Which term is a right to use another person's land for a specific purpose, such as a right of way?

• A. A temporary license to use land.
• B. An ownership interest in land.
• C. A type of lease.
• D. Easement.

Answer: (D)

A right to use someone else’s land for a specific purpose is an easement. An easement is a non-possessory interest in land that gives you the right to use the land for a defined purpose—like a right of way to pass across another person’s property—without owning or occupying it. It stays with the land and can bind future owners, which is why it’s useful for long-term arrangements.

Why not a license? A license is simply permission to use land and can be revoked or withdrawn; it does not create an enduring interest or run with the land. It’s more temporary and personal to the grantor, not attached to the land itself.

Why not an ownership interest or a lease? Ownership would grant possession and control of the land, not just a use. A lease provides exclusive possession for a term (often with rent) and again involves possession and a contract, not a perpetual, non-possessory right to use the land.

Easements can be created in various ways (by explicit grant, by necessity, by implication, or by prescription) and are typically appurtenant to the dominant land, benefiting its use, or in gross if they benefit a person or entity instead of a parcel of land. This combination of non-possessory use, durability, and potential to bind successors is what makes an easement the correct concept for a right of way.