What are squatters’ rights in Massachusetts?

In Massachusetts, an action to recover land must be commenced within twenty years after the right of action first accrued, so a person in adverse possession can gain title only after twenty years. Until that period has run, a person occupying property without permission has no claim to its title. This is M.G.L. c. 260, § 21.

WhatMassachusetts
Adverse possession period20 years

Source

M.G.L. c. 260, § 21

Read the statute in the General Laws of Massachusetts (Massachusetts Legislature): malegislature.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.

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