Req. No. 10832 Page 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 STATE OF OKLAHOMA 1st Session of the 60th Legislature (2025) HOUSE BILL 2119 By: Kannady AS INTRODUCED An Act relating to easements; enacting the Oklahoma Uniform Easement Relocation Act of 2025; defining terms; providing applicability of act to certain easements; excluding certain easements from relation; establishing the right of a property owner to relocate an easement in certain circumstances; providing that a property owner may commence a civil action to relocate an easement; provid ing the requirements for commencing a civil action to relocate an easement; provi ding the court guidelines in creating an order for relocation of an easement; requiring the recordation of certain documents prior to relocation of an easement; providing for reasonable expenses related to the relocation of an easement; requiring the parties to a civil action for easement relocation to act in good faith in facilitating relocation; provid ing when a proposed easement relocation is considered to be final and complete; providing and limiting the effect of an easement relocation; provid ing that the right of a property to relocate an easement under this act cannot be waived, excluded, or restricted by agreement; providing that the law should be applied and construed to promote uniformity with other states that enact the act; providing relation to the Electronic Signatures in Global National Commerce Act; providing that the act applies to an easement created before, on, or after the effective date of this bill; providing for codification; and provid ing an effective date. Req. No. 10832 Page 2 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA: SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 1501 of Title 60, unless there is created a duplication in numberi ng, reads as follows: This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Oklahoma Uniform Easement Relocation Act of 2025 ". SECTION 2. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 1502 of Title 60, unless there is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows: As used in this act: 1. "Appurtenant easement " means an easement tied to or dependent on ownership or occupancy of a unit or a parcel of real property. 2. "Conservation easement " means a nonpossessory prop erty interest created for one or more of the following conservation purposes: a. retaining or protecting the natural, scenic, wildlife, wildlife habitat, biological, ecological, or open space values of real property , b. ensuring the availability of real pr operty for agricultural, forest, outdoor recreational, or open space uses, c. protecting natural resources, including wetlands, grasslands, and riparian areas , Req. No. 10832 Page 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 d. maintaining or enhancing air or water quality , or e. preserving the historical, architectural , archeological, paleontological, or cultural aspects of real property. 3. "Dominant estate" means an estate or interest in real property benefitted by an appurtenant easement. 4. "Easement" means a nonpossessory property interest t hat: a. provides a right to enter, use, or enjoy real property owned by or in the possession of another , and b. imposes on the owner or possessor a duty not to interfere with the entry, use, or enjoyment permitted by the instrument creating the easement or in the case of an easement not established by express grant or reservation, the entry, use, or enjoyment authorized by law. 5. "Easement holder" means: a. in the case of an appurtenant easement, the dominant estate owner, or b. in the case of an easement in gross, public utility easement, conservation easement, or negative easement, the grantee of the easement or a successor. 6. "Easement in gross" means an easement not tied to or dependent on ownership or occupancy of a unit or a parcel of real property. Req. No. 10832 Page 4 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 7. "Lessee of record" means a person holding a lessee 's interest under a recorded lease or memorandum of lease. 8. "Negative easement" means a nonpossessory property interest whose primary purpose is to impose on a servient estate owner a duty not to engage in a specified u se of the estate. 9. "Person" means an individual, estate, business or nonprofit entity, public corporation, government or governmental subdivision, agency, or instrumentality, or other legal entity. 10. "Public utility easement" means a nonpossessory pr operty interest in which the easement holder is a publicly regulated or publicly owned utility under federal law or law of this state or a municipality. The term includes an easement benefiting an intrastate utility, an interstate ut ility, or a utility co operative. 11. "Real property" means an estate or interest in, over, or under land, including structures, fixtures, and other things that by custom, usage, or law pass with a conveyance of land whether or not described or mentioned in the contract of sale or instrument of conveyance. The term includes the interest of a lessor and lessee , and unless the interest is personal property under law of this state other than this act, an interest in a common -interest community. 12. "Record", used as a noun, means information that is inscribed on a tangible medium or that is stored in an electronic or other medium and is retrievable in perceivable form. Req. No. 10832 Page 5 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 13. "Security instrument" means a mortgage, deed of trust, security deed, contract for deed, lease, or other rec ord that creates or provides for an interest in real property to secure payment or performance of an obligation, whether by acquisition or retention of a lien, a lessor 's interest under a lease, or title to the real property. The term includes: a. a security instrument that also creates or provides for a security interest in personal property , b. a modification or amendment of a security instrument , and c. a record creating a lien on real property to secure an obligation under a covenant running with the r eal property or owed by a unit owner to a common -interest community association. 14. "Security-interest holder of record " means a person holding an interest in real property created by a recorded security instrument. 15. "Servient estate" means an estate or interest in real property that is burdened by an easement. 16. "Title evidence" means a title insurance policy, preliminary title report or binder, title insurance commitment, abstract of title, attorney 's opinion of title based on examination of public records or an abstract of title, or any other means of Req. No. 10832 Page 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 reporting the state of title to real property which is customary in the locality. 17. "Unit" means a physical portion of a common -interest community designated for separate ow nership or occupancy w ith boundaries described in a declaration establishing the common - interest community. 