Usually ignored by French civil law, the communaux, which are a form of collective property or possession, may take various shapes, especially insofar as they may be either publicly or privately owned. This article draws up an inventory of the most common forms of collective property and suggests a framework that may apply to all of them, whether they fall into the legal category described by the civil code (which includes forms of communal or municipally owned property) or whether they are subject to private property, for instance, in some forms of unbounded lands or co-ownership. No matter in which way the land is owned, collective property always grants the beneficiaries in an in rem right to use the land. However, this right is very much tied to personal elements, such as residence within a specific territory or conditions relative to the collection of products of the land. The legal regime of collective property is essentially marked by the fact that such property is non-rival between the beneficiaries. Collective property also serves a social function, especially in mountain territories where it consists in a resurgence of dominium utile. The structure of ownership seems to fade away, whereas common possession appears the most important factor in determining each person's rights.