Sewer Easements Explained

A utilities easement is a legal right that allows utility companies and departments to access a portion of private property to install, maintain, repair, or replace utility lines and equipment. The Town of Southern Pines maintains both sewer and water utilities easments in both roadway rights-of-way and on private property throughout the Town, along from our Town water source along Drowning Creek, and within our Extra-Territorial Jurisdiction. The property owner typically cannot build on or obstruct the easement area, but they still maintain ownership of the land.

**Here’s how easements work:
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1. Purpose: The easement grants utility providers the legal ability to perform necessary tasks like running power lines, laying water pipes, or maintaining equipment, often over land they don’t own.
2. Location: The easement’s boundaries are specified, and the utility company has the right to enter the designated area for work. This can include trenches for underground lines or overhead power lines along the easement corridor.
3. No Building: While the property owner still owns the land, they are generally prohibited from building structures, planting trees, or doing anything that could block access to the utilities.
4. Access: Utility workers can access the easement without needing the property owner’s permission each time, as long as they are performing authorized work.
5. Duration: Easements can be temporary or permanent, depending on the agreement. Permanent easements typically remain in effect as long as the utility service exists, while temporary easements may expire after specific tasks are completed.

Overall, utilities easements ensure that service providers can maintain infrastructure while balancing the property owner's use and enjoyment of their land.

Most sewer easements in the Town of Southern Pines are 20 feet wide (10 feet on either side of the sewer line). In rare cases, the easement is more narrow - as is the case for easements in Knollwood Heights where easements are 12 feet wide (6 feet on either side of the sewer line). The reason easements are 20 feet wide is to allow for heavy equipment to access the lines, properly maneuver to conduct excavation, repair/replacement work, and bring in as necessary large and long replacement pipe.

**Applicable NC Statute
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North Carolina General Statutes Chapter 160A: Cities and Towns, Section 160A-274 (Municipal Easements)
• This statute applies to cities and towns and grants them the ability to acquire easements or rights-of-way for utilities and other municipal purposes, often including power, water, and sewer infrastructure.

**Common Easements and Work in Our Area
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In addition to the Town of Southern Pines, other utilities with easements in our area include Duke Energy, Spectrum, fiber-optic companies Brightspeed and Ripple Fiber, and the Dixie Pipeline.

The most recent work in easements and rights-of-way have been the two fiber-optic companies installing lines to provide internet services. Annually, Duke subcontractors perform tree pruning and removal along power lines throughout the area.