ZINTER, Justice.
[¶ 1.] A homeowner whose fixtures encroached on adjoining landowner's property sued for an implied easement to keep the encroachments on the adjoining property. The adjoining landowner counterclaimed
[¶ 2.] Bob Law, Inc. (the "Corporation"), owned by Bob Law, is an excavation and land development company that owned a real estate development west of Yankton known as the Crestview Addition. The Corporation entered into an agreement with Rick DeJager to jointly develop Crestview. DeJager was the general contractor responsible for the construction and sale of the homes and lots. The Corporation was to grade the roads and do all the dirt and excavation work. The development was surveyed, and seven pins were placed to mark the boundaries of Lot 3. The pin marking the southwest corner of the lot was subsequently lost. Lot 3 is burdened by a ten foot utility easement on the west side. The Corporation owns the unplatted lot west of Lot 3, which is referred to by the parties as Lot 4.
[¶ 3.] Construction on Lot 3 began in October 2003 when the Corporation still owned the lot. The Corporation excavated the basement for a house and it graded a dirt driveway. Due to construction difficulties, the Corporation placed the basement twenty feet west of its planned location.
[¶ 4.] After the basement was excavated, the Corporation roughed in a water line. A septic system was also installed. The parties disputed when the system was installed and who installed it. After the Corporation conveyed Lot 3 to DeJager and his wife on December 30, 2003, DeJager installed a concrete retaining wall, concrete pad, and lamp pole.
[¶ 5.] In May 2011, Appellee Kenneth Hoffman entered into an agreement to purchase Lot 3 from the bank. Although Hoffman could have had the lot surveyed at no expense, he was in a hurry to close on the home and decided to forego a survey. Closing took place on June 10. Hoffman testified that the day after closing,
[¶ 6.] Hoffman obtained a temporary restraining order (and later a preliminary injunction) prohibiting Law and the Corporation from removing the septic system. Hoffman's underlying complaint claimed that he had acquired an implied easement on Lot 4 for the encroachments. The Corporation counterclaimed for trespassing.
[¶ 7.] A two-day court trial was held in December 2015. A survey showed that the septic tank, propane tank, concrete pad for the propane tank, lamp pole, and portions of the concrete retaining wall and driveway encroached on a small portion of Lot 4. The circuit court found that the septic system was installed by the Corporation before the lot was conveyed to DeJager and that DeJager installed the other encroachments.
[¶ 8.] The court denied Hoffman's claim for an implied easement, a ruling that he does not appeal.
[¶ 10.] We recently clarified our standard of review for the grant or denial of an injunction. Magner v. Brinkman, 2016 S.D. 50, ¶ 19, 883 N.W.2d 74, 82-83. We first determine whether an injunction was statutorily authorized under SDCL 21-8-14, a question of law we review de novo. Id. ¶ 19, 883 N.W.2d at 83. If the injunction was authorized, "the court's subsequent decision to grant or deny the injunction is reviewed for an abuse of discretion." Id. An abuse of discretion is an error of law or "discretion exercised to an unjustified purpose, against reason and evidence." Stahl v. Pollman, 2006 S.D. 51, ¶ 9, 716 N.W.2d 794, 796. Findings of fact will not be set aside unless clearly erroneous. Strong v. Atlas Hydraulics, Inc., 2014 S.D. 69, ¶ 10, 855 N.W.2d 133, 138.
[¶ 11.] The Corporation contends that it was statutorily entitled to a mandatory injunction compelling removal of the encroachments. Under SDCL 21-8-14(1), an injunction may be granted if "pecuniary compensation would not afford adequate relief." Generally, when structures encroach on private property, pecuniary compensation will not afford adequate relief to the landowner. That is because denying an injunction to remove an encroachment and awarding money damages amounts to private eminent domain, and "no one should be permitted to take land of another merely because he is willing to pay a market price for it." 1 Dan B. Dobbs, Law of Remedies § 5.10(4), at 816 (2d ed.1993); see also Kratze v. Indep. Order of Oddfellows, 442 Mich. 136, 500 N.W.2d 115, 120 (1993); Graham v. Deutsche Bank Nat'l Tr. Co., 768 S.E.2d 614, 617 (N.C.Ct. App.2015); Williams v. S. & S. Rentals, Inc., 82 N.C. App. 378, 346 S.E.2d 665, 668-69 (1986). Further, in such cases, the encroacher could obtain a property right by adverse possession, which could result in a complete loss of title. See SDCL 15-3-13; Underhill v. Mattson, 2016 S.D. 69, ¶¶ 11-17, 886 N.W.2d 348, 352-54. Because pecuniary compensation often fails to provide adequate relief in encroachment cases, we hold that the injunction was authorized. See Graven v. Backus, 163 N.W.2d 320, 325 (N.D.1968) ("The general rule is that a mandatory injunction is a proper remedy to invoke against an adjoining landowner to compel him to remove an encroachment.").
[¶ 12.] Authorization for an injunction does not, however, equate with entitlement to an injunction. In determining whether to grant or deny an injunction, a number of factors are considered, including:
Strong, 2014 S.D. 69, ¶ 11, 855 N.W.2d at 138.
