Legal Definitions - abuttals

Abuttals refers to the specific boundaries of a piece of land, describing where it meets or touches adjacent properties, public roads, or natural features like rivers. It essentially defines what surrounds a particular parcel of land by identifying its neighboring properties or features.

• Example 1: Residential Property

  Imagine a suburban house. Its property line that runs along the backyard of the house next door, the line that borders the public street in front, and the line that separates it from the house on the other side are all considered its abuttals.

  Explanation: Each of these lines precisely defines where the homeowner's private property ends and where an adjacent private property or a public thoroughfare begins. They describe the land's immediate surroundings.

• Example 2: Commercial Development

  A new shopping center is being planned. Its legal description would include its abuttals, such as the boundary where it meets a major highway, the line where it touches a neighboring office park, and the point where it borders a municipal park.

  Explanation: These boundaries are crucial abuttals because they specify how the shopping center's land interacts with both public infrastructure (the highway) and other distinct land uses (the office park and municipal park), defining its exact footprint.

• Example 3: Rural Land Parcel

  A large tract of undeveloped land in a rural area might have abuttals defined by a winding creek on its northern side, a national forest to the east, and a private ranch property to the south and west.

  Explanation: The lines where the land meets the creek, the national forest, and the private ranch are its abuttals. They delineate the property's extent by referencing both natural geographical features and adjacent land owned by others, whether private or public.