Does this Pipeline Easement RUIN my 100 ACRES? 

Looks to me like a dirt access road that someone else has to maintain. Also a firebreak.

Your videos are always full of useful and pertinent information, shared clearly and with a touch of humor. Thank you!

I keep finding myself clicking on your vids mate, and I hadn't been able to solve why until now. You reason things through and keep to reasonable and logical arguments. Respect.

At first I laughed about how they’ll allow you to build and live only 50 feet from a gas pipeline, then I realized, I live in the city where my house, most likely, sits right on on top of a gas main...

The gas company has to keep right a way clear of brush. If they need to dig it up for repairs they will pay you damages. You can’t keep them out because they have an easement. You can keep contractors out till the Company pays you. Before you build fence just do a one call and someone will mark line and tell you exactly where pipe is.

The pipe is on one side. So when they go to replace it. They put it on the other side. I used to clear right of ways. Fun job hard work. Did that in pa and Virginia.

very good overview on pros/cons.

We have a high pressure gas line that crosses 160 acres we have. We have chicken houses built within 100 feet of it. We see someone in a utv about every 5 years. They check in at that house. The guy that leases the hunting rights loves it. He plants good plots on it and hunts it. It is 1/2 mile of unobstructed view. I really don't see a down side. They dug one up on my neighbor, compensated him to the hilt amd put it back in perfect shape.

So, you've got 100 acres; the only flat spot is at the bottom where the house sits, and roads and right-of-ways running through the property. The only thing you're missing is a ski lift, and it would be perfect.

The line is put off to one side to leave room on the opposite side for working space during the installation of the line. Trucks, equipment ,ditch spoils, ect. Great location to plant a food plot and hang a tree stand!

Was going to point out that it does make land more affordable. You are right! You have to be very careful to research any easements on your property and make sure you go back far enough to find them. Electrical easements have an even bigger footprint on property and come with, in my opinion, far more impositions. I will say that herbicide is my preference over mowing as long as the application is targeted and not a broadcast application. Cheers!

Had one blow in Millburg Michigan couple years ago. It didn't catch fire but still killed 5 or 6 acres of trees that had to be chipped up and hauled away. I remember back in 60s lightning blew one up on a ridge in Kentucky

We have 3 on our property, no big deal other than keeping the dummies in check, they think they can joyride, hunt, ride 4 wheelers! Self Policing fixed any issues👍🏼🇱🇷

In NC, my hubs worked for a company that contracted with the gas company to keep the lines mowed and trees cut. They would often run across a "nitwit" landowner that had built a playhouse on it or best of all one dug a fort underground for his children to play in. They had to tear it down and fill up the pit. I can't imagine a homeowner digging a hole on a gas line. It takes all kinds to made the world go around.

Very interesting video !! Thanks for that.

Good video. We have one on our property, I wanted to tap in to it. Trans Canada said negative.

I know of a good 80 acres outside mcalister Oklahoma owned by the gas company. They bought bc it was easier than getting an easement but the pipeline only covers 10% of the land. A great way to search for land is look for gas companies in the tax rolls.

Always call 811 before building fence or plan to do any digging in the area of a pipeline, could save your life and or a lot of money.

Trail cams are so fun just to see how many people are driving up the pipeline routes here in NEPA. Even though fencing was to have been installed. No extending the blue stone quarry for more money than all NG would provide from under the pipeline. Also for homes, look at the Area of High Consequence and double it. FERC's calculation is a bit weak. That is the area where they go in later and look for bodies. Still when the one was going in, they cut the trees 110 ft wide, but the project was canceled. My tree stand was on the edge and now I have the shooting lane from GOD! almost 700 yards and 37 wide.

I learned as a gas company customer service rep, if you find patches of dead vegetation that is an indication of a gas leak.

Good information. I don't mind the pipelines at all. The Hatfield McCoy trail system supporters love pipelines too whether they know it or not. Growing up in Logan county on 500 acres, with a couple old wells and several lines crossing it, this is so normal I never thought about others not knowing this information but I guess it isn't normal to most. We did have a 3 or 4 inch well to well line take a lighting strike quite a few years back. I found it in the fall while running a trap line and don't know how long it had been leaking and burning, but it had probably been at least three months since we'd had any lighting. It sure toasted some rocks nice and crispy. Still not a big deal to me.

