Every taking, whether it is by the State, County, City, Town, Community Development Agency, etc. is normally preceded by a substantial volume of paperwork or notice from the condemning authority. You or your client will receive in the mail or be served by hand with various notices of the impending take or the proposed project. The property owner may even be visited by a representative of the condemning authority.

DO NOT IGNORE THESE NOTICES! AS SOON AS YOU BECOME AWARE OF A CONDEMNATION, YOU SHOULD CONTACT CONDEMNATION COUNSEL.

It is important that counsel get involved early in the process since claim filing and time requirements can be quite strict. Failure to timely file your claim in the proper form could result in the loss of your right to additional compensation. Under no circumstances should any documents be signed by the property owner without first conferring with counsel.

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES should you wait for the actual construction to begin before seeking counsel. By the time construction begins on any government project, it is usually long after the property has been legally taken and frequently far too late to preserve all your rights to just compensation.

Posted in: Condemnation