18. "Utility cooperative" means a non-profit entity whose purpose is to deliver a utility service, such as electricity, oil, natural gas, water, sanitary sewer, storm wa ter, or telecommunications to its customers or members and includes an electric cooperative, rural electric cooperative, rural water district, and rural water association. SECTION 3. NEW LAW A new section of la w to be codified in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 1503 of Title 60, unless there is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows: A. Except as otherwise provided in subsection B of this section, this act applies to an easement established by express grant or reservation or by prescription, implication, necessity, estoppel, or other method. B. This act may not be used to relocate: 1. A public utility easement, conservation easement, or negative easement; or 2. An easement if the proposed location would encroac h on an area of an estate burdened by a conservation easement or would Req. No. 10832 Page 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 interfere with the use or enjoyment of a public utility easement or an easement appurtenant to a conservation easement. C. This act does not apply to relocation of an easement by consent. SECTION 4. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 1504 of Title 60, unless there is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows: A servient estate owne r may relocate an ease ment under this act only if the relocation does not materially: 1. Lessen the utility of the easement; 2. After the relocation, increase the burden on the easement holder in its reasonable use and enjoyment of the easement; 3. Impair an affirmative, eas ement-related purpose for which the easement was created; 4. During or after the relocation, impair the safety of the easement holder or another entitled to use and enjoy the easement; 5. During the relocation, disrupt the use and e njoyment of the easement by the easement holder or another entitled to use and enjoy the easement, unless the servient estate owner substantially mitigates the duration and nature of the disruption; 6. Impair the physical condition, use, or value of the dominant estate or improvements on the dominant estate; or 7. Impair the value of the collateral of a security -interest holder of record in the servient estate or dominant estate, impair a Req. No. 10832 Page 8 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 real property interest of a lessee of record in the dominant estate , or impair a recorded real property interest of any other person in the servient estate or dominant estate. SECTION 5. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 1505 of Title 60, unless there is created a duplicatio n in numbering, reads as follows: A. To obtain an order to relocate an easement under this act, a servient estate owner must commence a civil action. B. A servient estate owner that commences a civil action under subsection A of this section: 1. Shall serve a summons and petition on: a. the easement holder whose easement is the subject of the relocation, b. a security-interest holder of record of an interest in the servient estate or dominant estate , c. a lessee of record of an interest in the dominant estate, and d. except as otherwise provided in paragraph 2 of this subsection, any other owner of a recorded real property interest if the relocation would encroach on an area of the servient estate or dominant estate burdened by the interest; and 2. Is not required to serve a summons and petition on the owner of a recorded real property interest in oil, gas, or minerals unless Req. No. 10832 Page 9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 the interest includes an easement to facilitate oil, gas, or mineral development. C. A petition under this section must state: 1. The intent of the servient estate owner to seek the relocation; 2. The nature, extent, and anticipated dates of commencement and completion of the proposed relocation; 3. The current and proposed locations of the easement; 4. The reason the easement is eligible for relocation under Section 3 of this act; 5. The reason the proposed relocation satisfies the conditions for relocation under Section 4 of this act; and 6. That the servient estate owner has made a reasonable attempt to notify the holders of any public-utility easement, conservation easement, or negative easement on the servient estate or dominant estate of the proposed relocation. D. At any time before the court renders a final order in an action under subsection A of this section, a person served under subparagraph b, c, or d of paragraph 1 of subsection B of this section may file a document, in recordable form, that waives its rights to contest or obtain relief in connection with the relocation or subordinates its interests to the relocatio n. On filing of the document, the court may order that the person is not required to answer or participate further in the action. Req. No. 10832 Page 10 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 SECTION 6. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 1506 of Title 60, unless there is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows: A. The court may not approve relocation of an easement under this act unless the servient estate owner: 1. Establishes that the easement is eligible for relocation under Section 3 of this act ; and 2. Satisfies the conditions for relocation under Section 4 of this act. B. An order under this act approving relocation of an easement must: 1. State that the order is issued in accordance with this act; 2. Recite the recording da ta of the instrument creating the easement, if any, and any amendments, and any notice as described by Section 71 of Title 16 of the Oklahoma statues ; 3. Identify the immediately preceding location of the easement; 4. Describe in a legally sufficient man ner the new location of the easement; 5. Describe mitigation required of the servient estate owner during relocation; 6. Refer in detail to the plans and specifications of improvements necessary for the easement holder to enter, use , and enjoy the easement in the new location; Req. No. 10832 Page 11 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 7. Specify conditions to be satisfied by the servient estate owner to relocate the easement and construct improvements necessary for the easement holder to enter, use, and enjoy the easement in the new location; 8. Include a provision for payment by the servient estate owner of expenses under Section 7 of this act; 9. Include a provision for compliance by the parties with the obligation of good faith under Section 8 of this act; and 10. Instruct the servient estate owner to recor d an affidavit, if required under subsection A of Section 9 of this act, when the servient estate owner substantially completes relocation. C. An order under subsection B of this section may include any other provision consistent with this act for the fai r and equitable relocation of the easement. D. Before a servient estate owner proceeds with relocation of an easement under this act, the owner must record, in the county records of each jurisdiction where the servient estate is loca ted, a certified copy of the order under subsection B of this section. SECTION 7. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 1507 of Title 60, unless there is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows: A servient estate owner is responsible for reasonable expenses of relocation of an easement under this act, including the expense of: Req. No. 10832 Page 12 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 1. Constructing improvements on the servient estate or dominant estate in accordance with an order unde r Section 6 of this act; 2. During the relocation, mitigating disruption in the use and enjoyment of the easement by the easement holder or another person entitled to use and enjoy the easement; 3. Obtaining a governmental approval or permit to relocate the easement and construct necessary improvements; 4. Preparing and recording the certified copy required by subsection D of Section 6 of this act and any other document required to be recorded; 5. Any title work required to complete the relocation or required by a party to t he civil action as a result of the relocation; 6. Applicable premiums for title insurance related to the relocation; 7. Any expert necessary to review plans and specifications for an improvement to be constructed in the relocated easement or on the dominant estate and to confirm compliance with the plans and specifications referred to in the order under paragraph 6 of subsection B of Section 6 of this act; 8. Payment of any maintenance cost associated with the relocated easement whi ch is greater than the maintenance cost associated with the easement before relocation; and Req. No. 10832 Page 13 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 9. Obtaining any third-party consent required to relocate the easement. SECTION 8. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified in the Oklahoma Statutes as Sectio n 1508 of Title 60, unless there is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows: After the court, under Section 6 of this act, approves relocation of an easement and the servient estate owner commences the relocation, the ser vient estate owner, th e easement holder, and other parties in the civil action shall act in good faith to facilitate the relocation in compliance with this act. SECTION 9. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 1509 of Title 60, unless there is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows: A. If an order under Section 6 of this act requires the construction of an improvement as a condition for relocation of an easement, relocation is substantially complet e, and the easement holder is able to enter, use, and enjoy the easement in the new location, the servient estate owner shall: 1. Record, in the land records of each jurisdiction where the servient estate is located, an affidavit certifying that the easement has been relocated; and 2. Send, by certified mail, a copy of the recorded affidavit to the easement holder and parties to the civil action. Req. No. 10832 Page 14 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 B. Until an affidavit under subsection A of this section is recorded and sent, the easement holder may enter, use, and enjoy the easement in the current location, subject to the court's order under Section 6 of this act approving relocation. C. If an order under Section 6 of this act does not require an improvement to be constructed as a condition of the relocation, recording the order under subsection D of Section 6 of this act constitutes relocation. SECTION 10. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 1510 of Title 60, unless there is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows: A. Relocation of an easement under this act: 1. Is not a new transfer or a n ew grant of an interest in the servient estate or the dominant estate; 2. Is not a breach or default of, and does not trigger, a due - on-sale clause or other transfer -restriction clause under a security instrument, except as otherwise determined by a court under law other than this act; 3. Is not a breach or default of a lease, except as otherwise determined by a court under law other than this act; 4. Is not a breach or default by the servient estate owner of a recorded document affected by the relocatio n, except as otherwise determined by a court under law other than this act; Req. No. 10832 Page 15 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 5. Does not affect the priority of the easement with respect to other recorded real property interests burdening the area of the servient estate where the easement was located bef ore the relocation; and 6. Is not a fraudulent conveyance or voidable transaction under law. B. This act does not affect any other method of relocating an easement permitted under law of this state other than this act. SECTION 11. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 1511 of Title 60, unless there is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows: The right of a servient estate owner to relocate an easement under this act may not be waived, excluded, or restricted by agreement even if: 1. The instrument creating the easement prohibits relocation or contains a waiver, exclusion, or restriction of this act; 2. The instrument creating the easement requires consent of the easement holder to amend the terms of the easement; or 3. The location of the easement is fixed by the instrument creating the easement, another agreement, previous conduct, acquiescence, estoppel, or implication. SECTION 12. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 1512 of Title 60, unless there is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows: Req. No. 10832 Page 16 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 In applying and construing this uniform act, consideration must be given to the need to promote uniformity of the law with respect to its subject matter among the states that enact it. SECTION 13. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 1513 of Title 60, unless there is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows: This act modifies, limits, or supersedes the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act, 15 U.S.C. , Section 7001 et seq., but does not modify, limit, or supersede Section 101(c) of that act, 15 U.S.C., Section 7001(c), or authorize electronic delivery of any of the notices described in Section 103(b) of that act, 15 U.S.C. , Section 7003(b). SECTION 14. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified in the Oklahoma Statute s as Section 1514 of Title 60, unless there is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows: This act applies to an easement created before, on, or after the effective date of this act. SECTION 15. This act shall become effective N ovember 1, 2025. 60-1-10832 JL 12/31/24