We have a gas line thru one of our family farms . We basically use it for access, deer hunting ect . It’s been probably 20+ years sense anything has been done to it . We clean the trees ect out when needed. Hasn’t been a big deal to us yet .

Interesting topic.

thanks for the information

Looks great

All the new pipelines are usually put across the back side of the property line. To prevent dividing the property use. Google map pictures can show this .. pipeline zip zags across the property's. (Pennsylvania gas lines)only big issue is when homes are close or maple syrup farm are affected.

Never deal with these oil companies on your own ,when dealing with hire a lawyer that specializes in easements. We were offered 8,000 dollars for easement and lawyer got us 35000 dollars and charged less than 10%.

First of all, when the easement was designed there was a value put on it, and someone got paid for it. Usually it would be a 100 year lease. Someone got paid, or is still getting lease payments. I would check if the line is load bearing pipe, so you could drive over it without harming it. The reason they try to keep trees from growing over pipelines is because the roots could disbond the coating. If it was my property I would want to know how they are protecting the line. If they are using anodes or impressed current. Those lines are suppose to be inspected once a year, and pipe to soil potentials recorded for the State DOT. Just to be on the safe side I would get in touch with the pipeline owners, and ask them these questions.

The biggest pro for me would be a great line of sight to hunt on, if your into deer and Turkey hunting, or plant a good food plot for deer and Turkey that would not be hunted on, just saying I’m one that doesn’t like to hunt over a food plot, but there are many that do either way it’s a nice place you have there sir.

We have a oil pipeline in our area and the farmers plant crops right over them.

Over the years when I've seen videos of your land, I just assumed those wide open stretches were Fire Breaks! You bought the property for a good price knowing about the gas line and it's out of your way. It sounds like it's a minor annoyance, that you knew going into it.

I've learned so much by watching all your videos (and I did watched each and every one of them...) The only thing left for me is to win a GreenCard and buy a homestead and make my dream come true.

I know people that have the Trans Alaska Pipeline crossing their property and they have a chain link fence with a double lock like that gate you showed.

the rifle range, and hunting possibilities would be a giant plus for me, but then again it depends on where it is in relation to the house, etc. A 1000 yard range would be incredible.

More annoying are excessive easements - instead of limiting the easements to properties that need the specific road for access/utilities, they write the easement as open to everyone in the plat, and go further to include "recreational use" - as long as they remain within the easement, someone could literally make up to a 60 ft. wide park, camp site, dirt bike track, etc. on your land. Another issue encountered has been old easements that were never removed - The road path was changed, but they never dropped the old easement, chopping up the property. Take the time to look at properties with electric transmission line easements - I am looking at buying property in an area susceptible to forest fires - I was glad to see a 250 ft. transmission line easement to the forested side as a fire break (the other side is a large body of water). On another property, the transmission line easement provided an awesome view that wouldn't have been available otherwise, with the towers outside the main sight lines.

Run a blade over it to make it smooth and it would make an awesome place to ride, or even gallop your horses fit or train an endurance horse.... When I had horses that easement would have been a HUGE bonus!

Looks like one long green field too me. Plant it

We've got a regional power company overhead transmission lines and towers in the same kind of situation. Same rules. it's 50 feet from the center of their right-of-way. There's no underground gas leak, explosion risk like yours (it's all 70+ feet overhead) so we just use that area for garden. It was actually kinda nice that they had already had it clear and kept it clear of trees/woody-brush for decades. Been here 20+ years now. Never had an issue.

The reason the pipe isn't in the center of rage right of way is for working space... the narrow side is for spoil piles when ditching and the wide side is called the working side... it gives the crew and machines a place to work and move

I think it could be a bonus

2:28... a soft reminder... a private easement is not a traditional public "Right-of-way" just a thought.

I killed a boatload of deer standing in pipelines

We just passed on a property that had a gas pipeline on it. It had some beautiful trees and topography, but there was no discount offered by the seller. We couldn’t justify paying what they were asking when we could find similar properties priced the same without the pipeline.

