A tort arising from a relationship between the entrant and the owner granting permission to enter is called what?

• A. Public invitee
• B. Implied license
• C. Business invitee
• D. Consent

Answer: (B)

Permission to enter can come in two ways: express or implied. When the owner’s actions or circumstances create a reasonable belief that entry is allowed, even without written or spoken permission, that is an implied license. This establishes a relationship where the entrant is treated as a licensee for premises-liability purposes. The license is a revocable permission to be on the property, and the owner owes duties to the licensee to warn of known hazards or fix dangerous conditions that the licensee wouldn’t reasonably discover. If the owner breaches that duty, negligence may be involved. The term implied license fits this scenario because the permission to enter is inferred from conduct rather than explicit consent. In contrast, public or business invitees describe specific categories of entrants with particular duties owed, and consent implies explicit permission, which is not the focus when permission is inferred by the owner’s actions.