Opinion ID: 888504
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Basic Easement Principles

Text: ¶ 24 An easement is a nonpossessory interest in landa right which one person has to use the land of another for a specific purpose or a servitude imposed as a burden upon the land. Burleson v. Kinsey-Cartwright, 2000 MT 278, ¶ 14, 302 Mont. 141, ¶ 14, 13 P.3d 384, ¶ 14; Kuhlman v. Rivera, 216 Mont. 353, 358, 701 P.2d 982, 985 (1985). An easement may be appurtenant or in gross. An easement appurtenant is one that benefits a particular parcel of land, i.e., it serves the owner of that land and passes with the title to that land. The benefited parcel is known as the dominant tenement or estate, and the burdened parcel is termed the servient tenement or estate. See § 70-17-103, MCA; Burleson, ¶ 16; Leichtfuss v. Dabney, 2005 MT 271, ¶ 6 n. 1, 329 Mont. 129, ¶ 6 n. 1, 122 P.3d 1220, ¶ 6 n. 1; Jon W. Bruce & James W. Ely, Jr., The Law of Easements and Licenses in Land § 1:1, at 1-5 to 1-6 (2008). An easement appurtenant must have both a dominant tenement and a servient tenement. See Thompson on Real Property vol. 7, § 60.02(f)(1), at 469 (David A. Thomas ed., 2d Thomas ed., 2006). An easement in gross, by contrast, benefits the holder of the easement personally, i.e., not in connection with his or her ownership or use of a specific parcel of land. Thus, with an easement in gross, no dominant tenement exists and the easement right cannot pass with the title to any land. See Leichtfuss, ¶ 6 n. 1; Bruce & Ely, The Law of Easements and Licenses in Land § 1:1, at 1-6; Thompson on Real Property § 60.02(f)(2), at 469. ¶ 25 In the case at hand, Blazer claims an easement appurtenant. The alleged servient tenement is Tract 1. As for the dominant tenement, Blazer stated a number of times in the District Court that he was asserting easement rights only as the owner of Davis's off-survey property to the south and west of Tract 4. Likewise on appeal, Blazer states that [t]he rights Blazer asserts to [sic] do not arise from the Fosters, or from the property which Blazer acquired from the Fosters in 2003 (i.e., the western five acres of Tract 4). Rather, according to Blazer, the dominant estate here is Davis' southern properties, and the easement rights he asserts stem from that acquisition [directly from Davis]. Thus, one alleged dominant tenement is Davis's (and now Blazer's) off-survey property to the south and west of Tract 4. In addition, notwithstanding Blazer's articulated basis for this lawsuit, the District Court ruled that an easement exists over Tract 1 for the benefit and appurtenant to Tract 4 and the other lands owned by Davis lying to the South and West of Tract 4 (emphasis added). The Waldhers have appealed from this judgment and, on appeal, contend that no such easement was created. Accordingly, it is necessary to consider Tract 4 as an alleged dominant tenement as well. ¶ 26 An easement cannot be created except by an instrument in writing, by operation of law, or by prescription. See Burleson, ¶ 14; Ruana, 275 Mont. at 447, 913 P.2d at 1251. We have recognized the creation of easements by express grant, reservation, exception, or covenant; by implication from necessity or a prior existing use; and by prescription. See e.g. Kuhlman, 216 Mont. at 359, 701 P.2d at 985; Woods v. Houle, 235 Mont. 158, 160-62, 766 P.2d 250, 252 (1988); Big Sky Hidden Village Owners Ass'n v. Hidden Village, 276 Mont. 268, 276-78, 915 P.2d 845, 850-51 (1996); Albert G. Hoyem Trust v. Galt, 1998 MT 300, ¶¶ 17, 22-29, 292 Mont. 56, ¶¶ 17, 22-29, 968 P.2d 1135, ¶¶ 17, 22-29; Burleson, ¶¶ 16-17. Here, Blazer does not claim an easement based on necessity, prior existing use, or prescription. Indeed, he expressly disclaimed those theories in his reply brief in support of his motion for summary judgment. Rather, he claims an easement based on express reservation in the Davis-Lockman transaction documents. ¶ 27 A grantor may expressly reserve an easement over granted land in favor of retained land by using appropriate language in the instrument of conveyance. See e.g. Burleson, ¶¶ 7, 17; Reichle v. Anderson, 284 Mont. 384, 388-89, 943 P.2d 1324, 1327 (1997); see also 25 Am.Jur.2d Easements and Licenses § 16 (2004) (An express easement by reservation arises when a property owner conveys part of his or her property to another, but includes language in the conveyance reserving the right to use some part of the transferred land as a right-of-way.). Alternatively, an easement may be expressly reserved by referring in the instrument of conveyance to a recorded plat or certificate of survey on which the easement is adequately described. See e.g. Bache, 267 Mont. at 286, 883 P.2d at 822; Halverson, 268 Mont. at 173-74, 885 P.2d at 1289. ¶ 28 Here, there is no language in the Davis-Lockman deed expressly reserving an easement. The deed contains a description of the real property being conveyed in metes and bounds, immediately followed by the words Tract 1 of Certificate of Survey No. 4446, which is in turn followed by the clause, SUBJECT TO 30 foot road easement as shown on Certificate of Survey No. 4446. In Bache, we observed that `subject to' language in a document of conveyance does not create an easement. Bache, 267 Mont. at 286, 883 P.2d at 821 (citing Wild River Adventures v. Board of Trustees, 248 Mont. 397, 401, 812 P.2d 344, 346-47 (1991)); accord Ruana, 275 Mont. at 449, 913 P.2d at 1252; Kelly v. Wallace, 1998 MT 307, ¶ 51, 292 Mont. 129, ¶ 51, 972 P.2d 1117, ¶ 51. As we explained in Wild River: The words subject to used in their ordinary sense, mean subordinate to, subservient to or limited by. There is nothing in the use of the words subject to, in their ordinary use, which would even hint at the creation of affirmative rights or connote a reservation or retention of property rights. Subject to wording is commonly used in a deed to refer to existing easements, liens, and real covenants that the grantor wishes to exclude from warranties of title. Wild River, 248 Mont. at 401, 812 P.2d at 346-47 (citations omitted). Thus, the subject to clause in the Davis-Lockman deed did not create or reserve easement rights in Davis and his successor in interest (Blazer). Ruana, 275 Mont. at 449, 913 P.2d at 1252-53. ¶ 29 Given that there is no language in the Davis-Lockman deed expressly reserving an easement, Blazer relies on the reference in the deed to Tract 1 of Certificate of Survey No. 4446. The Waldhers argue, however, that COS 4446 does not satisfy the requisites of this Court's easement-by-reference doctrine. Before addressing the parties' specific arguments, therefore, it is useful to review this doctrine.