Government action that involves actual physical appropriation or occupation of private property, automatically requiring just compensation regardless of the public benefit or minimal economic impact. This represents the clearest form of constitutional taking.
Combines 'physical' from Greek 'physikos' (natural, bodily) with 'taking.' This straightforward concept represents the original understanding of eminent domain—actual government seizure or occupation of land, as opposed to regulatory restrictions that emerged later.
Physical takings represent the easy cases in constitutional law—when government builds a road through your backyard or floods your land for a reservoir, compensation is clearly required. But modern cases have pushed the boundaries, like when government requires property owners to allow public access or install cable TV equipment. The Supreme Court has ruled that even tiny physical intrusions can trigger compensation, protecting the principle that property owners control physical access to their land.
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