The legal right to exit or depart from a property is referred to as the right of egress. It is common practice to discuss the right of egress in tandem with the concept of the right of ingress, which refers to the legal permission to enter a property. Ingress and egress rights are essential for property owners because they determine who can enter and leave their property. Real estate law is the area of law that uses the terms "right of egress" and "right of ingress" the most frequently.

What Is Right of Egress?

• The legal right to leave or exit a property is referred to as the "right of egress," while the legal right to enter a property is referred to as the "right of ingress."

• A right of egress is granted by way of an easement, which is the permission to use the land of another person for a particular purpose.

• Ingress and egress rights are essential for homeowners because they allow access to their property.

• A right of egress can be obtained.

Understanding Right of Egress

No matter the type of property, including whether it is owner-occupied or rented out, the rights of ingress and egress must be respected at all times. The right to enter and leave a property freely is known as ingress/egress rights. These rights are typically obtained through the grant of an easement, which is the permission to use the land of another person for a particular objective. For instance, ingress and egress easements can be used to determine who has the right to use a shared driveway or who has the right to use a private road to access their property.

Ingress, Egress, and Easements

Property disputes and situations in which a property is landlocked by surrounding parcels owned by other parties are two examples of situations in which ingress and egress easements can take on a particularly important role. In the absence of both the right of ingress and the right of egress, the owner of a landlocked property would, in effect, be committing the crime of civil trespass each time they entered or exited their property.

If the owner of a large tract of land subdivided and sold off parcels while retaining large pieces of the property, there is a possibility that ingress/egress circumstances will arise. To be able to enter and leave their new homes, the new owners of the properties that were recently put up for sale will require rights of ingress and egress. In other words, the new owners would require access to a private road that not only leads to their properties but also traverses land that is owned by third parties in order to access their properties. In the event that the proprietor of a store chooses to locate his or her establishment in a region that is bounded on all sides by other properties, for instance, an ingress/egress easement will be required in order to enter and exit the store.

Special Considerations

Access to the resources that are located on a piece of land can also be impacted by the ingress and egress rights that are in place on that land. If there is a water source on a property that neighboring landowners have rights to access, then it is possible that they will require the rights of ingress and egress in order to utilize the water source.

There is a possibility that such rights will be outlined in the property's deed and will run with the land. These are rights that are inextricably linked to the land itself, regardless of who owns the property. This covenant would give any future owners the right to egress without requiring them to negotiate terms with the other property owners for access from and into their own property. This would make it easier for future owners to sell their homes.

There is still the potential for conflict in situations in which one property owner prevents another property owner from accessing their own land. It's possible that this situation arose as a result of tensions between the property's owners, such as disagreements regarding the amount of space available to each party or how the land should be utilized. It's possible that a judge will decide to issue an injunction to stop the activity that's been preventing access to the property.