Legal Definitions - mutation

Mutation

In legal terms, a mutation refers to a significant and fundamental alteration in the legal status, nature, or character of something, particularly in the context of property.

Here are a few examples to illustrate this concept:

• Imagine a large parcel of land that was previously designated for agricultural use. If the local government officially changes its zoning classification to permit residential housing development, this constitutes a mutation. The land's fundamental legal status has been altered from agricultural to residential, significantly changing its potential use and value.

• Consider a commercial building owned by two individuals as joint tenants with rights of survivorship. If one owner decides to sell their share to a third party, thereby severing the joint tenancy and converting the ownership into a tenancy in common, this change in the legal structure of ownership is a mutation. The property's legal status regarding how it is held and inherited has fundamentally shifted.

• Suppose a property was originally registered as a single, undivided plot of land. If the owner legally subdivides it into two separate, distinct parcels, each with its own new legal description and title, this process is a mutation. The original property's legal status as a single entity has been fundamentally altered into two new, independent legal entities.