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Selling Land With a Pipeline Easement
A gas or liquids pipeline crossing your property is one of the more common surprises in rural land. The easement may be decades old, signed by a prior owner, and marked only by a few yellow posts. Owners want to know what the pipeline company can do, whether they can build, what it means for value, and whether anyone will buy the land. Here are straight answers.
- What a pipeline easement allows
- Building and value questions
- No commission, no closing costs
- Written offer within 24 hours
- Close in as little as 14 to 30 days
- Easement land considered
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Owners of land crossed by a pipeline
What a pipeline easement is
A pipeline easement, often called a right-of-way, gives the pipeline company a permanent or long-term right to place, operate, inspect, maintain and repair its line across a strip of your land. You still own the ground; the company owns the right to use that strip for its purposes. The easement is recorded with the county and runs with the land, so it binds every future owner, including whoever buys from you.
What the company can and cannot do depends on the written easement. Older grants are sometimes vague about width, the number of lines allowed or the location. Newer agreements usually spell out a specific strip, restrictions on the surface, and how damages are paid. Find your copy at the county recorder’s office if you do not have one.
Can you build on a pipeline easement?
Generally not on the easement strip itself. Pipeline operators typically prohibit buildings, pools, large trees and other permanent structures on the right-of-way, and they control grading, digging and heavy equipment crossings. Fences, driveways, crops and pasture are often allowed with permission. Federal pipeline-safety rules and the national call-before-you-dig line (811) apply before any digging near the line.
Outside the strip, you can usually build like any other owner, subject to local zoning and any setbacks your county requires near pipelines. Before planning a house or barn, call the operator listed on the markers and ask them to locate the line and confirm what is permitted.
How a pipeline easement affects value
People often ask how much a pipeline easement is worth, which can mean two things. If a company is negotiating a new easement with you, payment depends on the length and width of the strip, the land’s use and market, crop and timber damages, and negotiation; owners often hire a right-of-way attorney before signing. We do not quote typical payments because they vary widely by project and location.
For an existing easement, the effect on the land’s sale price depends on where the line runs. A line along the back edge of a large tract may barely matter. A line that splits a small lot or cuts across the only good building site can matter a lot. Buyers also differ: some will not touch pipeline land, others do not care if they plan to hunt or farm it.
Selling land with a pipeline on it
Land with a pipeline easement sells regularly. The buyer takes the property subject to the recorded easement, and the title company lists it as an exception. Being upfront helps: share the easement document, a map or photo of the markers, and anything you know about the line.
We buy land with pipeline and utility easements for cash. We pull the recorded easement during our research, price the land around it, send a written offer within 24 hours, and can close in as little as 14 to 30 days. We pay the closing costs. This is general information, not legal advice.
Why easement land owners sell to us
We read the easement
We pull the recorded document ourselves.
Honest pricing
We price around where the line actually runs.
Any easement
Pipeline, power line or access easements.
Sell as-is
Nothing to move, survey or fix.
No commission
You keep the agreed price. We pay closing costs.
No obligation
The research and the offer are free.
Selling your land, step by step
Three steps, no obligation at any point, and no cost to you at any stage.
One call or one form
Tell us the address or APN and the rough size. You do not need a survey, a plat or the tax bill in front of you — we look all of that up.
We value it properly
We research the parcel ourselves, at our cost, before we quote. We price it off recent sales of similar acreage and adjust for access, soil, flood mapping, timber and shape. No cost to you, no commitment.
Written offer, your decision
You have our number in writing within 24 hours. If you take it, a licensed title company closes it and we cover the standard closing costs — typically 14 to 30 days.
