Which term refers to the right of property owners to specify restrictions on use?

The term that refers to the right of property owners to specify restrictions on use is private restrictions. Private restrictions are conditions placed on the use of real property that can be established by the owner. They allow property owners to control how their property can be used, thus maintaining certain standards or values within a community or development. This legal mechanism can cover a wide variety of restrictions, such as prohibiting commercial activities in a residential area or setting rules about the types of structures that can be built on the property.

Covenants, while sometimes used interchangeably with private restrictions, are a specific type of private restriction that typically relate to agreements between property owners in a subdivision or community, aimed at maintaining certain standards within that community. Encroachment pertains to the unauthorized intrusion onto someone else's property, which does not relate to property owners specifying restrictions on their own use. Easements grant someone else the right to use a portion of a property for a specific purpose, which is fundamentally different from placing restrictions on use.