Vermont requires 15 years of possession before a squatter can claim land by adverse possession. Under 12 V.S.A. § 501, an action to recover land must be brought within 15 years after the cause of action accrues, so possession that is open, notorious, hostile, exclusive, and continuous for 15 years can ripen into title.
Under 12 V.S.A. § 501, "an action for the recovery of lands, or the possession thereof, shall not be maintained, unless commenced within 15 years after the cause of action first accrues to the plaintiff or those under whom he or she claims." Because the record owner's right to recover the land is time-barred after 15 years, a possessor who holds the property openly, notoriously, hostilely, exclusively, and continuously for the full 15-year period may acquire title by adverse possession. Vermont has not codified all the adverse-possession elements; § 501 supplies the 15-year limitations period while courts define the required character of possession. Possession under color of title or claim of right strengthens the claim. A statutory exception bars adverse possession of certain public and charitable lands.
No specific statutory penalty; this is a civil limitations and quiet-title matter. After 15 years of qualifying adverse possession, the record owner is time-barred under 12 V.S.A. § 501 from an action to recover the land.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Burlington, VT
Burlington Code of Ordinances §21-13 sets citywide quiet hours from 10:00 PM to 7:00 AM, during which noise plainly audible between apartments or houses is d...
Burlington, VT
Burlington's Comprehensive Development Ordinance limits fences in the First Lot Layer (front yard) to 4 feet and fences in Second and Third Lot Layers (side ...
Burlington, VT
Burlington Comprehensive Development Ordinance (CDO) Article 5 treats storage sheds as accessory structures incidental to a residential use. Sheds may encroa...
Burlington, VT
Burlington's short-term rental ordinance (Chapter 18, adopted 2022) requires hosts to disclose at registration the number of vehicles used by residents and g...
Burlington, VT
Burlington short-term rental hosts must comply with citywide noise rules in Burlington Code of Ordinances Chapter 21, Section 21-13. Quiet hours run 10:00 p....
Burlington, VT
Residential swimming pool barriers in Burlington are governed by the Vermont Fire and Building Safety Code, adopted by the Vermont Division of Fire Safety un...
See how Burlington's squatter's rights & adverse possession rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.