly affect the result of a litigation for a federal court to disregard a law of a State that would…
…158, L. 1944). Under this Act a trust company may, with approval of the State Banking Board, establish a common fund and, within prescribed
Yes. Open and notorious violation of a covenant without permission for the statutory period extinguishes the restriction by operation of the statute of limitations. Widespread tolerated noncompliance can produce the same result.
In some jurisdictions an owner may establish that all uses are permissive by posting a sign stating that permission is required, which can defeat the adverse element of a prescription claim.
Mere nonuse never extinguishes an easement by abandonment or prescription. The servient owner must engage in affirmative adverse acts inconsistent with the easement for the statutory period to terminate the right by prescription.