The Strip You Have Been Mowing
42 Pa.C.S. 5530 — 21 years, or 10 for a small home lot through a quiet title action
In Pennsylvania, an action for the possession of real property must be commenced within 21 years. An entry on the land does not stop that period unless a possessory action is commenced within one year after the entry.
The ten year rule. Title may be acquired after no less than 10 years of actual, continuous, exclusive, visible, notorious, distinct and hostile possession of real estate of not more than one-half acre, improved by a single-family dwelling the possessor has occupied for the full 10 years, and identified as a separate lot in a recorded conveyance, subdivision plan or official map.
A quiet title action. Notice goes to the record owners, who have one year to bring an action in ejectment disputing the claim; if none is filed and served in that year, the court may enter judgment granting title. The judgment does not wipe out mortgages, liens, easements or leases on the property.
Not covered by the ten year rule. Condominiums, cooperatives and planned communities, and property owned by the United States, the Commonwealth or a local government.
The statute sets the time. What kind of possession counts beyond what the statute itself says comes from Pennsylvania court decisions, which this page does not quote. Whether a particular strip of land has changed hands, and how to bring or answer an action over it, are questions for a licensed Pennsylvania attorney.
Sources for this section (2)
- 42 Pa.C.S. 5530 — Twenty-one year limitation
- 42 Pa.C.S. 5527.1 — Ten year limitation
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Pennsylvania attorney.