# pie crust lease

> English word · Noun

## Definitions
1. A lease for the surface of some land or structure (such as a bridge), which excludes the subsurface or land beneath.

## Etymology
From pie crust + lease, in reference to the lease only including the topmost layer of the land. Coined due to the fact that estates in land include the subsurface by default.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/pie-crust-lease