The estate that owns the land being used as part of an easement is called the servient tenement because that portion of land serves the non-owner using the land. The estate using another person's land is called the dominant tenement because the user dominates the use of the non-owned land. An easement in gross does not have a dominant tenement. While land of another is subject to the easement, no land is benefited, such as with easements for signs or utility lines. Because an easement in gross has no dominant tenement, the easement is personal to the easement holder and does not transfer with the land.
Appurtenant easements can be affirmative, negative, implied, or necessity.
An affirmative easement is the right to use the land of another for some stated purpose. A negative easement is the right to prohibit an owner from a certain use. An implied easement can be created by intent of the parties. A grantor conveys the implied right to use those apparent and visible easements that are necessary for reasonable use of the property. An easement by necessity is an implied easement where the easement right is essential to beneficial use of the property.