What is the right called where one party uses the land owned by another for a specific purpose?

The concept being described is accurately identified as an easement appurtenant. This legal right allows one party to use a portion of another's property for a specified purpose, with the easement being tied to the land itself rather than to an individual. This means that the right to use the land (such as for a road, pathway, or utility line) benefits the dominant estate—the property that benefits from the easement—while the servient estate remains burdened by the easement but is not personally tied to an individual.

An easement appurtenant automatically transfers with the sale of the dominant estate, ensuring that the new owner of the dominant estate retains the right to use the easement. This is particularly important in land use and development, as it affects property value and usability.

In contrast, other types of easements, such as easements in gross, do not benefit any particular piece of land and instead benefit an individual or corporation (e.g., utility companies), meaning they may not be transferred alongside any property sale. Additionally, easements by necessity arise specifically from the need to access landlocked properties, and prescriptive easements are established through continuous, visible, and adverse use of the property over a certain period, rather than