Squatters Rights in Connecticut: 15-Year Adverse Possession Law
Connecticut requires 15 years of open, notorious, hostile, exclusive, and continuous possession. As of mid-2026, proposed bills to define 'squatter' in state law and create a streamlined removal process (HB 06116, HB 06384) had been introduced but not enacted.
Last reviewed July 8, 2026 — statutes and case law independently verified against official sources
Connecticut vs Neighboring States: Quick Comparison
- Statutory Period
- 15 years
- Tax Payment Required
- No
- Color of Title
- Not required
- Expedited Removal Law
- Yes 2024–2025
- Statutory Period
- 10 years
- Tax Payment Required
- No
- Color of Title
- Not required
- Expedited Removal Law
- Standard process
- Statutory Period
- 20 years
- Tax Payment Required
- No
- Color of Title
- Not required
- Expedited Removal Law
- Standard process
- Statutory Period
- 10 years
- Tax Payment Required
- No
- Color of Title
- Not required
- Expedited Removal Law
- Standard process
Data verified for 2026. Laws subject to change, verify with official state statutes.
The Path to Adverse Possession in Connecticut
A visual summary of what a claimant must complete, start to finish.
How Adverse Possession Works in Connecticut
To claim ownership of property through adverse possession in Connecticut, a claimant must possess the land for 15 years while meeting the legal requirements established under state law.
Legal Basis and Statutory Period
Connecticut’s adverse possession law is codified under Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-575. The standard statutory period is 15 years of continuous, open, and hostile possession.
Property Tax Requirements
Connecticut does not condition adverse possession on tax payment.
Color of Title Rules
Color of title is not required under Connecticut's adverse possession statute.
Key Legal Requirements
- Actual possession
- Open and notorious possession
- Hostile possession
- Exclusive possession
- Continuous and uninterrupted possession for 15 years
What Are Your Legal Options in Connecticut?
2 minutes • No sign-up • Get a personalized legal assessment based on Connecticut law
Step 1: Choose your situation to begin
Recent Law Changes in Connecticut
No major legislative changes confirmed enacted as of mid-2026. Two bills remain under consideration: HB 06116 (streamlined affidavit-based removal) and HB 06384 (new criminal offense for illegal squatting). Neither had been signed into law as of the most recent available research.
Connecticut Adverse Possession Procedures
Making an Adverse Possession Claim
To establish adverse possession in Connecticut, a claimant typically must:
- File a quiet title action in the Superior Court of the county where the property is located
- Provide evidence of actual, open, visible, and notorious possession
- Provide evidence of hostile possession under a claim of right
- Provide evidence of exclusive possession
- Provide evidence of continuous and uninterrupted possession for 15 years under Conn. Gen. Stat. Section 52-575
- Present supporting evidence such as witness testimony, photographs showing use over time, evidence of improvements, evidence of maintenance and upkeep, tax records if applicable, and survey records
- Meet Connecticut's demanding 'clear and positive proof' standard, since courts will not infer any element from ambiguous evidence
If the claimant's use began with the owner's permission, that permission must be clearly and unequivocally repudiated before the use can be considered hostile.
Defending Against Adverse Possession
Property owners can take several steps to protect against adverse possession claims:
- Periodically inspect property boundaries
- Give written permission to neighbors or others using portions of your property, thereby making their use permissive rather than hostile
- Post "No Trespassing" signs at regular intervals around property boundaries
- Install fencing or other clear boundary markers
- Document any communications with adjacent property owners regarding boundaries
- File trespassing complaints if unauthorized use is discovered
- Consider filing a declaratory judgment action to establish boundary lines if a dispute arises
Because Connecticut demands clear and positive proof of every element, well-documented boundary inspections and written permission agreements are especially effective at defeating a future claim.
Removing Squatters
Connecticut provides property owners with the following options for removing unauthorized occupants:
- Criminal Trespass: For clear cases where someone has been notified in writing that they are not welcome and remains anyway, property owners can pursue criminal trespass charges under Connecticut General Statutes Sections 53a-107 to 53a-109.
- Summary Process (Eviction): Connecticut's civil eviction procedure is called 'summary process.' Serve a notice to quit giving the occupant a specific deadline to leave; if they do not comply, file a summary process complaint in housing court; once the court issues a judgment for possession, a state marshal carries out the physical removal.
Self-help evictions, such as changing the locks, removing belongings, or shutting off utilities, are illegal in Connecticut and can expose a property owner to civil liability even when the occupant clearly has no legal right to be there.
