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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Start with your closing paperwork: review the preliminary title report or title policy, especially its easement exceptions or Schedule B. Follow each recording reference to the underlying easement document and recorded plat or map in the county land records. Assessor maps and GIS can help you find the parcel, but a blank map does not prove there are no easements.
Start with your closing documents
Look for the preliminary title report, final title policy, deed, and any survey or plat provided when you bought the property. The preliminary report is often a useful starting point, and the title policy’s Schedule B or exceptions may list recorded easements affecting the parcel. Marin County’s guidance and Pinal County’s FAQ both point property owners to title paperwork.
For each entry, note the easement holder or named utility, the document type, recording date, instrument or document number, book and page, and any plat or map reference. These details are the trail to the recorded source. A deed may refer to an easement without reproducing its terms, so do not stop at the deed if it points to a separate instrument or attachment.
Identify the parcel and legal description
Confirm the property’s parcel number and full legal description using the deed and county assessor information. An abbreviated tax description may be useful for finding the parcel, but it may omit the legal details or recording references needed to locate land records. King County’s recorded-documents guidance describes using assessor parcel tools to find legal descriptions and relevant numbers.
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Assessor parcel maps and county GIS are useful for orientation and for confirming that you have the right parcel. They are not a complete inventory of easements. Nevada County notes that most private easements do not appear on assessor parcel maps, while Contra Costa County cautions that subdivision maps may omit other easements (Nevada County Assessor FAQs; Contra Costa County Maps & Records).
Search county land records using the references
Use each number or name from your title paperwork to search the county recorder, clerk-recorder, or register of deeds. Look for the referenced deed, separate easement instrument, and related filings. Easements may be recorded separately, included in a deed or its attachments, or depicted on a recorded plat.
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Search methods vary by county. Some indexes rely on grantor and grantee names rather than a street address or parcel number. For example, Marin County says its online index is searchable by name, covers records from 1973 through the previous business day, and does not provide full-document viewing online. Those limits describe Marin County’s system, not every county’s.
If you cannot view the document online, check the recorder’s instructions for ordering copies or requesting archive access. County staff can explain how to search or obtain records; that does not mean they interpret the easement’s legal effect.
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Read the recorded instrument and map together
Retrieve the original easement document and any referenced subdivision plat, parcel map, or other recorded map. The instrument may identify the rights granted, the parties, the purpose, and a written or mapped description of the area. A plat may show a corridor’s dimensions or route. Compare the map with the instrument: a line on a map alone may not identify who holds the rights or what activities are allowed.
Check cross-references and older filings if the first document does not answer the question. Easements may not appear on the latest deed or a record map. San Mateo County specifically advises owners to check older records or contact the utility or other easement user; it also notes that a prescriptive easement may exist without a recorded document (San Mateo County’s easement guidance).
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Understand what the evidence does—and does not—show
- Title paperwork: A title report or policy is a strong starting point for recorded exceptions, but the underlying instrument and referenced map are needed to understand what the entry describes.
- Assessor maps and GIS: These can help identify the parcel and provide context, but an easement’s absence from a map does not establish that no easement exists.
- Visible infrastructure: A pole, cabinet, pipe, trench, or utility line can suggest that infrastructure is present. By itself, it does not establish who has legal rights, the precise corridor boundaries, or what the recorded easement permits.
- Recorded maps: A map is not necessarily a complete history of easements, and a map symbol should be read alongside the relevant instrument.
Choose the right help for the question
The next step depends on whether you need to find a recorded right, locate its physical corridor, or understand its legal effect.
- To find records: Contact the county recorder or a title professional if you lack closing documents or cannot resolve the recording references.
- To locate the corridor on the ground: Ask the named utility whether it has plans or records, and consider hiring a licensed surveyor to relate the easement description to your property boundaries and proposed work.
- To assess rights, title coverage, or a dispute: Consult a title professional for policy or title-search questions, or a land-use or real-estate attorney for legal interpretation and dispute advice.
This distinction matters before construction: records may establish that an easement exists without making its position on the ground clear enough for a project. A surveyor can help with location; legal questions about the rights or restrictions require qualified title or legal advice.
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