[¶ 14.] With respect to the second factor, for the reasons previously expressed, see supra ¶ 11, pecuniary compensation would not have afforded adequate relief. Neither damages nor ejectment will afford the landowner adequate relief in most cases. 1 Dobbs, supra, § 5.10(4), at 815-16. Encroaching structures pose the threat of adverse possession. Without an injunction, a trespasser may eventually obtain title, which is an injury that "go[es] to the destruction of the estate." See Beatty v. Smith, 14 S.D. 24, 84 N.W. 208, 210 (1900); see also In re Estate of Siebrasse, 2002 S.D. 118, ¶ 9, 652 N.W.2d 384, 386 (noting the availability of an equitable remedy because land is unique); O'Hagan v. United States, 86 F.3d 776, 783 (8th Cir.1996) ("More fundamentally, monetary relief fails to provide adequate compensation for an interest in real property, which by its very nature is considered unique."). Thus, the second factor weighs in favor of granting an injunction.
[¶ 15.] However, the fourth factor plays the dominant role in encroachment cases. Because of their effect on real property interests, encroachments have "posed special problems and produced special solutions." 1 Dobbs, supra, § 5.10(4), at 815. On the one hand, "no one should be permitted to take land of another merely because he is willing to pay a market price for it." Id. at 816; see also Kratze, 500 N.W.2d at 120; Graham, 768 S.E.2d at 617; Williams, 346 S.E.2d at 668-69. On the other hand, requiring removal of an encroachment may constitute economic waste if the encroaching structure must be destroyed. 1 Dobbs, supra, § 5.10(4), at 816. Thus, the "dominant approach in the encroachment cases is to balance the relative hardships and equities and to grant or deny the injunction as the balance may seem to indicate." Id. The balancing of equities "encourages the denial of injunctive relief where the expense or hardship to be suffered by the [trespasser] is disproportionate to the small benefit to be gained by the injured party." Foley v. City of Yankton, 89 S.D. 160, 166, 230 N.W.2d 476, 479 (1975). A court may deny an injunction if the hardship to the trespasser — e.g., the cost to remove the encroachment and loss of value to the remaining structure — is disproportionate to any benefit gained by the landowner. Graven, 163 N.W.2d at 325; 1 Dobbs, supra, § 5.10(4), at 818; see alsoHarksen v. Peska, 1998 S.D. 70, ¶ 33, 581 N.W.2d 170, 176 (holding it would be inequitable to compel removal of a $100,000 home that violated a restrictive covenant but did not inflict any damages on other landowner, even though home builder was on notice of the restrictive covenant).
[¶ 16.] In balancing the equities relating to the septic system, the circuit court found that "the hardship that would be suffered by Mr. Hoffman is disproportionate to any benefit to be gained by Bob Law, Inc., or Bob Law in ordering the removal of" the septic system.
[¶ 17.] The Corporation contends that even if the septic system need not be removed, Hoffman should still be required to remove the lamp pole, concrete pad, propane tank, and encroaching portions of the concrete retaining wall and driveway. The Corporation correctly points out that the circuit court did not balance the relative hardships and equities to remove these encroachments.
[¶ 18.] In this case, removal of the remaining encroachments may be unlike the removal of an entire building or structure at an enormous and disproportionate expense. Compare Amkco, Ltd. v. Welborn, 130 N.M. 155, 21 P.3d 24, 29 (2001) (denying removal when removal would result in loss of $188,837 in expenses, plus annual profits, and a $1,250,000 project when value of encroached land was $14,700), and Graven, 163 N.W.2d at 326 (denying removal when cost to remove and rebuild encroachment was $5,300 and value of the portion of land encroached on was between $8.50 and $9.00), with The Highlands, Inc. v. Hosac, 130 Idaho 67, 936 P.2d 1309, 1313-14 (1997) (affirming grant of injunction to remove portion of driveway and
Encroachment Remedy — Nominal Damages and Allowing an Encroachment to Temporarily Remain
[¶ 19.] In addition to its argument claiming entitlement to injunctive relief, the Corporation argues that the court lacked the legal power to award Hoffman an "effective injunction" prohibiting removal of the encroachments
[¶ 20.] It is recognized that the appropriate remedy in encroachment cases may include permitting encroachments to remain such that the trespasser obtains an equitable easement. See Amkco, 21 P.3d at 29; 3 Tiffany Real Property § 815.50, Westlaw (3d ed.) (database updated Sept. 2016). Where a court refuses to order removal of encroachments after balancing the equities, the encroaching party receives an easement so that the landowner "can recover possession of the land in the event that the structure is removed in the future." Amkco, 21 P.3d at 29; see also Christensen v. Tucker, 114 Cal.App.2d 554,
[¶ 21.] With respect to the septic system, the circuit court did not err in denying an injunction to remove it, allowing it to temporarily remain, and awarding nominal damages. Hoffman would suffer disproportionate hardship if he were compelled to remove the septic system, and the Corporation failed to introduce evidence of actual damages. However, we reverse and remand for reconsideration of the remaining encroachments. On remand, the court should balance the relative hardship and equities relating to those encroachments.
[¶ 22.] GILBERTSON, Chief Justice, and SEVERSON, WILBUR, and KERN, Justices, concur.