Property Boundaries & Easements in The Acreage FL — What Buyers Must Understand Before Purchasing
In The Acreage, the land is as important as the house. Property lines determine where you can build, fence, and keep animals. Easements restrict what you can do in specific areas. Both need to be verified before you close — not after a dispute arises.
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Most boundary and easement disputes in The Acreage follow a predictable pattern: a buyer purchases a property, builds a fence, installs a paddock, or starts clearing land, and then discovers that what they built is on an easement, over the property line, or in a canal right-of-way. Resolution after the fact involves either removing the improvement or negotiating with a neighbor or county agency under adversarial conditions. The alternative — verifying the boundaries and easements before closing — is significantly cheaper and less stressful.
Why Property Lines Matter More in The Acreage
In a suburban subdivision where homes are on 0.25-acre lots with identical setbacks and no accessory structures, boundary precision matters primarily for fence disputes. In The Acreage, boundary precision affects:
- Where barns, sheds, and workshops can be placed relative to property lines and setbacks
- Where livestock paddocks and animal pens can legally be located
- Whether an existing fence is on the property line, inside it, or encroaching on a neighbor’s land
- Road frontage and legal access to the street from interior lots
- Canal and drainage swale areas that must remain clear along rear or side boundaries
- Setback calculations for any future additions to the primary structure or accessory buildings
On a 1.15-acre lot, a boundary that’s off by 10 feet changes the available buildable area and the legal position of any structures built based on the incorrect assumption.
Easement Types Common in The Acreage
- Utility easements: Allow FPL, AT&T, and other utilities to access infrastructure along the easement corridor, typically 10–15 feet along rear and side lot lines; no permanent structures can be built within the easement area; this is the most commonly encountered easement in The Acreage
- Drainage easements: Protect swales, retention areas, and drainage corridors from being blocked or built over; Palm Beach County actively enforces these; filling or blocking a drainage easement creates both county enforcement exposure and downstream neighbor disputes
- Canal right-of-way (SFWMD): The South Florida Water Management District holds right-of-way along canal banks throughout The Acreage; structures, fences, and landscaping within SFWMD ROW are prohibited and subject to removal; the ROW width varies by canal classification
- Access easements: Some interior lots rely on recorded access easements across adjacent parcels for legal road access; verify the easement is still valid and that it provides the access you need for intended use (including heavy equipment or livestock trailers)
- Conservation easements: Less common in The Acreage but present on some parcels; restrict tree removal, clearing, and construction; appear in the deed chain and title commitment
Surveys: When to Order One and What Kind
A boundary survey is the authoritative document establishing property corners and line locations. In The Acreage, where lots are larger and improvements are more varied, there are meaningful reasons to commission a new survey rather than relying on an existing one:
- Existing survey is outdated: If the most recent survey predates any improvements on the property, a new survey shows the relationship between existing structures and the property lines — including whether anything encroaches
- No survey exists: Some Acreage lots have never had a formal survey; ordering one before closing eliminates post-closing surprises
- You plan to build or add improvements: A current survey is required before most building permits in Palm Beach County; getting it before closing rather than after allows planning to proceed without delays
Boundary survey costs in Palm Beach County typically run $800–$2,000 for a standard Acreage lot; complexity (irregular shape, multiple structures, canal frontage) adds to cost. This is a meaningful investment relative to the risk of building improvements in the wrong location.
How to Verify Easements Before Closing
- Title commitment Schedule B: Your title company will identify all recorded easements affecting the property in Schedule B; review every exception before closing, not at the closing table
- Palm Beach County Official Records: Recorded easements are searchable at mypalmbeachclerk.com by property address; include drainage, utility, and access easements filed by the county or developers
- SFWMD right-of-way map: For canal-adjacent properties, verify the SFWMD ROW boundary on the District’s mapping tools; the canal bank setback affects usable area along the rear boundary
- Boundary survey: A licensed surveyor will identify and mark all recorded easements relative to the property lines and existing structures
Acreage buyer resources: palmbeachcountyhomeforsale.com/buying/
Buying in The Acreage or Loxahatchee? Let’s verify boundaries and easements on any property you’re considering before you offer. Bilingual coordination with Lucy Lopez.
Call or text Brian: 561-201-4717
Brian Wilder
The Wilder Real Estate Group · Keller Williams Wellington
In business since 1996 · 1,500+ Palm Beach County transactions
Bilingual coordination with Lucy Lopez: 561-285-8809
561-201-4717 · palmbeachcountyhomeforsale.com