Utah · TitleUtah adverse possession: seven continuous years and every tax paid

In an action to recover real property in Utah, the person establishing legal title is presumed to have been in possession, and any occupation is presumed to be under and subordinate to that title, unless the property has been held adversely for at least seven years before the action began (Utah Code §78B-2-208). Adverse possession can't be established unless the land was occupied and claimed continuously for seven years and the claimant and the claimant's predecessors and grantors paid all taxes levied and assessed on the land (§78B-2-214). For a closing, a recorded owner who has kept paying the property taxes is in a strong position against an occupant's claim; the title company and a survey address any encroachment.