Eminent Domain Bureau

The Eminent Domain Bureau, General Civil Litigation Division, of the Attorney General’s Office, was established in 1990 to provide a legal resource for governmental agencies exercising the power of eminent domain to acquire property for public use. Eminent domain or condemnation is the power of the government to take private property for a public purpose, with the payment of full compensation for the property taken.

This bureau provides legal advice to governmental agencies on the legal requirements for the proper exercise of the eminent domain power and legal strategies for minimizing the cost of the litigation. The bureau presently represents the university boards of trustees in the acquisition of land for expansion of state university campuses, the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund in the acquisition of lands for conservation, and the Department of Transportation in the acquisition of lands for transportation facilities and expansion of existing roadways.

This bureau offers the full range of legal services: presuit counseling, trial litigation, and appellate practice. For more information concerning this bureau, please contact the Office of Eminent Domain at (850) 414-3300.