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

Heading: Easements Created by Reference to a Plat or Certificate of Survey

Text: ¶ 30 In Majers v. Shining Mountains, 219 Mont. 366, 711 P.2d 1375 (1986), Shining Mountains acquired and subdivided a 7,000-acre ranch. In order to sell the lots, Shining Mountains prepared and recorded subdivision plats which assigned a number to each lot and designated common areas and roadways. The purchase and sale contracts prepared by Shining Mountains specifically referred to the recorded plats. See Majers, 219 Mont. at 367, 711 P.2d at 1376. On these facts, we held that the purchasers had acquired private easements for the designated uses. See Majers, 219 Mont. at 371, 711 P.2d at 1378. In so doing, we observed that selling lots with reference to a map or plat designating streets, parks, or other open areas creates an implied covenant that the streets, parks, or other open areas exist and shall be used in the manner designated. See Majers, 219 Mont. at 370-71, 711 P.2d at 1377-78. The rationale for this rule, we noted, is `the use made of the plat in inducing the purchasers.' Majers, 219 Mont. at 371, 711 P.2d at 1378 (quoting Ute Park Summer Homes Ass'n v. Maxwell Land Grant Co., 77 N.M. 730, 427 P.2d 249, 253 (1967)). More specifically, as the Ute Park court explained: [A] grantor, who induces purchasers, by use of a plat, to believe that streets, squares, courts, parks, or other open areas shown on the plat will be kept open for their use and benefit, and the purchasers have acted upon such inducement, is required by common honesty to do that which he represented he would do. Ute Park, 427 P.2d at 253. ¶ 31 In Benson v. Pyfer, 240 Mont. 175, 783 P.2d 923 (1989), we reaffirmed that selling lots with reference to a map or plat may create an easement benefiting the purchasers. We observed that under § 76-3-304, MCA, when land is sold with reference to a properly recorded plat, the plat becomes part of (i.e., is incorporated into) the document conveying the interest in land. See Benson, 240 Mont. at 179, 783 P.2d at 925. The effect of this statutory provision, we reasoned, is to create an easement for the purchaser's benefit with respect to improvements represented on the plat. See Benson, 240 Mont. at 179, 783 P.2d at 925 (citing Majers, 219 Mont. at 370, 711 P.2d at 1377). ¶ 32 Likewise, in Pearson v. Virginia City Ranches Ass'n, 2000 MT 12, 298 Mont. 52, 993 P.2d 688, the developers of the Virginia City Ranches Subdivision filed a plat which clearly depicted and labeled a bridle path easement crossing the subdivision. See Pearson, ¶¶ 10, 17. The Pearsons sought a declaratory judgment that this bridle path easement existed for the use of all lot owners in the subdivision and an injunction restraining the defendants from obstructing the easement. See Pearson, ¶ 1. Although the deeds by which the defendants had taken title to their respective lots referred to the plat, the defendants nevertheless contended that these transaction documents did not create the claimed easement. See Pearson, ¶¶ 10, 17. We rejected this contention. We reiterated that where land is sold with reference to a map or plat showing a park or like open area, the purchaser acquires a private right, generally referred to as an easement, that such area shall be used in the manner designated. Pearson, ¶ 19 (alteration, citations, and internal quotation marks omitted). We also stated that an easement arises when a purchaser's deed refers to a plat where an easement is depicted and labeled. Pearson, ¶ 26. Accordingly, we concluded that a bridle path easement had been created for the use of all lot owners in the subdivision because the purchasers' deeds referred to a recorded plat that clearly depicted and labeled this easement. See Pearson, ¶¶ 1-27. ¶ 33 We applied these principles in favor of the sellers in Bache v. Owens, 267 Mont. 279, 883 P.2d 817 (1994). At issue in that case was a 33.64-acre tract of land owned by the Baches. They agreed to sell 2.42 acres (Tract 2) to Owens and to retain the remaining 31.22 acres (Tract 1). The 1988 deed described the property being conveyed by metes and bounds and then referred to