This Restatement brings comprehensiveness and coherence to American property law. Subjects covered include the classification of entitlements, possession, accession, and acquisition; ownership powers; protection of and limits on ownership; divided and shared ownership; title and transfer; easements, servitudes, and land use; and public rights and takings.
At the 2024 Annual Meeting, the membership voted to approve Tentative Draft No. 5, which includes material from Volumes 4, 5, and 7 on Leases, Title and Transfers of Ownership, Deeds of Conveyance, Recording, and Public Local Land-Use Recognition: Volume 4, Divided and Shared Ownership: Division Three, Leases, Chapter 1, Basic Provisions (§§ 1.1 to 1.3), Chapter 2, Forms of Leases (§§ 2.1 to 2.6), Chapter 4, Illegal Leases (§§ 4.1 to 4.4), Chapter 5, Lessee's Right to Possession (Intro. Note; §§ 5.1 to 5.7), Chapter 6, Interference with Lessee's Right to Use: Residential Tenancies (Intro. Note; §§ 6.1 to 6.4), Chapter 7, Interference with Permissible Use (Intro. Note; §§ 7.1 and 7.2), Chapter 8, Procedures for Invoking Lessee's Remedies (Intro. Note; §§ 8.1 to 8.4); Volume 5, Title and Transfers of Ownership (Intro. Note): Division One, Title, Chapter 1, Foundations (§§ 1.1 to 1.5), Division Three, Chapter 1, Effects and Types of Deeds (Intro. Note; §§1.1 to 1.4), Chapter 2, Delivery and Acceptance (§§ 2.1 to 2.3), Chapter 3, The Doctrine of Merger by Deed (Intro. Note; §§ 3.1 and 3.2), Chapter 4, Present Warranties of Title (Intro. Note; §§ 4.1 to 4.4), Chapter 5, Future Warranties of Title (Intro. Note; §§ 5.1 to 5.4), Chapter 6, Remedies for Breaches of Warranties of Title (Intro. Note; §§ 6.1 to 6.4), Chapter 7, Deed Requirements (Intro. Note; §§ 7.1 to 7.5): Division Four, Recording, Chapter 2, Types of Recording (Intro. Note; §§ 2.1 to 2.3), Chapter 3, Types of Notice (§§ 3.1 and 3.2), Chapter 4, Recording Errors Affecting Constructive Notice (§§ 4.1 to 4.5), and Chapter 5, Forgeries, Fraus, ad Incapacities Affecting Validity of Recording Title (Intro. Note; §§ 5.1 to 5.10); Volume 7, Public Local Land-Use Regulation: Division One, Zoning, Chapter 6, Flexibility Tools (Intro. Note; §§ 6.1 to 6.7) and Chapter 7, Nonconformities (Intro. Note; §§ 7.1 to 7.5).
At the 2023 Annual Meeting, the membership voted to approve Tentative Draft No. 4 through Volume 7, Division 1, Chapter 5. There was insufficient time to discuss Chapters 6 and 7 of Volume 7, Division I. A motion to amend §1.2A of Volume 2, Division I, Chapter 1 was withdrawn after Reporters presented edits to §1.2A in response to the motion.
At the 2022 Annual Meeting, the membership voted to approve Tentative Draft No. 3, which includes material from Volumes 2, 3, 4, and 7 on Nuisance, Bailments, The Estate System and Related Matters, and Zoning, Planning, and Subdivision: Volume 2, Interferences with, and Limits on, Ownership and Possession: Division One, Property Torts, Chapter 2, Private Nuisance; Prima Facie Case, Topic 1, Private Nuisance, Generally (§§ 2.1 to 2.4); Volume 3, Powers and Duties Associated with Ownership: Division Three, Bailments (§§ 1 to 16); Volume 4, Divided and Shared Ownership: Division One, The Estate System, Chapter 1, Forms of Ownership (§§ 1.1 to 1.3), Chapter 2, Present Interests: Classification (§§ 2.1 to 2.6), Chapter 3, Future Interests: Classification (§§ 3.1 to 3.5), Chapter 4, Maintaining and Simplifying the Estate System (§§ 4.1 to 4.6), and Chapter 5, Waste (§§ 5.1 to 5.2); Volume 7, Land Use: Division One, Zoning, Chapter 1, The Roots of Zoning (§§ 1.1 to 1.4), Chapter 2, Fundamental Concepts (§§ 2.1 to 2.6), Chapter 3, Regulating Land Use, Structures, and Lots (§§ 3.1 to 3.4); Division Two, Planning (§§ 1 to 3); and Division Three, Subdivision (§§ 1 to 5).
At the 2021 Annual Meeting, the membership voted to approve Tentative Draft No. 2, which contains material from Volumes 1, 2, and 3 on Possession, Trespass to Land, and Bailments: Volume 1, The Basics of Property: Division Two, Possession, Chapter 1, Possession (§§ 1.1, 1.8); Volume 2, Interferences with, and Limits on, Ownership and Possession: Division One, Property Torts, Chapter 1, Trespass to Land, Topic 1, Trespass to Land (§§ 1.1, 1.3-1.5); and Volume 3, Powers and Duties Associated with Ownership: Division Three, Bailments (§§ 1, 2).
All draft approvals are subject to the discussion at the meeting and usual editorial prerogative.
For an in-depth description of this project, please visit the Property page of The ALI Adviser.
* Preliminary Drafts and Council Drafts are available only to participants and the Council. Discussion Drafts and Tentative Drafts are available to the public after the Annual Meeting.
** Once it is approved by the Membership at an Annual Meeting, a Tentative Draft or Proposed Final Draft represents the most current statement of The American Law Institute's position on the subject and may be cited in opinions or briefs until the official text is published.
*** Chapter numbers are those used in the most recent draft or in the latest projected overall table of contents and may not correspond to the chapter numbers used in earlier drafts.