re: Rural Land Purchase Question - Landlocked Land - Louisiana

I'll try to give a simple scenario. Let's say I own 10 acre square that fronts a roadway. If I sell the back half I have to provide the access. If I sell the front half and land lock myself then I can't demand the access. So, if a property is landlocked it is important to determine how the property became land locked. Of course there are a various kinds of "access".

Other issues that the OP said that are concerning to me:
has a right of way used by farmers (how long? usage? permission?)
Does not have utilities and will not need utilities for a while
Looking at onX Hunt, a small portion of the property is currently being farmed

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Total is 10 acres, full of trees ~2 acres of a much larger tract being farmed on the back side of the property. It’s a very large field that extends over the property line. I’m sure these farmers are worth a lot more than me. I am curious to know why they wouldn’t buy it.

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I wouldn’t rely solely on Onx- I’d get it surveyed.

Fencelines “move” over time, and that farmer might not realize he crosses over onto the land you’re looking at buying.

If you do buy it get it surveyed and then figure out how much of the farm ground is on your side. Talk to the farmer and you could probably work something out like a small “cash rent” of like $100-150/acre.

If the trees are in rows, it is probably WRP. This would be a perpetual easement with .gov prohibiting development, and limiting clearing even for a campsite.

You need a knowledgeable attorney and/or a GOOD real estate agent. I know they are hated here, but a good rural land agent will give you solid advice.


Looks like you are buying land that has no access, might have 20% adverse possession and may be enrolled in a conservation easement.

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You need a knowledgeable attorney and/or a GOOD real estate agent.

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"OR"????? No real estate agent is going to be able to give you an opinion on access.

A good agent, knowledgeable with the area, would be a decent start. May be better than jumping straight to a for-fee attorney.

I've been handling title work for 25 years in a few months.

Appearances can be very deceiving. Perhaps the other people have permission and you may not. Or, the property may not in fact be land locked. There may be a recorded right of way.

Does that right of way allow you to maintain the roadway so you can actually use it if it gets rutted up? There may be an easement by prescription but if so what kind of traffic has that prescription created? (i.e. someone has hunted cross the land to periodically hunt vs. someone who drives on it every day). If it qualifies for prescription, has that actually been rendered in a judgment? Will that allow you to put utilities in? Are there restrictions on the property? Does someone else have a right of way across the property you are buying?

In no way can a real estate agent provide you with these answers. The seller may not in fact know. So, yes, you need to close through a title company and you need to buy title insurance because there are things a title attorney would miss or can't be discoverable by the parish records.

These are just some of the questions that need answers and it may already be completely taken care of by prior owners. But you can't know until someone searches the parish records.

The title attorney probably owns the title company. You can get another attorney but that would probably be unnecessary. I would just call them before the closing and ask all the questions you've asked here.

It can't be stressed enough, buy the owner's policy of title insurance. It will cover you if the attorney messes up or if it is something that can't be discovered.

Some good advice in here and some no so good. I have purchased several tracts of rural land over the last 5 years. Some of these tracts had zero deeded access. One tract was a couple miles from the nearest road. Things I can say for sure.

1. You can purchase land with zero legal access in Louisiana.

2. While there are rules around adjoining land owners having to provide access, most judges do not favor someone if they purchased land with no access. If you knew that, that is your issue. They have to provide access to get minerals or timber out every 10-15 years and you are responsible for the cost or damage to the property. But they DO NOT have to provide you access recreationally

3. Land banks will finance land with zero access. But of course, the value is very diminished.

4. If you are seriously considering purchasing the land, talk with the landowner of the tract with what you refer to as a "right of way". See if you can purchase legal deeded access across that property to get to the new property. This will immediately increase the value of the property you are purchasing.

5. Good title work is essential and communication with the current landowner and adjacent landowners is the best remedy before buying. They may tell you the reasons none of them want to buy it. Maybe there is an old oil well on the site and the environmental clean up will be very expensive. Maybe someone dumped garbage on the site for 20 years before the trees grew up. Historical knowledge is great to have.

Listen, this is just my opinion as a land owner and long time lease holder of landlocked hunting land. It doesn’t matter. Whether they are required by law to grant you access or not… IF you take them to court to force the issue, win or lose, you are making your life as a small landowner miserable.