the property conveyed as Tract 2 shown on Certificate of Survey No. 1657. Certificate of Survey No. 1657, in turn, provided legal descriptions and a scaled drawing of the boundaries of Tracts 1 and 2. In addition, the certificate of survey depicted a dotted line 30 feet east of, and parallel to, the western boundary of Tract 2. The dotted line extended from the northern boundary of Tract 2 to the southern boundary of Tract 2. The area between the dotted line and the western boundary of Tract 2 was labeled P.R.E., which the legend identified as private roadway easement. See Bache, 267 Mont. at 281-82, 291, 883 P.2d at 819, 823. ¶ 34 The Baches asserted that by these transaction documents, they had reserved an easement across Tract 2 for the benefit of Tract 1. We agreed. Citing Benson, 240 Mont. at 179, 783 P.2d at 925, and § 76-3-304, MCA, we observed that reference in documents of conveyance to a plat which describes an easement establishes the easement. Bache, 267 Mont. at 283, 883 P.2d at 820; see also Bache, 267 Mont. at 285, 883 P.2d at 821 ([A] map or plat incorporated into an instrument of conveyance can establish an easement. (citing Majers, 219 Mont. at 371, 711 P.2d at 1378)). We further observed that Certificate of Survey No. 1657 identifies the easement clearly and specifically with the dotted line and the label private roadway easement, and that it was filed with the county clerk and recorder, as required by law. Bache, 267 Mont. at 286, 883 P.2d at 822. We held, therefore, that the transaction documents established an easement in favor of Tract 1 along the western edge of Tract 2, as described in the certificate of survey. Bache, 267 Mont. at 286, 883 P.2d at 822. ¶ 35 We reached the same conclusion in Halverson v. Turner, 268 Mont. 168, 885 P.2d 1285 (1994). That case involved two adjoining tracts of land owned by the parties' predecessor in interest, Dahlia Halverson. In 1987, Dahlia transferred the western tract to Shirley Turner while retaining the eastern tract. The deed referred to a recorded certificate of survey that showed a 30-foot-wide road easement extending from the northeast corner of Turner's tract westerly for a distance of 188.52 feet. This easement was to provide access from Dahlia's retained and otherwise-landlocked tract to a street running north from the northern boundary of Turner's tract. See Halverson, 268 Mont. at 170-71, 885 P.2d at 1287. ¶ 36 In analyzing these transaction documents, we observed that a land description is a necessary inclusion in an instrument conveying title so that the extent of the claim to the property may be determined, and a reference to a map or plat may be included to express, confirm, or amplify the land description. See Halverson, 268 Mont. at 172, 885 P.2d at 1288. Furthermore, when land is sold with reference to a properly recorded plat, the plat becomes part of the instrument conveying the interest in the land. See Halverson, 268 Mont. at 173, 885 P.2d at 1289. Finally, reference in documents of conveyance to a plat which describes an easement establishes the easement, but in determining the existence of an easement by reservation in the documents of conveyance, it is necessary that the grantee of the property being burdened by the servitude have knowledge of its use or its necessity. See Halverson, 268 Mont. at 172, 173, 885 P.2d at 1288, 1289. Applying these principles, we noted that although the description of the property being conveyed by the Dahlia-Turner deed did not contain language expressly reserving an easement to Dahlia, it did refer to the recorded certificate of survey which clearly show[ed] and adequately described the 30-foot-wide road easement. See Halverson, 268 Mont. at 172, 173, 885 P.2d at 1288, 1289. We held that in this manner, Dahlia had reserved an easement over Turner's tract for the benefit of Dahlia's tract. See Halverson, 268 Mont. at 174, 885 P.2d at 1289. ¶ 37 By contrast, the 1968 plat at issue in Tungsten Holdings, Inc. v. Parker, 282 Mont. 387, 938 P.2d 641 (1997), depicted a meandering strip of land 40 feet wide and approximately 2,700 feet long, which was identified simply as lot 34. This parcel resembled a roadway, and