What Is a Terminus?
In property law, a terminus is an ending point or boundary of a property line, easement, or right of way. The Latin word means "end" or "limit." A boundary description traces lines from point to point, and each terminus marks where one line ends and the next begins, or where a right such as an easement stops.
Terminus in Land Descriptions
- A boundary line runs from one terminus to the next, defining the edges of a parcel
- An easement or right of way has a terminus where the right of access or use ends
- In a metes and bounds description, each course runs to a defined terminus, ultimately returning to the Point of Beginning
Why It Matters in Florida
The precise location of a terminus can be the heart of a boundary dispute — for example, where a driveway easement ends, or exactly where a property line meets a waterway or road. When monuments are lost or descriptions conflict, locating the true terminus often requires a current survey and may invoke Florida's priority-of-calls rules for resolving ambiguous descriptions. The term is also used more generally to mean the end point of an interest or period.
Related Terms
- Metes and Bounds — Descriptions that run course to terminus
- Boundary Dispute — Often turns on a terminus location
- Survey — Locates a terminus on the ground
Barnes Walker Real Estate
Barnes Walker's real estate and litigation attorneys resolve boundary, easement, and legal-description disputes across Southwest Florida. Request a legal inquiry for assistance.
Reviewed by the attorneys at Barnes Walker, Goethe, Shea & Robinson, PLLC