That ROW makes for a great hunting area, deer and turkeys 🦃

I’m also in WV and we have two (owned by different companies) gas lines running thru it. My only gripe is that someone can walk thru any time they want to check the lines while I’m being naked. One HUGE benefit to the gas lines is I get FREE gas!!! So heat, AC, backup generator all run on gas! I believe it’s only up to a certain amount but I’ve been told by my gas guy (who is freakin awesome) that it would be really hard to hit that limit, and if I do go over I would have to pay “line price” for the overage.

Pipeline and powerline right of ways are excellent places to deer hunt. I would Lionel to have one on property.

Those markers are for line of sight. There is a minimum distance for straight runs and they are placed at curves or turns.

I grew up on a property that had a pipeline through it. Never saw anyone. At some point it was decommissioned and then converted to carry fiber optics. It's wells you really don't want on your property.

Bit of a pity that WV, as a state, doesn't have any protected plants. Of course if it did..., well you get the idea

I have a small transmission line on me that feeds a small city about 30 miles south. It allows everyone that is close to the line to also have gas service. With all utilities there is a easement, like if power lines cross your land, and also the road in front of your property there is a easement so far from the center of it. As far as the land being yours, you may have paid for it but you are taxed on it every year don't pay those taxes it won't belong to you long. And then there is eminent domain, mineral rights and probably a few others. Ask some in Kentucky, Bring up Peabody coal company.

If you share a gate with somebody else it is real common for people to lock your padlock out. They just bypass it when they lock the gate because they don't understand or care about your access. You can't get back through the gate yourself so the thing to do is have the shortest chain and you cut it in two places that are far enough apart that they can't bypass your lock. Generally that works but sooner or later they will put a another chain on it that is one piece and you just cut it again and put your lock in. Almost always when a gas pipeline fails it's because somebody who has done some sort of excavation around it. They damage the pipe even if it's just a scratch in the protective coating it is enough. They don't want to be charged with for the repairs or have to confess to the gas company. In time corrosion will eat into the pipe and eventually it leaks. There could already be past damage to the pipeline that you don't know about but the more remote location the less likely it is for it to be damaged. And it is legal to call for utility locates. Ask for a pre survey as if you are planning to design a project then they have 10 days to mark their utilities and generally will do a much better job of marking them. The utilities are required to come out and Mark their utilities and if they come close together or cross those are the places that are more likely for there to be damage to the pipe line. We had a farmer dig one hole in the middle of a huge corn field and he caught a natural gas pipeline and put a small town out of natural gas and burnt a bit of his cornfield but not him or his tractor. If you are ever near a gas leak whatever equipment you have shut it off immediately because the gas and air mixture will go into the engine and over rev it very quickly to the point of Destruction. Also you don't want your equipment to provide the spark that starts the fire.

We have a 10” line running through my county in southern VA. It’s pretty old. But don’t go anywhere near it digging. They will know and show up asking questions.

I have one as well. No big deal. The company is very good at communicating. They may come back and widen it as well, but the owners will be compensated.

No problem on my farm I have a 18 inches oil line and a 36 inch natural gas pipeline

I know of a country house that has a tap to a natural gas pipeline. It’s been there for decades. Free gas. Needless to say they have gas appliances. East Texas

Your purchase price should have reflected the easement.

Count your blessings....at least yours runs through the edge of the property...mine runs dang near center!

Put a section of chains between the locks, people have such a hard time locking properly.

So I have a (500 power line) the larger transmission lines on my property and I would take power over pipe anyday there are less rules but there are some downsides they make a high frequency noise when your under the right away and when it snows it's sounds like popcorn popping but I can build right up to the right away but the rightaway is alot bigger probably 50 yards wide but the nice thing about power is the electric guys only come around and trim every 10 or so years and the maintenance crews use helicopters now last time they did work they used my field to land and take off from due to road access which was fine renting my field for a month for a couple thousand was a good deal they even replanted and fixed there ruts

Lol, I don't trust gas line operators! I was running a dozer in the area around a gas transmission line, I think it was either 8 or 10 inch, and we called the company to come out to assess the grade cut the owner of the property wanted. Long story short, guy tells me the line is 12 ft deep where I was cutting. I needed to remove about 2 ft to get grade. While he was walking to his truck, I cut about 8 inches in a push and plastic started rolling up over the blade. I thought it was the tattle tell ribbon they bury above the pipe so I stopped and call him back over. Turns out it was the plastic coating of the actual pipe. Small town evacuated, job on hold for 3 weeks while they figured out what happened. Pipe had been back filled during a torrential rain years before and had floated up through the mud.

