In the law relating to fixtures, annexation is actual or constructive. Actual annexation means every movement by which a chattel can be joined or united to the freehold. Constructive annexation means the union of such things as have been considered part of the realty, but which are not actually annexed, fixed, or fastened to the freehold; for example, deeds, or chattels, which relate to the title of the inheritance.
This term has been applied to the union of one country, to another; as Texas was annexed to the United States by the joint reolution of Congress of March 1, 1845. Annexation is the also the process which transfers parcels of land from towns to cities and villages, involving considerations of sharing of tax revenues, goverment services, voting, utilities, and school systems, etc. To people living in incorporated municipalities, annexation seems to be a normal process to accommodate necessary expansion. To officials and many residents of towns adjacent to cities and villages, however, annexation is often a fighting word, signalling loss of population, territory, and tax base as well as potential disruption of plans and ordinances.
