Legal Definitions - condemnor

A condemnor is an authorized government body or a private entity that possesses the legal authority to acquire private property for public use, even if the property owner does not wish to sell. This power is known as eminent domain, and the condemnor must provide fair market value, or "just compensation," for the property taken.

• Example 1: City for a Public Park

  A rapidly growing city identifies a need for a large public park and recreation area in a central location. The city council determines that a specific privately owned undeveloped tract of land is ideal for this purpose. If the city initiates legal proceedings to acquire this land against the owner's wishes, the city itself would be the condemnor, as it is the governmental entity exercising its eminent domain power to take private property for a public recreational facility.

• Example 2: State Department of Transportation for a Highway Expansion

  The State Department of Transportation plans to widen a major interstate highway to improve traffic flow and safety. This expansion requires acquiring narrow strips of land from numerous private properties adjacent to the existing road. In this scenario, the State Department of Transportation acts as the condemnor, as it is the state agency responsible for taking private land to facilitate a public infrastructure project like a highway.

• Example 3: Private Pipeline Company for a Natural Gas Line

  A private company that operates natural gas pipelines receives authorization from the state to construct a new pipeline across several rural properties to deliver energy to a growing community. To lay the pipeline, the company needs to acquire an easement—a right to use a specific portion of the land—from various landowners. If a landowner refuses to grant the easement, the pipeline company, having been granted eminent domain authority by the state for public utility purposes, would be the condemnor in the legal process to obtain that easement.