Hi Troy we have an electric company right of way thru our property.

Have you thought of putting a Barn back for there for raising some beef cattle?

Yes

Another plus I have here in Iowa is.....the natural gas company has to rent this land from me. They have storage under my land. Kinda weird but it’s just a giant underground storage for miles and miles so there’s no actual pipe. But the plus even tho I own the land they have to rent the storage under my land so every year I get a check from them for rent. There isn’t restrictions because there’s no pipe. Now it’s not a ton of money or anything but for doing nothing and not being inconvenienced by it, getting a rent check once a year is kinda nice.

Over a decade ago, I looked at a trailer on 6 acres, but had the big metal tall power poles? It joined in back field, so 4 directions, them big metal things, so majority of land wasnt useable. Couldnt build shed, nothing, couldnt plant, they spray chemicals to kill weeds, all I could do would be ride, or hunt, they said I could park a car or utility trailer, but needed to be easily moveable by me or them if emergency. So I walked away, great price, but why pay taxes on basically useless land?

you have greater chances of a bbq 20lb tank going up before that gas line goinjg bang.

I have a chunk of land out in the woods that has power lines (with easement) that crosses it. After I bought it I put in a driveway that crosses their easement and the utility uses my drive to access their easement. Several years ago during a storm, a big tree came down and took out the pole and the wires. They were in a hurry to fix it and they used some big equipment to do so, and in the process did $14,000 in damage to my driveway. After 2 years of the run-around they coughed up $9000 and I was stuck with the rest. I don't live on the property, it's 300 miles from my home, so I'm not there watching over it. So I put a big pipe gate across the entrance to my driveway and they do not have a key. I figure that my driveway is not their right of way. It did not exist when the right of way was established. They do not have a right to use any road that I may build. Any thoughts?

Yes, I know, the pipe is buried 3-6 feet, but I still did a double take when you said you use the easement as a firing range.

What about all the inactive gas wells? Can someone come in and reactivate them? Who owns the mineral rights to your property?

The pipe is not in the centre so that there is room for vehicles and equipment working off to the side and possibly another pipe in the future. You think 10” is big, but some are 48” diameter.

When I was 4 years old we lived quarter miles off the gravel road. The gas line was on the other side of the road. I was outside playing and a 2 sitter plane fly over the pipe line at the exact same time that pipeline blew up. (plane was ok) My dad thought we were being bomb.

Easement and right of way are two different things with a little different definition.

What I see is a great place for goats! LOL

They failed to bury one to the proper depth a couple miles from me. A new subdivision was grading, and hit the line. The resulting fire killed one man, cooked a lot of vehicles, and registered a pressure drop in the system hundreds of miles away at a pumping station.

We have one that runs through our driveway and the end of our cornfield

Do they pay a rental for the pipeline crossing your land or was that bought outright when they first put it in? Here in the UK I had a power line crossing my property and the company paid me a small rental every year.

Yes.

11:46 90% of all property has a utility right away. If you have a neighbor behind you and power lines between the two the electric company has a 10 foot easement on both yards that they can access whenever they need to. The gas line is just obvious while all the others aren't.

Similar rules at my place. I have 2 gas lines on my property, they merge just past it.

i would imagine having a pipeline easement going through a landlocked property would be a benefit to having one as well....

I have a 10'' pipe line running through my property but they never keep it clear, they dont even have it marked its grown up and it is a live gas line

The vast majority of people have to comply with restrictions on our property. Whether you live in a city or the country. Whether it’s pollution control or building codes or even plant or animal restrictions. ( I would have a fit if my neighbor planted kudzu on purpose) So if you buy property with a utility access, you got what you paid for as long as the seller gives full disclosure.

