Louisiana Statewide Rule

Louisiana Acquisitive Prescription (Squatter's Rights)

Some RestrictionsApplies statewide across Louisiana (2026)

Key Facts

Default period: 30 years (La. Civ. Code art. 3486)
Shortened period: 10 years with good faith + just title (art. 3473)
30-year requirements: No title or good faith needed
Possession quality: Continuous, peaceable, public, unequivocal
Removal method: Eviction (La. C.C.P. art. 4701)

Last verified: September 5, 2026

Summary

Louisiana uses acquisitive prescription, not adverse possession. Under La. Civ. Code art. 3486, ownership of immovables may be acquired by 30 years' possession with no title or good faith required. La. Civ. Code art. 3473 allows acquisition in just 10 years if the possessor has good faith and just title.

Art. 3486. Immovables; prescription of thirty years Ownership and other real rights in immovables may be acquired by the prescription of thirty years without the need of just title or possession in good faith. Acts 1982, No. 187, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1983.

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Full Breakdown

Louisiana's Civil Code governs squatter claims through acquisitive prescription. La. Civ. Code art. 3486 provides that 'ownership and other real rights in immovables may be acquired by the prescription of thirty years without the need of just title or possession in good faith.' The shorter route, La. Civ. Code art. 3473, states 'ownership and other real rights in immovables may be acquired by the prescription of ten years' but requires the possessor to have good faith and just title (a juridical act sufficient to transfer ownership) under arts. 3475-3479. In both cases the possession must be continuous, uninterrupted, peaceable, public, and unequivocal. A short-term squatter with no title gains nothing; an owner removes a non-tenant occupant through the eviction process (La. C.C.P. art. 4701 and following).

Violations & Penalties

No specific statutory penalty. A failed prescription claimant or trespasser is removed by court order through the eviction process; no fine attaches to an unsuccessful possession claim.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long must a squatter possess property to claim it in Louisiana?

Thirty years under La. Civ. Code art. 3486, which needs no title or good faith. The period drops to 10 years under La. Civ. Code art. 3473 if the possessor has both good faith and just title.

What is acquisitive prescription in Louisiana?

It is Louisiana's Civil Code equivalent of adverse possession. La. Civ. Code arts. 3486 and 3473 let a possessor acquire ownership of immovables after 30 years, or 10 years with good faith and just title, through continuous, peaceable, public possession.

How does a Louisiana owner remove a squatter?

Through the courts using the eviction process beginning with the notice to vacate under La. C.C.P. art. 4701, not self-help. A squatter without 30 years of possession, or 10 with good faith and just title, has no ownership claim.

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