What are squatters’ rights in Tennessee?
In Tennessee, an action to recover land must be brought within 7 years after the right to sue arose. Possession does not reach beyond the land the adverse holder actually possesses until any document of title the holder claims under is recorded in the county where the land lies. A person with seven years’ adverse possession of land granted by Tennessee or North Carolina, held under a conveyance, devise, grant or other assurance of title purporting to convey an estate in fee that was recorded for the full seven years, is vested with title in fee to the land that document describes. Anyone who has failed to have land assessed and to pay state and county taxes on it for more than 20 years is barred from suing to recover it. A property owner or the owner’s authorized agent may ask the county sheriff to immediately remove a person unlawfully occupying a residential dwelling by presenting a completed and verified complaint made under penalty of perjury. Once the sheriff verifies that the complainant is the record owner or the owner’s agent and appears entitled to relief, the sheriff must serve a notice to immediately vacate without delay and put the owner in possession. The remedy does not reach a current or former tenant under a rental agreement the owner authorized, an immediate family member of the owner, or a property with pending litigation between the owner and the occupant. Until that period has run, a person occupying property without permission has no claim to its title. This is Tenn. Code §§ 28-2-103, 28-2-101, 28-2-110; Tenn. Code § 29-18-135.
| What | Tennessee |
|---|---|
| Adverse possession period | 7 years |
| Removing an unauthorized occupant | Law enforcement can remove the occupant without an eviction case |
Source
Tenn. Code §§ 28-2-103, 28-2-101, 28-2-110; Tenn. Code § 29-18-135
Read the statute in the Tennessee Code (Tennessee General Assembly): capitol.tn.gov.
The linked sections open Justia’s free copy of the code, because the state’s own site has no stable address for each section.
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
More Tennessee rules
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- Can a landlord retaliate against a tenant for complaining in Tennessee?
- What happens if a tenant breaks a lease in Tennessee?
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- Every Tennessee rule on one page
The same question in other states
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii