What Is Eminent Domain?
Eminent domain is a law that gives the federal, state, county, and municipal governments in the United States the legal right to "condemn" property and then seize it to allow its use for development. Eminent domain is supposed to be used by the government at the various levels to do things for the public benefit, such as to build new roads or construct new public schools. Compensation Under Eminent Domain Seizure The government cannot take property without compensating the owner for its market value. Disputes that lead to lawsuits arise when the property owner and the government have a serious disagreement about the value of the property. Imagine an acre of…