What are squatters’ rights in Indiana?
In Indiana, an action to recover possession of real estate must be started within 10 years after the cause of action accrues, and possession is adverse only if the possessor pays all taxes and special assessments the possessor reasonably believes in good faith to be due. The taxes and special assessments must be paid for the period the possessor claims to have adversely possessed the property, and paying them does not relieve the possessor from proving every other element of adverse possession. A governmental entity or an organization exempt from federal income tax may claim title without having paid them if its adjacent property was exempt from property taxes during the period. Title to real property owned by the state or a political subdivision may not be lost by adverse possession. A property owner may sign an affidavit, subject to the penalties of perjury, stating that a squatter is occupying the property and has never had a rental agreement, the owner’s permission, or any other property interest allowing the occupancy, and give a copy to a law enforcement agency. The agency must dispatch officers to remove the squatter within 48 hours after receiving the affidavit, or as soon as practicable if it delays for reasons of public safety, and the officers remove the person unless they discover credible evidence that the person is not a squatter. A squatter does not include a person whose rental agreement has expired or who may have violated it, or an invitee, and a person removed on a knowingly false affidavit may sue the owner who signed it. Until that period has run, a person occupying property without permission has no claim to its title. This is Ind. Code §§ 34-11-2-11, 32-21-7-1, 32-21-7-2; Ind. Code §§ 32-31-12-2, 32-31-12-3, 32-31-12-4, 32-31-12-5, 32-31-12-8.
| What | Indiana |
|---|---|
| Adverse possession period | 10 years, with taxes paid |
| Removing an unauthorized occupant | Law enforcement can remove the occupant without an eviction case |
Source
Ind. Code §§ 34-11-2-11, 32-21-7-1, 32-21-7-2; Ind. Code §§ 32-31-12-2, 32-31-12-3, 32-31-12-4, 32-31-12-5, 32-31-12-8
Read the statute in the Indiana Code (Indiana General Assembly): iga.in.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
- Squatters’ Rights by State: Adverse Possession and Removal — How long adverse possession takes in 51 states, what the statutes require, and which states let law enforcement remove a squatter without an eviction case.
Compare this rule in every state
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- Every Indiana rule on one page
The same question in other states
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii