New York's adverse possession period is 10 years of continuous, exclusive possession under RPAPL Sections 501 and 511. A 2024 budget amendment to RPAPL Section 711 clarified that squatters are not tenants, making it easier for owners and police to remove unauthorized occupants who have not met the 10-year threshold.
An adverse possessor under RPAPL Section 501 is one who "occupies real property of another...in a manner that would give the owner a cause of action for ejectment." Title can transfer only after "continued occupation and possession of the premises...for ten years" under RPAPL Section 511, and possession must be hostile, actual, open and notorious, exclusive, and continuous. The 2024 FY25 budget amended RPAPL Section 711 so that "a tenant shall not include a squatter," defined as "a person who enters onto or intrudes upon real property without permission and continues to occupy without title, right or permission." This change rebuts the misconception that a squatter gains tenant protections after 30 days; only the 10-year statutory period creates any ownership claim.
No specific statutory penalty for occupancy itself; an owner may pursue ejectment or summary proceedings, and squatters short of 10 years gain no ownership and no tenant status.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
New Rochelle, NY
Construction noise in New Rochelle is restricted to weekdays 7 a.m.–6 p.m. and Saturdays 9 a.m.–5 p.m. No construction on Sundays or legal holidays without a...
New Rochelle, NY
Overnight on-street parking in New Rochelle is regulated by alternate-side rules, downtown permit-parking districts, and winter snow-emergency declarations t...
New Rochelle, NY
Commercial vehicles and trucks over a set weight (commonly 10,000 lbs GVW) are generally prohibited from overnight parking on New Rochelle residential street...
New Rochelle, NY
Parking RVs, campers, boats, and trailers on New Rochelle residential streets is prohibited or tightly time-limited. On private property, oversized recreatio...
New Rochelle, NY
Most residential fences in New Rochelle require a building permit from the Bureau of Buildings. Applications need a site plan showing location, height, and m...
New Rochelle, NY
Retaining walls over 4 feet in height (measured bottom-of-footing to top) require a building permit and engineered plans in New Rochelle. Walls with surcharg...
See how New Rochelle's squatter's rights & adverse possession rules stack up against other locations.
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