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Maine · TitleMaine adverse possession: the twenty-year limit on recovering land

Maine's adverse possession period is the limit on real actions. No person may commence a real or mixed action for the recovery of lands, or make an entry on them, unless within 20 years after the right to do so first accrued, or within 20 years after that person or those under whom the person claims were seized or possessed of the premises, except as provided in the same subchapter (14 M.R.S. §801). Once that period runs against an owner who has been kept out of possession, the owner can no longer sue to recover the land or enter it under the statute.

What the statutes set

  1. Twenty years (§801)

    Action or entry within 20 years after the right first accrued.

  2. Seisin or possession (§801)

    Or within 20 years after the claimant or predecessors were seized or possessed.

  3. Real or mixed actions (§801)

    The limit covers actions to recover land and entries on it.

  4. Exceptions (§801)

    Except as the rest of the subchapter provides.

What the TC checks when a Maine survey shows an encroachment

  • Flag any fence, driveway or building crossing the boundary on the survey.
  • Ask the title company how the encroachment will appear in the title policy.
  • Route possession claims to the parties' attorneys before the title objection deadline.

Questions about Maine adverse possession

How long is adverse possession in Maine?

Twenty years: an action to recover land or an entry on it must come within 20 years after the right first accrued (14 M.R.S. §801).

Does the Maine limit apply to entering the land as well as suing?

Yes. It bars both commencing a real or mixed action for the recovery of land and making an entry on it after 20 years (14 M.R.S. §801).

Related guides

Track the survey review and the title objection deadline as tasks on the deal in ClosingCode.

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Source: 14 M.R.S. §801 (legislature.maine.gov), read October 31, 2026.

General information, not legal advice. ClosingCode is software; it is not a law firm or brokerage. This guide is not a substitute for the advice or services of an attorney.