Squatters' Rights in Michigan (2026): Adverse Possession Laws

Michigan Squatters’ Rights: Quick Facts (2026)

How does Michigan compare? The quick answers are below — pulled from the Michigan statutes and checked in July 2026 — and the rest of this guide explains each one.

Question	Michigan rule
Standard adverse possession period	15 years
Shorter paths	None
Must the squatter pay property taxes?	Not required
Key statute	MCL § 600.5801
How landlords remove a squatter	Serve written notice, then file an eviction (unlawful detainer) or ejectment action in court — never remove a squatter yourself

This is general information, not legal advice — statutes change and courts add nuance, so confirm current law with a Michigan attorney.

If you have rental property in Michigan, it is important to understand squatters rights in Michigan. In this article, we will explain what a squatter is, how squatters rights in Michigan work, and what you can do to protect your property from a squatter.

If squatters’ rights are new to you, the short version: squatters aren’t trespassers in the eyes of the law — they occupy under a claim of right, so removing them takes a court process, not a police call. And through adverse possession, occupation that stays hostile, actual, open and notorious, exclusive, and continuous for the statutory period can ripen into ownership. The full background lives in our national squatters’ rights guide; here we stick to the Michigan specifics.

Squatters Rights in Michigan

For a person to claim squatters rights in Michigan and gain ownership of a property through adverse possession, they must meet all of the five adverse possession elements above, as well as meet additional requirements as stipulated by adverse possession laws in Michigan.

A person claiming adverse possession in Michigan must:

→ Meet all 5 adverse possession elements mentioned above.

→ Have continuous possession of the property for a minimum of 15 years. Length of time can be reduced to 10 years with proof of Color of Title.

→ Property taxes are not required, but if paid, the squatter may be qualified to receive title to the property from a tax assessor. This title can act as Color of Title and can reduce the required time of possession to 10 years.

Once all of these requirements have been met, a squatter now has the ability to initiate legal proceedings through Michigan’s court system and present their adverse possession claim in front of a judge.

For more information on squatters rights in Michigan and the adverse possession requirements, you can review Michigan Legislature Section 600.5801

Does Color of Title Help in Michigan?

A squatter has color of title when they hold a defective ownership document — a bad deed, a botched foreclosure paper. In Michigan, Michigan law does not shorten its 15-year period for color of title, though a defective deed still helps define what land the claim covers. Our adverse possession guide covers the doctrine in full.

How to Remove Squatters in Michigan

Michigan handles removal through summary proceedings in district court. Notably, Michigan law (MCL § 600.2918) also makes squatting in a single-family dwelling a crime, which gives owners more leverage than in most states — but the safe path to possession still runs through the court order.

It is important to note that squatters rights in Michigan grant a squatter certain rights compared to a trespasser, and dealing with a squatter requires caution from the landlord.

However, unlike most states, where removing a squatter or trespasser has to be handled through full legal eviction, in Michigan, there’s a quicker solution. A law instated in 2014, HB 5069/PA 223, allows landowners to remove illegal occupants themselves using ‘self-help’ measures.

This means that landlords can change locks, turn off utilities, and remove squatters’ personal belongings. While physical force remains illegal, squatters can be arrested by the police, and landowners can take legal measures that are not available in most other states.

While the new law does not apply to holdover tenants or tenants at will, it provides a great deterrent for squatters in Michigan. By taking advantage of this law, landlords can remove squatters more quickly and without relying on a lengthy legal eviction process. It’s important, however, to know where you stand legally with tenant and consult a local attorney that specializes in eviction law and has vast knowledge of eviction laws and squatter’s rights in Michigan.

Here are a few things a landlord or property manager can take in order to remove a squatter from their property.

Call the Sheriff

The sheriff’s office may be unable to remove the person from the property if the person taking possession of the property was previously a tenant or tenant at will, but in Michigan, the sheriff’s department may be able to remove a squatter or trespasser.

Calling the sheriff is a good initial step because it logs a record of the incident and generates a report that the property owner can then show as evidence, if the case escalates to the court system.

Serve a Notice to Vacate

During the eviction process, the property owner or manager may need to give notice to the person occupying the property before they can be legally removed by the sheriff’s office.

And even though, at the early stages, you may not be looking at a situation in which you have to involve the court system, if the squatter does not have a legal claim to the property through adverse possession or color of title, in Michigan, a landlord can remove a squatter by serving them with a Notice to Vacate.

Start the Eviction Proceedings

Evicting a squatter requires due processes from the part of the landlord and requires a careful approach.

If a squatter is claiming adverse possession and is refusing to leave the premises after the time period allotted in the Notice to Vacate, then the next step would be to start proceedings in the county’s court.

This will initiate a hearing process in which the case will be presented in front of a judge and a ruling will be made based on the case details.

We recommend consulting an attorney with vast knowledge of property law in Michigan in order to avoid possible legal recourses against you, or the property.

Squatter Prevention Checklist for Michigan Landlords

None of the timelines above matter if occupation never goes unnoticed. A short checklist:

• Walk every vacant property at least monthly; log each visit.
• Lock it down — secure doors and windows, alarm or camera coverage, exterior lighting.
• Signal occupancy with maintained grounds and collected mail.
• Post no-trespassing signs and keep dated evidence of your possession.
• The moment you find someone on the property, send written notice and start the legal process — never wait.

Squatters’ Rights in Other States

The rules change completely the moment you cross a state line, so check every state where you own property. Start with our national guide to squatters’ rights and adverse possession, or jump straight to another state:

• Squatters’ rights in Ohio — 21 years
• Squatters’ rights in Indiana — 10 years
• Squatters’ rights in Pennsylvania — 21 years
• Squatters’ rights in New York — 10 years
• Squatters’ rights in New Jersey — 30 years

How PropertyCtrl can Help Protect your Property

PropertyCtrl offers a powerful and easy-to-use cloud-based property management software, with tools and resources that empower you to take control of every aspect of your rental property.

This is how PropertyCtrl’s features can help you avoid a potential squatter or adverse possession situation.

The information provided on this website does not, and is not intended to, constitute as legal advice; instead, all information, content, and materials available on this site are for general informational purposes only.