A plot with no access to a public road: the most dangerous trap when buying land
A plot can have a great view, a good price, and a designation that matches the plan — and still be unbuildable, because there's formally no way to reach it. Access to a public road is one of those conditions that's easy to miss, because in the field a road physically exists. The problem starts when you check whose road it actually is.
Three forms of access the authority recognises
- 1Direct access — the plot's boundary touches a public road (municipal, county, regional, or national) directly.
- 2Access via an internal road in which the plot holds a co-ownership share — typical of newer subdivisions, where the access road is a shared plot owned jointly by a dozen or so neighbours.
- 3A right of way, established by a court or by agreement and entered in the land register of the plot the driveway crosses.
Years of actual driving across a neighbouring property without a registered right of way — so-called customary access — is not legal access to a road. The neighbour can block it at any time, and the authority will still refuse zoning conditions or a building permit.
Why it blocks both zoning conditions and a permit
Ensuring access to a public road is one of the statutory conditions for issuing a zoning-conditions decision, and a building design must demonstrate the right to use the access. Missing either one stops the whole project regardless of how well the plot otherwise scores on planning or land-use grounds.
How to check before signing
- Check the plot's land register for a registered right of way — if access crosses someone else's land, the entry has to be there.
- If access runs across a road plot, check in the cadastral register whether the plot being sold actually holds a co-ownership share in that road, or only the neighbours do.
- Ask the municipality whether the road the plot borders actually has public-road status — some 'dirt roads' in the field are registered as private internal roads.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, as long as the share is formally carved out and entered in the land register of the road plot — not just a developer's verbal promise. Check this in the notarial deed, not the listing.
Yes — a court can establish a necessary right of way for compensation to the owner of the burdened land, even without their consent. But it's a court process that takes months, so it's better resolved before the purchase, not after.
The road's legal status (public, registered) matters more than its physical condition — an unpaved municipal road is still legal access. Surface condition is a question of access cost, not formal buildability.
Verify access before you pay a deposit
The parcel report checks the status of the road the plot borders and flags when access needs extra verification in the land register.