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.
Fulshear, TX
Fulshear Code of Ordinances Chapter 18, Article VI (Noise) sets nighttime hours from 10:01 PM to 6:59 AM in residential areas, with daytime hours from 7:00 A...
Fulshear, TX
Fulshear regulates fences through Appendix A (Zoning) and Chapter 8 Article II (Construction Standards). Residential fences follow district rules with reduce...
Fulshear, TX
Fulshear requires property owners to obtain a permit before constructing a new fence or replacing more than fifty percent of an existing fence on residential...
Fulshear, TX
Fulshear Code of Ordinances Chapter 6 (Animals) governs dog restraint and running-at-large rules within city limits, layered with Texas Health and Safety Cod...
Fulshear, TX
Fulshear property owners must keep lots clear of high weeds, grass, and accumulated brush that constitute a public nuisance, or face abatement and lien costs.
Fulshear, TX
Fulshear's burn ban ordinance automatically adopts Fort Bend County's outdoor burning prohibition inside city limits, with violations punishable by fines up ...
See how Fulshear's squatter's rights & adverse possession rules stack up against other locations.
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