What this due-diligence check covers
Legal access is the recorded right to reach the parcel. Physical access is the real-world route. Both matter, and neither automatically proves a driveway permit or year-round usability.
Access review should include title documents, survey geometry, road ownership, easement language, maintenance responsibility and local entrance standards.
Why it matters before closing
Weak access can prevent financing, permits, emergency response, utility installation and resale even when the land itself appears buildable.
What to verify
- Trace the legal route from the parcel to a public road.
- Confirm the easement permits the intended vehicles and utilities.
- Inspect width, grade, drainage, gates, bridges and seasonal conditions.
- Ask the road authority about driveway or encroachment permits.
Red flags that deserve follow-up
- Verbal permission from a neighbor.
- A route used historically but absent from recorded documents.
- An easement that ends before the parcel.
- A private road with no maintenance or cost-sharing agreement.
Evidence to keep in the parcel file
- Recorded access instrument
- Survey plotting the complete route
- Road ownership confirmation
- Driveway or entrance requirements
Questions to ask before the deadline
- Who owns every segment of the route?
- Is the access right perpetual and transferable?
- Can construction and emergency vehicles use it?
- Who pays for maintenance and improvements?
- Can utilities be installed within the corridor?