• Building a fence in your neighbor's yard can get you into trouble.fence image by Sorawut from Fotolia.com
  
  As a landowner, it is your legal obligation to know the boundaries of your property. Each parcel of land has very specific boundaries, which are usually on file with a town clerk or government zoning agent. These boundaries are a matter of public record, but looking at your property lines on a map is very different from understanding where the lines are in reality.
  
  

Fences

• One of the biggest reasons landowners must learn their property lines is to construct fences properly. When fencing in a portion of your property, your goal should be to include as much of your own property as possible without allowing any of your construction to occur on someone else's land. This is true for all types of fences, including those designed to provide privacy, to keep a pet secure or simply to add decoration to a yard.
  
  

New Construction

• Knowing your property lines is also essential to any new construction project. Adding a garage, shed or deck requires you to be within your local limit for distance from the nearest property line. This may also apply to simple construction projects like adding a flower garden or adding a paved driveway. Building too close to (or over) a property line may result in a legal order for you to tear down your new construction at your own expense.
  
  

Zoning

• Local governments use property lines to create zoning districts and issue building permits. Local ordinances may dictate the minimum distance between homes, which can determine whether or not you are allowed to sell a portion of your land to someone who wants to build a new home on it. Zoning laws that take advantage of property lines also include the zoning of residential and commercial districts, and zoning for tax and utility service purposes.
  
  

Assessments and Appraisals

• During an assessment or appraisal, property lines help determine the precise area of a piece of real estate. This may also include important information such as whether or not a piece of property includes nearby features like rivers, vegetation and mineral resources, all of which can affect the value of the property.
  
  

Good Relations

• Recognizing and respecting property lines is important for good relations between neighbors. While it may never rise to the level of legal action, resentment from a misunderstanding is easy to avoid by simply checking property lines and discussing them with whoever owns what's on the other side.