Selling Texas Land With a Pipeline Easement: What to Know

Short answer: A pipeline easement gives a company the right to use a strip of your land, and it stays with the land when you sell. Buyers and title companies will read it, so read it first. Texas A&M AgriLife's pipeline easement checklist points to the terms that matter most: whether the easement is blanket (anywhere on the property) or limited to a surveyed strip, how many lines it allows, how wide the permanent and temporary areas are, how deep the line must be buried (Texas law requires 36 inches, per AgriLife), what surface facilities are allowed, and whether the owner kept the right to use the surface. A specific, narrow, single-line easement with surface use reserved usually affects a sale far less than a blanket one. Pull the recorded easement, find it on a survey, and expect it to appear on the title commitment.

Texas A&M AgriLife counted more than 366,000 miles of oil and gas pipelines crossing the state as of 2012, many of them on private land under easements a previous owner signed. When you go to sell, that easement comes along with the land, and the buyer and the title company will want to know exactly what it allows. This guide explains how to read a pipeline easement from a seller's side, which terms buyers look at first, and how to keep it from surprising anyone at closing.

This article is general information. It is not legal advice. For questions about a specific easement, talk to a Texas real estate attorney.

What a pipeline easement is

Texas A&M AgriLife's pipeline easement checklist describes an easement as the right to use a specified portion of the property of another. The landowner keeps owning the land; the company gets the right to build, run and maintain its line in the area the easement describes. A recorded easement stays with the property when it is sold, so the buyer takes the land subject to it.

Some pipeline companies have the power of eminent domain, which lets them acquire an easement even without the owner's agreement after paying adequate compensation. The Texas Attorney General publishes the Landowner's Bill of Rights for that situation. If you are selling land that already has an easement, though, the question is not how it was acquired but what it says.

Step 1: find the easement and where it runs

• Get the recorded document. It is in the county deed records, and it will appear as an exception on the title commitment when you sell. Our guide on reading a title commitment shows where.
• Locate it on the ground. A survey should show the easement strip. If there is no survey, line markers along the route are a clue, but buyers will want the documented location. See selling land without a survey.

Step 2: read the terms buyers care about

The AgriLife checklist was written for landowners negotiating new easements, but the same terms decide how much an existing easement affects a sale:

• Blanket or specific. AgriLife warns that language letting the company lay a line "over and across" the property is a blanket easement: the company could place a line anywhere. A specific easement is tied to a surveyed strip shown as an exhibit. Buyers strongly prefer the second.
• Number of lines and products. An easement may allow one line or many, and may or may not limit what flows through them.
• Width. AgriLife notes that permanent pipeline easements typically range from 20 to 50 feet wide, with temporary construction areas often 50 feet or wider during construction.
• Depth. According to AgriLife, easements usually call for 36 inches, the depth Texas law requires; some require more.
• Surface facilities. Even underground lines can come with surface equipment. Check what is allowed and where.
• Surface use reserved. Can the owner graze, build a road, dig a pond or run a water line across the strip? AgriLife recommends reserving that right.
• Access. Without limits in the easement, AgriLife notes, the company can enter the easement at any time for any purpose.

How it affects price

AgriLife notes that Texas courts recognize remainder damages: a drop in value of the land outside the easement strip because of the easement. Buyers think the same way. A narrow, single-line easement along a back fence, with surface use reserved, often matters little. A blanket easement, or one that cuts through the best building site, matters more. The honest way to price land with an easement is to show buyers the document and the location up front.

A seller's checklist

1. Pull the recorded easement and any amendments from the county deed records.
2. Mark its location on a survey or plat, and note any surface facilities.
3. Write down the key terms: blanket or specific, width, number of lines, depth, surface use and access.
4. Note any damage or restoration issues from past work on the line.
5. Share it all with buyers at the start, so it does not surface for the first time on the title commitment.

Other easements work the same way; see our guide on drainage easements, and on access easements if your land relies on one to reach a road.

Getting an offer

If you want a real number for land with an easement on it, you can ask us for a written cash offer; send the easement with your request if you have it.

Common questions

Does a pipeline easement go away when I sell my land?

No. An easement is a right in the land itself, so a recorded pipeline easement stays with the property when it is sold, and the title company will list it on the title commitment. The buyer takes the land subject to it.

What is a blanket pipeline easement?

Texas A&M AgriLife explains that an easement saying the line may be laid 'over and across' the property is a blanket easement that lets the company place the line anywhere on the property. A specific easement is limited to a surveyed strip shown in an exhibit.

How deep does a pipeline have to be buried in Texas?

Texas A&M AgriLife's checklist says easements usually call for 36 inches, the depth Texas law requires, and suggests landowners ask for at least 48 inches or a duty to maintain the 36-inch depth because erosion can make a line shallower over time.

Can I use the land over a pipeline?

It depends on the easement. AgriLife recommends that landowners reserve the right to use the surface, for example for grazing, roads, ponds or water lines. Read your easement to see what it allows.

Does a pipeline easement lower my land's value?

It can, depending on where it runs and what it allows. Texas courts recognize remainder damages, meaning a drop in value of the land outside the strip, according to AgriLife. A narrow easement along an edge usually matters less than a blanket one or one through the middle of a building site.

Sources

• Texas A&M AgriLife Extension: Texas Pipeline Easement Negotiation Checklist (EAG-009)
• Texas Attorney General: The State of Texas Landowner's Bill of Rights

Each source was opened and read on October 21, 2026. Rules and rates change: check the source for the current version.

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