What does PROTECTED mean in a land advertisement?

This has probably been posted and answered a lot, but I just got this question twice this week, so I thought I'd post about it.

If you see the word "protected" in the description of land for sale, it simply means that the land is next to Protected Linden land which has been set aside by Linden Lab for waterways or roads. It is desirable to be next to this land because only Lindens can build on it. Generally, this means that you have a guaranteed view. How good that view is will depend on how big the protected area is.

But the land for sale itself is not protected or restricted. If you buy this land, you can do anything that you could on any other piece of land. The land you buy is not restricted in any way. So there's no need to worry about that. Land is land and if you can buy it, you can build on it.

However, you do--as a prudent consumer--need to verify the size and nature of the protected land that is next to the land you're looking at.

Linden protected land can be as small as a few meters wide or as large as a few sims!

Linden protected land is always owned by Governor Linden and usually has the words "Protected" in the name. If the word protected is not in the name, it doesn't mean it isn't protected, but it does mean that you need to check it. The land could be set aside for First Land or be waiting to be auctioned. Ask a Linden if you're in doubt.

People make mistakes. It's easy for land to get mislabeled when it's divided into pieces. Do your homework.

But don't worry about restrictions on your land. If you buy it, you can build.