Wisconsin Adverse Possession (Wis. Stat. Sec. 893.25-893.27)

Under Wis. Stat. Sec. 893.25, an action to recover real estate is barred by 'uninterrupted adverse possession of 20 years,' where the occupant possesses under claim of title and the land is actually occupied and either protected by a substantial enclosure or usually cultivated or improved. Wis. Stat. Sec. 893.26 bars recovery after 'uninterrupted adverse possession of 10 years' where the claimant entered in good faith under a written instrument of conveyance or a court judgment that is recorded within 30 days of entry and maintains actual continued occupation. Wis. Stat. Sec. 893.27 reduces the period to 'uninterrupted adverse possession of 7 years' where, in addition to the recorded-instrument requirements, the claimant 'paid all real estate taxes... for the 7-year period after the original entry.' Good faith of entry and claim of title is presumed unless rebutted.

A would-be squatter who lacks the required period (20, 10, or 7 years) and the open, hostile, continuous, exclusive possession has no title and can be removed through the eviction process under ch. 799. An owner who lets the full statutory period run may lose title to the adverse possessor.