Expropriation and Eminent Domain Appraisals for Property Owners

Is a governmental entity seeking to acquire all or part of your property?

Most of our right-of-way work is performed for state government, parishes, municipalities, and public entities such as water districts and flood control projects. That same experience is available to property owners. We know how these agencies value property because we do that work every day.

When an agency approaches you about an acquisition, it is essential to have knowledgeable, well researched, and properly applied appraisal services on your side. The request may be as minor as a utility servitude, a sidewalk taking, or a drainage servitude, or as significant as an action that limits access to your property. Each situation calls for a specific valuation approach, and an incorrect approach can result in a substantial difference in compensation. Under the Louisiana Constitution, an owner is entitled to be compensated to the full extent of the loss, which can include damage to the remaining property and not simply the value of the land taken.

In the past, a taking by one of these agencies was called an expropriation. Today the softer term "acquisition" is more common. Do not be confused by the terminology. A forced acquisition of property by the state, a local government, a levee district, or a water company is still an expropriation. The agency may approach you in a friendly manner, and the request may sound as simple as "we need a few feet of your frontage for a bike path." If the project serves a genuine public need, however, the agency generally has the authority to expropriate the property if an agreement is not reached.