also: さとみち
noun
non-legal public road; statutory public road (sometimes physically lost)
A legal term for a type of public road under the former Road Act that may no longer exist on the ground but retains legal status. Often encountered in property registration or land boundary disputes.
See also: 法定外公共物
登記簿には里道として記載されているが、現地には道らしい痕跡はなかった。
It was recorded in the registry as a statutory public road, but there was no trace of a road on the site.
里道の払い下げを受けて宅地に編入した。
We acquired the statutory public road and incorporated it into the residential land.
法定外公共物 is the broader category of non-legal public assets, which includes 里道 (roads) as well as 水路 (waterways) and other facilities.
Compound of 里 (village, countryside) and 道 (road). The term is a legal designation from the former Road Act, referring to roads that were public but not formally designated as national or prefectural roads.