What are squatters’ rights in California?

In California, adverse possession is established only where the land has been occupied and claimed continuously for five years and the person claiming it has timely paid all state, county and municipal taxes levied on the land for those five years. Payment of those taxes must be shown by certified records of the county tax collector. Until that period has run, a person occupying property without permission has no claim to its title. This is Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 325.

WhatCalifornia
Adverse possession period5 years, with taxes paid

Source

Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 325

Read the statute in the California Codes (California Legislative Information): leginfo.legislature.ca.gov.

Checked against the statute on November 13, 2026.

This is a summary of the published procedure, not legal advice. Courts, local rules and the facts of a tenancy change what applies, and a defect in a notice or a filing can end a case. Have a lawyer review anything before it is served or filed.

How Seayora uses this rule

Seayora does not file, serve or appear in an eviction, and is not anybody’s lawyer. When a tenant has stopped paying, it lays out these steps for the property’s own state and city with the statute beside each one, holds back any step that would come too early, keeps an append-only record of the case — and shows the resident what would end it, legal-aid links included.

Guides on this rule

Compare this rule in every state

More California rules

The same question in other states

Related