What You Need to Know
As a property owner, it's natural to think that you have control over every inch of your space. However, this isn't always the case. Many properties include easements that give utility companies, like those providing fiber internet, limited access to specific areas for maintenance, upgrades, or installation.
Understanding these easements and whether they affect your property is crucial to ensuring uninterrupted services, protecting your safety, and enjoying the lightning-fast speed of fiber internet. Find out everything you need to know about right-of-way easements and how they relate to fiber internet installation.
What is a right-of-way easement?
A right-of-way easement is a specific type of easement that allows someone, like a utility provider, to pass through or use an individual’s property without conferring ownership.
An example of a right-of-way easement is the strip of land along the edge of a home’s front yard, often found on the other side of the sidewalk. These easements are utilized for various utilities, including water, gas, electricity, and now, fiber optic internet.
Why are right-of-way easements important?
Right-of-way easements save time and ensure vital services like power, telephone, and internet aren’t interrupted. With right–of-way easements, utility companies can repair and upgrade essential services without needing to ask for access each time they need it.
How can you find out if your property has an easement?
The fastest way to find out if there’s an easement on your property is to check your deed. If your property has an easement, you cannot build a structure or fence that could hinder the utility company or easement holder from accessing that land.
How wide are most right-of-way easements?
Easements can vary in size, but they typically range from 10 to 50 feet wide. So, homeowners should be aware of this measurement when adding any elements to their front yard, from installing dog fences and sprinkler systems to designing landscaping.
Timeline for fiber internet installation
While the time it takes to install fiber optic internet varies from market to market and provider to provider, it generally takes several weeks, and in some cases, months. Factors such as the size of your neighborhood, existing infrastructure, contracture scheduling, and even the weather can all have an impact. Generally, the fiber internet installation process follows these core phases: planning, construction, and restoration.
If you’re in the middle of fiber internet installation occurring within the easement on your property, it can be nerve-wracking to wonder if your lawn will look the same after it’s all over. However, you can rest assured that your property will be restored back to the way it was (and possibly even better!) during the restoration phase.
For more details on Ripple Fiber’s process, visit our blog about fiber internet installation
The bottom line
Fiber internet installation typically occurs in a right-of-way easement. An easement allows one person or entity to legally use the property of another. Fiber internet installation is usually a months-long process that consists of three core phases: planning, construction, and restoration.
Interested in fiber internet for your community? Find out if Ripple Fiber is in or coming soon to your area by visiting our homepage and entering your address.