I believe Colorado is 7 years and a squatter can claim rights to someone else’s land. In other words, regardless of the State, protecting land from squatting is important.
A classic case of adverse possession.
He should then bill her for the taxes and any upkeep he’s paid in the past.
Seems that he would at least be due back taxes for 20 years on the land.
I have a perimeter trail around my ranch, I patrol it weekly.
Its called adverse possession. No, I didn’t like it either when it was taught to me in my Property I and Property II classes in law school. There is a good reason for it though. Courts have been geared toward achieving maximum economic efficiency. Having land sit idle and unused is not economically beneficial. So if someone uses the land for long enough and the actual owner does not contest their usage of it or assert their rights to it, then eventually, they lose that land......they obviously weren’t using it.
But to meet the conditions for adverse possession it has to be “adverse and hostile” meaning the person using the land has to claim its theirs, not that its somebody else’s and they’re just using it. It has to be “open and notorious” meaning they can’t do it on the sly. In several states, the squatter has to pay the property taxes on that land to satisfy the open and notorious requirement. etc etc.
In other words, you really have to neglect your property in order to lose it to adverse possession by another. As is often the case in the law, if you sit on your rights and don’t enforce them, you lose them.
The law of adverse possession. Its real folks. If you own land police it, fence it and generally just be an ahole about it.
We have a crazy meth head next to our rural compound that thinks he owns part of our acreage we recently purchased. We showed him the property stakes from the new survey one time. Now we are throwing his junk back over the line and running 3 Strand wire barbed fence while he stands in his driveway and watches. We put up metal gates with locks on both driveways as well as no trespassing signs and lights. We make sure to regularly walk the 5.5 acres and get in some target practice when we’re up there. In fact we’re headed up there later this morning. 😏
The previous owner told us that this nut had let his buddy move a travel trailer onto the property while he was out of town on a long term project. They even installed a bootleg septic system. Our seller had to kick him off.
Michigan has an “Adverse Possession” law, as well. If the squatter “openly and notoriously” occupies the land for at least 15 years, he can acquire title with a court order. If at any time during the 15 years the owner prevents occupation, the clock resets. If the owner can produce documentation that he gave permission for the possession, there is no ‘adverse’ possession.
They probably just wanted access to the goats. :-P
Been on the property for more than 20 years and so had squatter’s rights.
Wonder why that doesn’t work when the government calls it eminent domain ?.
Very interesting case from years ago about this issue involving a retired judge and his lawyer wife....
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-dec-03-na-land3-story.html
Or join the fun like what happened to me. My first house was condemned by the city government for a park bathroom. Just like that, I was kicked out with a check that wouldn’t even buy a paper box behind the local mall. No court proceedings, no fair market value, and the good ol power of,government and the sheriff’s department to arrest me (would have probably had no problem eliminating me with anSWAT raid “gone bad”) and throw me out.
More reasons for my everlasting deep contempt for government.