Another benefit is all the $ they pay to landowners for use of their land. I know farmers in western Pa. who received lots of money

Sounds like you were aware of the pipeline and easement prior to purchase. You should have been provided and reviewed a title report before buying that will outline all encumbrances on your land. That title report will reference the recorded easement. That easement will outline what you can or cannot do within the easement limits. Something like not altering the grade, not obstructing access, no construction of structures, etc. Again sounds like you are well aware of these restrictions.

I've only got 10.6 acres. But the power company has high power transmission lines over 3.5 acres of it. Can't build on it, can't grow anything taller than 6' on it, can't, can't, can't. And no power discounts for me.

We have a 36 inch natural gas pipeline that went through a very small amount of our property. Coming from alabama through georgia and into florida. Its a really big one. if this baby goes all of us die within 968 feet. my house if right on the edge of that radius.

One the biggest issue I did not hear is about how the pipeline effects your water table. If you wanted a true homestead you most likely would be using well water. What is the risk and laws associated with this?

What does WV state law and American Law rule on Dilution of private land ownership rights due to servitude ? This gas line will obviously negatively impact the sellability or rentability or even redevelopability of ur plot area.

The real benefit Is the cost they paid to the original land owner to place the easement in to the deed .

Land in my area is far to expensive i have seen 1acre building lots with no well or perked for 100k. Can not even find 5 acres of mountain land for less than 40k. Hard to find land to homestead in my area.

short answer is YES, your acres are ruined.... long answer is subjective.... as it depends on several factors, size of the pipe, where on the land it is, do you get to tap into and use any of it.. this list goes on... and the big answer most people forget to think about, how much land/buildings will remain usable should that pipeline ever have a catastrophic failure.... ie, explode.... now you only have a 14 inch line, and i've heard stories of 9 inch and smaller that exploded and destroyed a lot of things in that area.... now imagine how some of us feel about the 42 inch line that has ramrodded its way across the state... were talking big enough AND close enough that if it ever get fully operational and has an issue, there are several small towns that will effectively be erased from the map... lock, stock, and barrel erased.... so yes, i go back to my short answer, it ruins your land.... nuff said

My in-laws had an 80 acre farm with a gas pipeline running through it. They got free natural gas service as part of the deal.

Natural deer hunting shooting lane. Killed a lot of deer on a gas line.

This might sound like a stupid question or argument, but to they pay part of the property tax on that easement, or pay the land owner a yearly payment to partially reimburse for the taxes on that easement?

You mentioned having a nice clear tract to shoot on. Is there any concern whe shooting or hunting near the pipeline? Or is it buried so deep it’s not a concern?

I have a power easement on my land. I contacted the power company to get the restrictions and their answer was, it is your land. We are not going to tell you what to do with it just make sure we can still access the line. Fast forward a few years, that was both a good thing and a bad thing. In May, a tornado ripped through the entire thirty acres, including the easement. well, it is my property. They set the poles back up and got the power back on, but I am still clearing trees from the easement. Plus side, a new log cabin is coming along nicely.

I have a ten inch gas pipeline on my land and always thought I should be paid a royalty from the gas company.

Well I know your trying to give information and that’s a good thing. But can I maybe clear up a few things for you. Natural gas transmission pipelines operate at above 60psi. A typical transmission pipeline is around 30 inches diameter and will operate near 900psi. The 10 on the marker is probably the depth of the pipeline or saying like 10 foot to one side of the marker itself. Definitely consult the gas company in your area before doing any work near the line. Call 811 or any local utility before doing any digging. Most land owners might know they have an easement but what that means can vary between utilities, individual agreements and other things. A healthy respect for any underground or above ground utility is a must. Pipelines are very safe and maintenance programs are the law. Keep yourself safe and call before any digging and enjoy your land to its fullest.

Hell no it don't. I even haven't watched this to say that. One free city kept grazing land as well as a nice gun range. We had electrical towers that went through ours and as a kid we loved it. The electric company even took the time to build us berms at different intervals. The longest was 1,300 yards we used long rifles including my father's old military sniper rifle. Not to mention the bon fires and parties we had on that strip.

What area's in West Virginia would be nice (like yours) but close to shopping centers/home depot/walmart/groceries. (around 10 miles). I'd like 15+ acres to build a couple homes for myself and my sons and have hunting/shooting and small farm, large gardens. Anyone? THX.