Oh dear, I am sorry for your trouble.
The street side of your property will have a right of way which belongs to the county. That is the part that is likely the longer distance. But that is not a utility easement. That is for the county to be able to expand the roadway.
On my property, the street side right-of-way it is 13 feet. Of that 13 feet, 10 feet is also a utility easement. The utility easement is available to the villages to repair or expand utilities as needed.
Unfortunately, many of us buy property with the assumption that we own everything that has grass on it, not realizing that we are required to maintain property which does not actually belong to us.
From my research, I've concluded that you do not own the property on which there is a right-of-way, you do own the property on which there is an easement with the exception of that on which there is also a right-of-way. Nevertheless, where there's a utility easement, The entity who have easement which is upon your property, has the right to make repairs and amendments as needed to accomplish their purpose of providing utilities to the whole community.
Your situation is a good reminder of the possibilities that exist for right-of-way and easement issues to affect the homeowner. Many of us choose to upgrade and enhance our properties, not realizing that situations such as yours could arise.
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