Land and the cadastre

Access road (přístupová cesta)

In Czech: Přístupová cesta

An access road (přístupová cesta) is the route from a public road or street to a plot or house. What matters is who owns it and on what basis you may use it, for example ownership, a co-ownership share or an easement.

Also called: driveway, access to the plot, příjezdová cesta, příjezd

What it means

An access road, in Czech přístupová cesta or příjezdová cesta, is the route by which you reach a property on foot and by car. It may be a municipal local road, a developer's private road, a lane shared by several neighbours, or simply tracks worn across someone else's meadow.

The fact that a road exists on the ground and people have used it for years does not mean that you may use it. For a buyer, the key question is not only how you get to the property but on whose land the road lies and on what basis you can use it.

How it works in the Czech Republic

Start with the cadastral map in the ČÚZK service Nahlížení do katastru nemovitostí. Go through every parcel between the public road and your plot and find the owner and land type of each. If the road lies on municipal land, ask the municipal office how it treats the road and who maintains it.

If the road lies on private land, you need a legal basis to use it. Typically this is a co-ownership share in the road (spoluvlastnický podíl) sold together with the plot, or a servitude (služebnost) under which the road owner must tolerate your passage on foot and by car. Under the Civil Code, a servitude over property recorded in the land register arises when it is entered, so look for it on the title deed (list vlastnictví).

An oral agreement with a neighbour, or years of tolerated passage, may not survive a change of owner next door. If a servitude is to be created as part of your purchase, have the contract prepared so it can be entered in the land register, and discuss the steps with a lawyer.

Practical example

For example, you are buying a plot in a new family-house development. The asphalt road leading to it looks like an ordinary street, but the land register shows the road parcel belongs to the developer, not the municipality. The sale includes a co-ownership share in the road, so you will share its upkeep with the neighbours.

What to watch out for

  • Check every parcel between the public road and the plot on the cadastral map and find its owner.
  • Look on the title deed for a servitude or a co-ownership share in the road.
  • Ask who maintains and repairs the road, who clears snow in winter and who pays for it.
  • Do not rely on a neighbour's verbal consent; insist on a written contract entered in the land register.
  • Check that the road is wide and strong enough for construction vehicles.

Frequently asked questions

Is it enough that I can drive to the plot?

No. What matters is whether the road is on public land or whether you have a secured right over someone else's land, such as a servitude or a co-ownership share.

What if the road belongs only to a neighbour?

It is advisable to agree a servitude with them and have it entered in the land register. Discuss the exact steps and other options with a lawyer.

  • Easement (věcné břemeno)An easement (věcné břemeno) is a right of another person over a property that restricts its owner: they must tolerate something, refrain from something, or give or do something. It stays with the property when sold.
  • Servitude (služebnost)A servitude (služebnost) is a type of easement under which the owner of a property must tolerate something or refrain from something for another's benefit, such as a path across the land or another person living in the house.
  • Co-ownership share (spoluvlastnický podíl)A co-ownership share (spoluvlastnický podíl) expresses the extent to which a co-owner shares in the whole property, such as 1/2 or 1/4 of a house or plot. It is not a specific room or piece of land.
  • Building plot (stavební pozemek)A building plot (stavební pozemek) is, under the Czech Building Act, a plot, part of a plot or a group of plots defined and designated for building. Whether you may really build on it depends mainly on the municipal zoning plan.
  • Title deed (list vlastnictví)A title deed (list vlastnictví, LV) is the land register sheet that shows, for one cadastral area, who owns which properties and what burdens them, such as mortgages, easements or a pending change of ownership.
  • Utility connections (inženýrské sítě)Utility connections (inženýrské sítě) are the water, sewer, electricity, gas and telecom networks that buildings connect to. Under the Czech Civil Code they are not part of the land, so they usually belong to the network operator, not the landowner.

Sources

Laws and official pages this text is based on (in Czech).

This text is for information only and has not yet been checked by a legal or financial expert. It is not legal, tax or financial advice. Verify important details in the listed sources or with a professional.

Updated 25 October 2026

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