District of Columbia Adverse Possession and Squatter Removal

D.C. Code § 12-301(a)(1) bars an action 'for the recovery of lands, tenements, or hereditaments' after 15 years, so a person who possesses property openly, notoriously, exclusively, continuously, and adversely for 15 years can claim title by adverse possession. For vacant, unimproved land, § 16-1113 provides an alternative where a claimant who was assessed for the property, paid the taxes, and 'exercised control over the property for a period of fifteen years before the bringing of the action' satisfies the possession requirement without proof of enclosure. A squatter who lacks a colorable claim is an unlawful occupant; the owner must use the courts — not self-help — to recover possession.

No specific statutory penalty for adverse possession itself; an owner who fails to act within 15 years can lose title, while unlawful occupants who damage property or refuse to leave may face civil ejectment and criminal trespass charges.