Selling to us vs. listing it
Both are legitimate. Listing can bring a higher gross price if you have time, the tract is easy to finance and you can carry the taxes while it sits. Here is the honest comparison.
| Selling to Dreamify | Listing with an agent | |
|---|---|---|
| Who you are dealing with | A direct cash buyer — we are the ones purchasing | An agent marketing it to someone else |
| Commission | None | Typically 6–10% on land |
| Closing costs | We cover them | Usually split or seller-paid |
| Repairs, survey, clean-up | Not your problem | Often requested by retail buyers |
| Financing risk | None — cash | Land loans fall through often |
| Timeline | As little as 14 to 30 days once title work is back | Land can sit on the market for months |
Land we buy
Land we buy
- Vacant, raw and bare land
- Inherited and heir property, including multiple owners
- Land with back taxes or a delinquent tax bill
- Out-of-state and absentee-owned parcels
- Farm, timber and hunting acreage
- Small residential lots and infill parcels
- Landlocked tracts and parcels with access questions
- Land that failed a perc test
- Tracts tied up in an estate or probate
- Property you inherited and have never seen
- Mobile home parks and RV parks
- Self-storage facilities — considered case by case
What we don’t buy
- Houses and other residential buildings
- Land you do not have the authority to sell
- Parcels where a co-owner has not agreed to sell
- Property already under contract with someone else
If we are not the right buyer for your parcel we will say so on the first call rather than waste your time.
We buy with our own money — here is what we have closed
We are a principal buyer using our own capital, not a lead broker collecting details to sell on. A sample of tracts we have bought and closed:
| Tract | Where we closed it |
|---|---|
| 5.05 acres | Dawson County, Georgia |
| 32.3 acres | Perquimans County, North Carolina |
| 72 acres | Pike County, Mississippi |
| 10.7 acres | Morgan County, Georgia |
| 6.24 acres | Jasper County, Georgia |
| 8.5 acres | Pike County, Mississippi |
A sample of tracts we have bought and closed ourselves. We are a principal buyer, not a broker — every one of these was purchased with our own funds through a licensed closing agent.
What sellers say
Every quote below is a real, verified Google review of Dreamify Properties — 4.9 stars across 14 reviews.
“Dreamify made a fair offer on our property in Alabama… Over the past couple years I’ve had a hundred texts and phone calls from land companies wanting to buy — from low-balling to wanting to put you under contract for 6 months and walk away on the last day. Dreamify followed through on every part of the deal.”
“John, the ops manager, was very professional and attentive to detail in ensuring that our transaction was successfully completed. The communication, updates and follow up was excellent. Highly recommend.”
Questions we get asked
Can I build on a pipeline easement?
Usually not on the easement strip itself. Outside it, normal zoning rules apply.
How much is a pipeline easement worth?
Payments for new easements vary widely by project. A right-of-way attorney can advise on an offer.
Does a pipeline easement lower property value?
It depends on where it runs and how the land is used. It matters most on small or buildable lots.
Can I sell land with a pipeline on it?
Yes. The buyer takes the land subject to the recorded easement.
How fast can you close?
We give a written offer within 24 hours and can close in as little as 14 to 30 days. If your timeline is longer, we close on the date that suits you.
What does it cost me to sell to you?
Nothing. No commission, no closing costs, no document fees. We buy with our own capital and pay the closing costs ourselves.
Find out what your land is worth to a cash buyer
Send the parcel details and we’ll research the property, answer your questions, and put a clear no-obligation offer in writing within 24 hours.
Life changes — more guides for sellers
Divorce, a move, a loss in the family, care costs, retirement or a parcel that turned into a headache. Whatever is behind the decision to sell, here is how we handle it.
- Divorce
- Relocating
- Loss of a spouse
- Paying off debt
- Bankruptcy
- Bought sight unseen
- Squatters or dumping
- Code violations
- Land that won't sell
- Buyer backed out
- Co-owner
- Owned by an LLC
- Nursing home costs
- Medical bills
- Job loss
- Retirement
- Storm damage
- Never built on
- Old mobile home on it
- Down payment on a house
- Sell or leave to kids
- Power of attorney
- Paying for college
- Farm or hunting lease
- Selling to a data center
- Selling or leasing for solar
- Capital gains tax on a land sale
- Selling to a developer
- Selling part of your land
- Owner financing
- Documents needed to sell land
- Who pays closing costs
- How long it takes to sell land
- Sell or keep your land
- Selling to a family member
- Selling land on Zillow
- Selling on Facebook Marketplace
- Selling timber off your land
- Selling without mineral rights
- Property taxes on vacant land
- Selling land at auction
- Selling land for conservation
- Land prices per acre