Eminent Domain

The constitution gives the government power to acquire private property for public use, such as roads, schools or public buildings.  This can happen even if the property owner does not intend or wish to sell the property.  However, the government must pay just...

People who live in Pennsylvania may not feel all that concerned about how the proposal to build a border wall may affect their property rights. After all, they are several states away from the south. However, for people who own land in any of the border states or who...

Residents of Pennsylvania may have heard the story of the artist in Philadelphia who fought the city to keep his home and won. The city allegedly used eminent domain to attempt to evict the world-renowned artist so they could build a supermarket. It then offered just...

As natural gas production only continues to increase in Philadelphia, many residents have worried about losing their land to natural gas companies via eminent domain. According to Forbes, eminent domain is typically reserved for governmental use. This allows the...

There is a sense of pride when it comes to home ownership. Widely considered to be the American dream, owning a house can result in feelings of success and "making it." However, some homeowners in Pennsylvania may find that the house they worked hard for is now being...

The concept of eminent domain may still seem to be difficult to comprehend for many in Philadelphia. While may be understandable why local governments would want to take dilapidated properties and use the land for public works projects, many may still fail to see how...

The concept of eminent domain can seem daunting to property owners. In Pennsylvania, eminent domain encompasses the laws and statutes that allow the state government to seize private property for specific purposes, including what conditions make this...

Many Philadelphia residents do not want to receive, and may even fear getting, a notice from government authorities telling them that their home or business property, or even a portion of it, is the target of a potential eminent domain action.As this blog has...

The Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution allows the government to take private property and convert it for public use, but they must provide just compensation to the property owner. This process of government acquisition of private property is referred to...

This blog has on many occasions discussed eminent domain proceedings in which a governmental authority legally takes private land, even over a Pennsylvania landowner's objection, and re-dedicates the property to a public use, like a government building or even a...