Michigan Squatters Rights: Adverse Possession and How Removal Actually Works
How long adverse possession takes in Michigan, whether there is a fast-track removal law, and what you legally can and cannot do about an unauthorized occupant. Last reviewed August 2026.
The question that decides everything: is the occupant a squatter or a tenant? Anyone who ever had permission to be there — a former tenant, someone who paid you rent even once, an ex-partner of your tenant on the lease — is generally a tenant in the law's eyes and must go through the eviction process. Michigan's squatter rules below apply to true trespassers only.
How long does adverse possession take in Michigan?
Michigan's limitations period for recovering land is 15 years under MCL 600.5801(4), so an adverse possessor must show actual, visible, open, notorious, exclusive, hostile, and continuous possession for 15 years; shorter 5- and 10-year periods in the same section apply only against claims founded on tax deeds. There is no general color-of-title or tax-payment shortcut. Because occupying another's dwelling became a crime in 2014, a residential squatter's possession is criminal conduct, making a successful adverse possession claim on a home essentially theoretical.
How to remove a squatter in Michigan
Michigan gives owners the strongest anti-squatter toolkit of any state in this group, dating to Public Acts 223-226 of 2014. MCL 750.553 makes occupying a single-family or two-family dwelling by trespass a misdemeanor (up to $5,000 per dwelling unit or 180 days) for a first offense and a felony for a second, so police can arrest rather than defer. Separately, MCL 600.2918(5) provides that an owner's actions do not unlawfully interfere with an occupant's possession if the occupant took possession by forcible entry, holds by force, or came in by trespass without color of title or other possessory interest — meaning an owner may lawfully retake and re-secure the property against a pure squatter without a court order. Careful owners still file summary proceedings under MCL 600.5714 in district court, because if the occupant turns out to have any colorable claim, the self-help exposure under MCL 600.2918 is severe.
Squatter or tenant? Why it matters
The MCL 600.2918(5) self-help exception covers only occupants who entered by trespass or force with no color of title or other possessory interest — a current tenant, a holdover, a land-contract vendee, or anyone who once had permission is outside it and must be removed through summary proceedings under MCL 600.5714 with proper notice under MCL 554.134. Guessing wrong converts the lockout into unlawful interference with treble damages. A squatter waving a forged lease is still a trespasser, but proving that in district court is far safer than litigating it after a self-help lockout.
What you absolutely cannot do
Against tenants and anyone with a possessory interest, MCL 600.2918 makes lockouts, utility shutoffs, and removal of belongings unlawful — the occupant recovers actual damages or $200 per occurrence, and treble damages or $200 if forcibly ejected — and the protection cannot be waived by lease. Against a pure squatter who entered by trespass without color of title, subsection (5) removes that liability, so re-securing the property is lawful. The risk is entirely in misclassification, so document the trespass (police report, photos, no lease, no rent history) before touching the locks.
Recent changes to the law
No squatter-related statute was enacted in 2024-2026; Michigan's framework still rests on the 2014 Public Acts 223-226. The SHIELD Act (House Bill 5634, introduced in 2025) would add a sheriff-verified expedited removal process modeled on Florida's, letting owners take complaints directly to the county sheriff, but it remained in committee as of August 2026 and is not law.
What Michigan property owners get wrong
Michigan owners tend to make the opposite mistake from owners elsewhere: hearing that "self-help is legal in Michigan" and using it against a holdover tenant or an ex-partner who had permission — people MCL 600.2918(5) does not cover — walking into treble damages. The exception is for pure trespassers only, and the safe sequence is police report first (MCL 750.553 gives officers a real arrest hook for dwellings), then either self-help with documentation or a summary proceeding under MCL 600.5714. Also note the criminal statute covers single- and two-family dwellings; commercial buildings and larger multifamily properties still ride on trespass law and civil process.
The law itself
Frequently asked questions
How long does a squatter have to stay in Michigan to claim ownership?
Fifteen years of actual, open, notorious, exclusive, hostile, and continuous possession under MCL 600.5801(4). The shorter 5- and 10-year periods in that section apply only to claims involving tax deeds. Since occupying a residential dwelling by trespass has been a crime under MCL 750.553 since 2014, a squatter's odds of quietly accumulating 15 years in someone's house are effectively nil; real claims are boundary disputes.
How do I remove a squatter in Michigan?
Call the police first — squatting in a single- or two-family dwelling is a crime under MCL 750.553, and officers can arrest. Against a pure trespasser with no color of title, MCL 600.2918(5) also lets you retake and re-secure the property without a court order. If there is any doubt about the occupant's status, file summary proceedings under MCL 600.5714 in district court instead and let the court order the eviction.
Can I change the locks on a squatter in Michigan?
Yes, if — and only if — the occupant took possession by forcible entry or trespass without color of title or any possessory interest; MCL 600.2918(5) exempts owner actions against such occupants from the anti-lockout statute. Against anyone who was ever a tenant, had permission, or holds any colorable claim, a lockout triggers liability for treble damages. Document the trespass thoroughly before acting, and use the courts when in doubt.
Is squatting a crime in Michigan?
Yes. Since Public Act 224 of 2014, occupying a single-family or two-family dwelling by trespass violates MCL 750.553 — a misdemeanor carrying up to $5,000 per dwelling unit and/or 180 days for a first offense, and a felony (up to $10,000 and/or 2 years) for subsequent offenses. This is why Michigan police will act on residential squatters while police in most other states will not.
Keep reading
Vacant units attract squatters. Documented ones repel them.
Vantric tracks your leases, tenants, and payment history in one place, so proof of who belongs in your property is always one click away — built for landlords with 1–10 units.
Start Free TrialThis page is general information, not legal advice. Squatter, trespass, and adverse possession law turns on specific facts — verify against the official statute text linked above, and talk to a local attorney or law enforcement before acting.