Minnesota Adverse Possession (Minn. Stat. Sec. 541.02)

Under Minn. Stat. Sec. 541.02, 'no action for the recovery of real estate... shall be maintained unless it appears that the plaintiff, the plaintiff's ancestor, predecessor, or grantor was seized or possessed of the premises in question within 15 years before the beginning of the action.' This 15-year window is the foundation of adverse possession in Minnesota. The statute adds a tax condition: a party claiming title by adverse possession 'shall have paid taxes on the real estate in question at least five consecutive years' of the occupancy. That tax requirement does not apply to actions over boundary lines, lands between platted lines and the line claimed by adverse possession, or land never assessed for taxation. Possession must also be actual, open, hostile, continuous, and exclusive throughout the period.

A squatter without the 15-year possession and, for taxed platted land, the five years of tax payments has no claim and can be removed through eviction (unlawful detainer) under Chapter 504B; an owner who lets the full period run may lose title.