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.
Three levels of evidence
First question to resolve
Trace the legal route from the parcel to a public road.
Proof to keep
Preserve recorded access instrument and connect it to the exact parcel, proposed use and source date.
Escalation trigger
Verbal permission from a neighbor. Ask: Who owns every segment of the route?
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