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.
Lewisville, TX
Lewisville treats persistent barking as a noise disturbance under Ch. 18. A dog barking continuously for 15 minutes or intermittently for 30 minutes triggers...
Lewisville, TX
Lewisville sits about 10 miles south of DFW International Airport with regular overflight noise. Federal law preempts local regulation of flight paths and al...
Lewisville, TX
Lewisville limits construction noise to 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday under Ch. 18. Sunday and holiday work requires a special permit from Buildin...
Lewisville, TX
Lewisville prohibits amplified music plainly audible at a neighboring property during quiet hours of 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. under Ch. 18. City events require soun...
Lewisville, TX
Lewisville uses a plainly-audible standard rather than fixed decibel limits under Ch. 18. No dBA thresholds are codified; officers may use sound meters as ev...
Lewisville, TX
Lewisville regulates outdoor music under Ch. 18. Live and recorded music must not be plainly audible at neighboring property during quiet hours of 10 p.m. to...
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