” And you believe there is no recorded easement granting them access across your southern boundary? I know there isn’t. I checked the deed twice. She was quiet for a moment. Technically speaking, if there is no recorded easement and no prescriptive easement established through a longer statutory period, you have the right to restrict access to your land.
What is the statutory period in this state? 20 years of continuous adverse use. They’ve had five, then they do not yet have a legal claim. But Eli, she added carefully, blocking access to an entire residential community will escalate this quickly. I looked at the six stumps lined up like headstones. Good, I said.
The fencing company worked fast. Maybe too fast. Word travels in small counties, especially when money is involved. By Monday morning, steel posts were sunk deep into the ground, chain link stretched tight, and a heavyduty gate installed squarely across the asphalt where it crossed onto my property. It was not subtle, 8 ft tall, industrial, the kind of fence you see around construction sites and impound lots.
I stood there as they bolted the lock into place. The metallic click echoed more than I expected. You sure about this? The crew lead asked. Not even a little, I said. But do it anyway. They left around 3:00 in the afternoon. For about an hour, nothing happened. Then, right around 4:30, the first SUV rolled down the hill.
A silver Range Rover with tinted windows. It slowed, stopped in front of the fence, then idled. I could see the driver’s silhouette, phone already pressed to his ear. 5 minutes later, another car pulled up behind him. Then another. Within 20 minutes, there was a line of luxury vehicles backed up along the ridge road like a high-end parking lot with nowhere to go.