Notable Connecticut Adverse Possession Cases
Boccanfuso v. Conner (2005)
89 Conn.App. 260, 873 A.2d 208 (2005), cert. denied, 275 Conn. 905 (2005)
A landowner argued that a neighbor's use of a strip of land, originally permitted for a limited purpose, had ripened into adverse possession over time. The Connecticut Appellate Court held that when someone's use of land begins with the owner's permission for a specific, limited purpose, that permission must be clearly repudiated by some positive, unequivocal act before the use can become 'hostile,' though this repudiation requirement does not apply where the claimant's actual use always exceeded whatever limited permission was originally granted.
Eberhardt v. Imperial Construction Services, LLC (2007)
101 Conn.App. 762, 923 A.2d 785 (2007), cert. denied, 284 Conn. 904 (2007)
The Connecticut Appellate Court reaffirmed the state's demanding evidentiary bar for adverse possession claims, holding that a finding of adverse possession 'is not to be made out by inference, but by clear and positive proof.' The decision underscores that Connecticut courts will not presume any element of a claim, including exclusivity and hostility, from ambiguous or circumstantial evidence alone.
Schlichting v. Cotter (2008)
109 Conn.App. 361, 952 A.2d 73 (2008), cert. denied, 289 Conn. 944 (2008)
A property dispute turned on whether the claimant had used a parcel 'under a claim of right' and in an open, visible manner. The Connecticut Appellate Court clarified that the claim-of-right element requires an intent to use the property as one's own without regard to the true owner's rights, and does not require the claimant to hold any particular subjective belief about who actually owns the land, meaning a mistaken assumption about a boundary line can still support a valid claim.
Frequently Asked Questions About Connecticut Adverse Possession
How long must someone occupy my property in Connecticut to claim adverse possession?
In Connecticut, a person must occupy your property continuously for 15 years to claim adverse possession under Conn. Gen. Stat. Section 52-575. The '30-day squatter's rights' claim is a myth; no one can gain ownership rights to your property after just 30 days of occupation.
If a neighbor has been using part of my property, have they acquired title through adverse possession?
Not necessarily. In Connecticut, the neighbor must prove every element of adverse possession by clear and positive proof, a demanding standard reaffirmed in Eberhardt v. Imperial Construction Services (2007). If you gave permission, express or implied, for the use, or if the use has not been continuous for the full 15 years, their claim would likely fail.
Can adverse possession be interrupted in Connecticut?
Yes. If the true owner takes action to reassert ownership rights during the 15-year period, the continuity requirement is broken and the adverse possession clock restarts. Actions that can interrupt adverse possession include filing a lawsuit, physically removing encroachments, or getting the occupier to acknowledge the true owner's superior right through a written or verbal agreement.
If I gave a neighbor permission to use part of my land, can that use still turn into adverse possession?
Generally, no, as long as the permission stands. As Boccanfuso v. Conner (2005) explains, where use began with the owner's permission for a specific purpose, that permission must be clearly and unequivocally repudiated by the user before the use can become hostile. Simply continuing to use the land as originally permitted, even for many years, does not by itself convert permissive use into adverse possession.
Does payment of property taxes automatically prove adverse possession in Connecticut?
No. Unlike some states, Connecticut does not require payment of property taxes as an element of adverse possession. However, evidence of tax payment can help strengthen a claim by demonstrating the claimant's belief that they owned the property.
Can I legally remove squatters from my property in Connecticut?
Yes, but you must follow legal procedures. For clear cases where someone has been notified they are not welcome and stays anyway, you can pursue criminal trespass charges. Otherwise, you must use Connecticut's civil 'summary process' eviction procedure, serving a notice to quit and, if necessary, obtaining a judgment enforced by a state marshal. 'Self-help' methods like changing locks or shutting off utilities are illegal in Connecticut and could expose you to liability.
Will the sheriff remove a squatter for me in Connecticut?
Not the sheriff, and not immediately: Connecticut replaced county sheriffs with state marshals for civil process, and only a state marshal can physically carry out a court-ordered eviction. Police can arrest someone for criminal trespass under Connecticut General Statutes §§ 53a-107 to 53a-109 if they were given written notice not to be there (or it's an obvious break-in) and remain anyway, but that's a criminal charge, not a removal mechanism — it doesn't restore the owner's physical possession. To actually regain the property, the owner must use Connecticut's civil "summary process": serve a notice to quit with a deadline to leave, file a summary process complaint in housing court if they don't leave, obtain a judgment for possession, and have a state marshal carry out the physical eviction. Two 2025 bills that would have created a faster squatter-specific process (HB 6116) or a new squatting crime (HB 6384) both died in committee, so this traditional process remains Connecticut's only path today.
This information is provided for general educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Adverse possession claims are highly fact-specific. Consult a licensed attorney in the relevant state before relying on this information.