the district court found that there was no other conceivable purpose a parcel of this configuration . . . could reasonably serve. Yet, nothing in the plat specifically identified lot 34 as such. See Tungsten Holdings, 282 Mont. at 388-89, 938 P.2d at 642. Thus, we held that the mere fact that lot 34's long and narrow configuration gave it the appearance of a roadway or that the developers may have intended it as [a] roadway was not sufficient to create a road easement. See Tungsten Holdings, 282 Mont. at 390, 938 P.2d at 642-43. We explained that [e]asements by reservation must be created or reserved in writing and Tungsten can point to no deed or plat which contains any language dedicating or identifying lot 34 as a roadway. Tungsten Holdings, 282 Mont. at 390, 938 P.2d at 643. ¶ 38 We discussed an important limitation on the easement-by-reference doctrine in Ruana v. Grigonis, 275 Mont. 441, 913 P.2d 1247 (1996). The properties at issue in that case were split from single ownership in 1977 into a northern tract and a southern tract. Later, the successors in interest to the northern tract claimed that an easement existed for their benefit over the southern tract. However, the language of the 1977 deed did not create or reserve this easement, and the certificate of survey to which the 1977 deed referred did not depict this easement either. See Ruana, 275 Mont. at 444-45, 448-49, 913 P.2d at 1249-50, 1252-53. Although subsequent deeds subdividing the southern tract into smaller parcels referred to certificates of survey that did clearly depict and specifically identify the claimed easement, see Ruana, 275 Mont. at 449, 450, 913 P.2d at 1252, 1253, we noted that under Bache and Halverson, an easement by reservation can be established when, in conjunction with a division of land, the subject easement is shown on the certificate of survey and the certificate of survey is referred to and incorporated in the deed of conveyance, Ruana, 275 Mont. at 449, 913 P.2d at 1253 (emphasis added). Thus, we held that the 1977 transaction documents which split the northern and southern tracts from single ownership were decisive, Ruana, 275 Mont. at 448, 913 P.2d at 1252; and because these documents did not describe the claimed easement, we concluded that the northern tract did not benefit from this easement over the southern tract, see Ruana, 275 Mont. at 450-51, 913 P.2d at 1253-54. ¶ 39 We addressed a related restriction on the doctrine in Kelly v. Wallace, 1998 MT 307, 292 Mont. 129, 972 P.2d 1117. The plaintiffs claimed that references to an easement in the deeds of conveyance between the defendants' predecessors in interest and the defendants were effective as a matter of law to reserve an easement in favor of the plaintiffs. See Kelly, ¶ 47 We disagreed, explaining that while [a]n easement by reservation may be established by reference in a document of conveyance to a recorded COS which adequately describes the easement, creation of an easement by reservation in [this] manner requires that the grantor be a party to the conveyance and that he intend to reserve his own previously-held right to use the servient estate after he sells the divided parcel. Kelly, ¶ 48. We noted that we may depart from the general rule that an easement cannot be created in favor of a stranger to the deed in order to give effect to the grantor's intent to benefit a nonparty. See Kelly, ¶ 49 (citing Medhus v. Dutter, 184 Mont. 437, 444, 603 P.2d 669, 673 (1979)). However, we emphasized that such intent must be clearly shown, see Kelly, ¶ 49, and we held that express depiction of an easement on a referenced plat is not sufficient to demonstrate the grantor's intent to create an easement for the benefit of a nonparty, see Kelly, ¶ 51. See also Loomis v. Luraski, 2001 MT 223, ¶¶ 27-37, 306 Mont. 478, ¶¶ 27-37, 36 P.3d 862, ¶¶ 27-37. ¶ 40 To summarize, our cases have recognized the creation of an easement where the deed explicitly referred to a recorded plat or certificate of survey on which the subject easement was adequately described. However, express depiction of an easement on a referenced plat or certificate of survey is not sufficient, in and of itself, to create an easement for the benefit of a stranger to the deed. In addition, an easement by reservation may be established only when the dominant and servient estates are split from single ownership. ¶ 41 An easement created in this manneri.e., by reference in an instrument of conveyance to a plat or certificate of survey on which the easement is adequately describedmust arise expressly, not by implication. In Albert G. Hoyem Trust v. Galt, 1998 MT 300, 292 Mont. 56, 968 P.2d 1135, we observed that [a]n easement by implication is created by operation of law at the time of severance, rather than by written instrument, and that [t]here are only two types of implied easements: (1) an intended easement based on a use that existed when the dominant and servient estates were severed, and (2) an easement by necessity. Hoyem Trust, ¶ 17. By contrast, we stated in Halverson that [a]n easement by reservation must arise from the written documents of conveyance. Halverson, 268 Mont. at 172, 885 P.2d at 1288; accord Ruana, 275 Mont. at 447, 913 P.2d at 1251; Tungsten Holdings, 282 Mont. at 390, 938 P.2d at 642; Pearson, ¶¶ 18, 20. When the deed itself contains no language reserving (or granting) an easement, our easement-by-reference doctrine contemplates that an explicit reference in the deed to a plat or certificate of survey on which an easement is clearly depicted and adequately described is sufficient to establish the easement. ¶ 42 In Bache, for instance, the certificate of survey depicted Tracts 1 and 2 and a 30-foot-wide strip of land along the western boundary of Tract 2. The strip of land extended from Tract 1 to a state route on the other side of Tract 2, and it was clearly and specifically identified with the label P.R.E., which the legend identified as private roadway easement. We held that in this manner, the Baches had reserved an easement over Tract 2 in favor of Tract 1. See Bache, 267 Mont. at 282, 286, 291, 883 P.2d at 819, 822, 823. In Halverson, the certificate of survey clearly show[ed] and adequately described a 30-foot-wide road easement extending from the northeast corner of Turner's tract westerly for a distance of 188.52 feet to provide access from Dahlia's adjoining retained tract to a street running north from the northern boundary of Turner's tract. We held that in this manner, Dahlia had reserved an easement over Turner's tract for the benefit of Dahlia's tract. See Halverson, 268 Mont. at 170-71, 172, 173, 885 P.2d at 1287, 1288, 1289. In Pearson, the plat clearly depict[ed] and label[ed] a bridle path easement crossing the subdivision for the use of all lot owners. See Pearson, ¶¶ 1, 10, 17. In each of these cases, express language was used (1) to refer in the instrument of conveyance to the plat or certificate of survey and (2) to identify and describe the intended easement. By contrast, in Tungsten Holdings, the mere fact that lot 34's long and narrow configuration gave it the appearance of a roadway or that the developers may have intended it as roadway was insufficient. Tungsten Holdings, 282 Mont. at 390, 938 P.2d at 643. ¶ 43 In sum, an easement created by reference in an instrument of conveyance to a plat or certificate of survey adequately describing the easement is an express easement. The term express is defined as [c]learly and unmistakably communicated; directly stated. Black's Law Dictionary 620 (Bryan A. Garner ed., 8th ed., West 2004); cf. § 28-2-103, MCA (defining an express contract as one the terms of which are stated in words). The term expressed is defined as [d]eclared in direct terms; stated in words; not left to inference or implication. Black's Law Dictionary 620. Consistent with these definitions, the intent to create an easement must be clearly and unmistakably communicated on the referenced plat or certificate of survey using labeling or other express language. This is the minimal requirement to establish the easement. An easement may not be inferred or implied from an unlabeled or inadequately described swath of land or other such depiction appearing on a plat or certificate of survey. See Our Lady of the Rockies, Inc. v. Peterson, 2008 MT 110, ¶ 57, 342 Mont. 393, ¶ 57, 181 P.3d 631, ¶ 57.