Legal Definitions - annexation

Definition: Annexation is the act of attaching or incorporating land within a nation, state, or municipality's dominion. It can also refer to the point at which a fixture becomes a part of the realty to which it is attached.

Examples:

• When a city decides to annex a nearby area, it means that the city is incorporating that land into its boundaries.
• If a homeowner installs a built-in bookshelf, it becomes a fixture and is annexed to the property.
• Cherry-stem annexation is a type of annexation where the annexed land is not contiguous to the acquiring municipality, and a narrow corridor of annexed land leads to the targeted area. This type of annexation is called cherry-stem because the annexed territory resembles a cherry on a map, with the narrow corridor being the stem.

The examples illustrate how annexation can refer to both the incorporation of land into a larger entity and the attachment of fixtures to real property. Cherry-stem annexation is a specific type of annexation that involves a unique configuration of annexed land.