§ 2-118. Conservation easements
West's Annotated Code of MarylandReal PropertyEffective: October 1, 2019
Effective: October 1, 2019
MD Code, Real Property, § 2-118
§ 2-118. Conservation easements
(a) Any restriction prohibiting or limiting the use of water or land areas, or any improvement or appurtenance thereto, for any of the purposes listed in subsection (b) of this section whether drafted in the form of an easement, covenant, restriction, or condition, creates an incorporeal property interest in the water or land areas, or the improvement or appurtenance thereto, so restricted, which is enforceable in both law and equity in the same manner as an easement or servitude with respect to the water or land areas, or the improvement or appurtenance thereto, if the restriction is executed in compliance with the requirements of this article for the execution of deeds or the Estates and Trusts Article for the execution of wills.
(b) A restriction as provided in subsection (a) of this section may be for any of the following purposes:
(c) If the restriction is not granted for the benefit of any dominant tract of land, it is enforceable with respect to the servient land, both at law and in equity, as an easement in gross, and as such it is inheritable and assignable.
(d) A restriction provided for by this section may be extinguished or released, in whole or in part, in the same manner as other easements.
(e) If any grant, reservation, dedication, devise, or gift of any nature which clearly indicates the maker's intention to subject any interest or estate in property to public use for the preservation of agricultural, historic, or environmental qualities fails to specify a grantee, donee, legatee, or beneficiary to receive the same or specifies a grantee, donee, legatee, or beneficiary who is not legally capable of taking the interest or estate, it passes to the Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation, the Maryland Historical Trust, or the Maryland Environmental Trust in any proceedings under §§ 14-301 and 14-302 of the Estates and Trusts Article.
(f)(1) If an easement, covenant, restriction, or condition has been granted, devised, dedicated, reserved, or donated to the Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation, the Maryland Historical Trust, the Maryland Environmental Trust, another land trust as defined in § 3-2A-01 of the Natural Resources Article, a county, or the Department of Natural Resources, a notice of the easement, covenant, restriction, or condition may be recorded in the land records of the county in which the property interest is located.
Credits
Added by Acts 1974, c. 12, § 2, eff. July 1, 1974. Amended by Acts 1977, c. 934; Acts 1980, c. 73; Acts 2017, c. 662, § 1, eff. June 1, 2017; Acts 2019, c. 127, § 1, eff. Oct. 1, 2019.
Formerly Art. 21, § 5-118.
MD Code, Real Property, § 2-118, MD REAL PROP § 2-118
Current through legislation effective through April 9, 2023, from the 2024 Regular Session of the General Assembly. Some statute sections may be more current, see credits for details.
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