Adverse Possession of Municipal Land: It's Time to Protect This Valuable Asset

The laws of several states regarding adverse possession of municipal land vary widely from providing no protection to granting complete immunity from such loss. Generally, states that permit adverse possession of municipally owned land do so without articulating a rationale for allowing such a loss of a valuable municipal asset. In this Article, Professor Latovick describes why the current state of the law is unsatisfactory. She then considers the public policies raised by the issue of adverse possession of municipal land.

Professor Latovick concludes by proposing that states should adopt legislation expressly protecting all municipal land from adverse possession and by suggesting model language for such statutes.