What is public right-of-way?
Public right-of-way means the area on, below, or above a public highway, street, public sidewalk, alley, waterway or utility easement in which the municipality has interest. 

What is an easement?
An easement gives a person or entity the right to access property that’s owned by someone else for a limited and specific purpose. If there’s an easement held on your property by an individual or entity, that party has the right to access your property within the guidelines set by the easement. For instance, local utility companies typically hold easements in case they need to access power lines or cables on your property.

Occasionally, utility companies need to perform work on their lines, and these lines may run in your yard in the public right of way or easement areas. These areas often provide confusion to homeowners as to who is responsible for maintenance and what is allowed to occur in them. 

The public right of way is property dedicated to the city for public infrastructure like roadways, storm sewers, sidewalks and streetlights. The state also allows utility providers to use the public right of way for their facilities. 

Utility easements are areas of a property dedicated for utility companies to deliver services such as electricity, gas, water, sanitary sewer, telephone, internet and cable. The land belongs to the homeowner, but utilities can access easements to perform routine maintenance, construct improvement projects and repair utility lines during emergencies.

If you have questions about the public right-of-way, contact Ky Louanghaksaphone at 316-788-6632.