A bill was recently introduced in the PA Senate seeking to eliminate the doctrine of adverse possession in PA. Pennsylvania common law provides that adverse possession of a property arises by actual, continuous, exclusive, open, notorious, distinct, and hostile possession of property for a period of 21 years. The bill’s author, State Sen. Richard Kasunic, pointed to cases where community interests and economic development opportunities are hampered by squatters making last minute claims to property they never lawfully owned in the first place.

The bill would be an extraordinary change in real estate law and, therefore, seems unlikely to pass. However, it is definitely something that should be monitored.