What You Need to Know about Right-of-Way

Right of way is real estate owned by the government.  When the government needs your property for a new or expanding project, their right of way will adjust to accommodate their project by taking your property.  The government has the right to purchase your property with the use of eminent domain to acquire their needed right of way.

 The engineers designing the government project determine the right of way needed. As a property owner, you should be invited to offer your input on the design concepts at local public meetings.  The intentions of these meetings are to take in community questions and comments for design considerations, as well as, fulfilling a requirement for preparing the environmental impact statement, which is a necessary part of the eminent domain process.  However, when asking participants in my recent eminent domain workshop on their experience with these meetings, they all replied that they attended every meeting offered, and none of their input was incorporated into the design.  Nonetheless, you will want to attend these public meetings to at least become better informed about the project and how the new right of way will affect you or your property.