In Texas a squatter can claim title only through adverse possession, with periods that shorten as the claim strengthens: 3 years under title or color of title (§ 16.024), 5 years with a registered deed plus paid taxes (§ 16.025), 10 years for bare possession capped at 160 acres (§ 16.026), and 25 years under a recorded instrument (§ 16.028).
Under Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.024, an owner must sue within three years against a possessor holding "under title or color of title." Section 16.025 sets a five-year bar where the possessor cultivates, uses, or enjoys the land, "pay[s] applicable taxes," and claims "under a duly registered deed" (excluding quitclaim, forged, or forged-power-of-attorney deeds). Section 16.026 sets a ten-year bar for one who cultivates, uses, or enjoys the property, "limited…to 160 acres" without a recorded instrument fixing larger boundaries. Section 16.028 sets a 25-year bar for a good-faith holder under a recorded instrument purporting to convey the property, which "extends to…all of the property described in the instrument, even though the instrument is void on its face or in fact." Possession must be actual, open, exclusive, hostile, and continuous.
No specific statutory penalty against the owner. A squatter gains title only if every adverse-possession element is met for the applicable 3-, 5-, 10-, or 25-year period; otherwise the occupant has no possessory right and is subject to removal through the eviction or trespass process.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Conroe, TX
Conroe Chapter 10 (Animals) and Chapter 26 (Nuisances) address barking dogs. Persistent barking that disturbs neighbors constitutes a nuisance. Animal Contro...
Conroe, TX
Conroe has no specific leaf blower ordinance. Leaf blower use is subject to general nuisance noise provisions under Chapter 26, Sec. 26-33. No ban on gas-pow...
Conroe, TX
Conroe regulates nuisance noise under Chapter 26 (Environment). Because Conroe has no zoning, industrial and residential uses may be adjacent. The general nu...
Conroe, TX
Conroe Code Chapter 26 prohibits unreasonable noise that disturbs neighbors. No specific decibel limits are codified, but nuisance noise is enforceable as a ...
Conroe, TX
Conroe does not codify specific construction hours but noise from construction must not constitute a nuisance under Chapter 26. All construction requires per...
Conroe, TX
Conroe Chapter 66 regulates street parking. Oversized vehicles (6+ wheels, RVs, trailers) require a police department permit on residential streets. Junked v...
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