Pennsylvania's general adverse possession period is 21 years under 42 Pa.C.S. Section 5530. A shorter 10-year period applies under 42 Pa.C.S. Section 5527.1 to a parcel of one-half acre or less improved by a single-family dwelling the possessor has occupied, identified as a separate recorded lot.
Under 42 Pa.C.S. Section 5530, "an action for the possession of real property" must be brought within 21 years, so a possessor whose occupation is actual, continuous, exclusive, visible, notorious, distinct, and hostile for 21 years can extinguish the owner's title, "except as provided in section 5527.1." That exception, 42 Pa.C.S. Section 5527.1, allows title "after no less than 10 years" of the same possession for "real estate not exceeding one-half acre in area" improved by a single-family dwelling occupied by the possessor for the full 10 years and identified as a separate recorded lot. Under the 10-year route the record owner has one year, after notice, to file an ejectment action before the court may grant title.
No specific statutory penalty for the occupancy itself. An owner may file an ejectment or quiet-title action; a squatter who has not met the 21-year (or qualifying 10-year) period gains no ownership, and the owner can recover possession.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Erie, PA
Erie's zoning ordinance does not restrict fence materials by type, but it imposes an opacity rule near corners and driveways: a fence is only 'see-through' i...
Erie, PA
Swimming pools in Erie must comply with IRC Chapter 42 Appendix G and IBC Section 3109.4 as adopted by the PA UCC (34 Pa. Code 401-405). Barriers must be at ...
Erie, PA
Erie's Zoning Ordinance regulates fence height, location, and visibility but does not prescribe a list of allowed materials for residential fences. Specializ...
Erie, PA
Erie's Zoning Ordinance Section 204.19 allows a fence to be placed up to but not over the property line, and does not require neighbor consent. Boundary disp...
Erie, PA
The City of Erie issues a dedicated 'Fence' permit. Applications run through Code Enforcement (Room 407, City Hall) and require zoning and building-code revi...
Erie, PA
Erie does not set a fixed numeric limit on the number of dogs or cats a household may keep, relying instead on nuisance and restraint provisions; Pennsylvani...
See how Erie's squatter's rights & adverse possession rules stack up against other locations.
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