How to Use Alabama’s Anti Squatter Laws

Alabama does not recognize “squatter’s rights” in the way some Western states do. Instead, Alabama law treats unauthorized occupants as criminal trespassers, and investors can use a combination of criminal statutes and civil ejectment procedures to remove them.

Alabama Criminal Trespass

Under Ala. Code §§ 13A 7 1 through 13A 7 4, a person who knowingly enters or remains on property without permission commits Criminal Trespass. Under state law (HB 182) owners can request local law enforcement to remove squatters and that can be as quick as a few days and costs less than eviction or ejectment. For investors, the key is to be able to show the police that you had the property secure, someone broke in, attest that you posted notices that they must leave, and be available to go with the police to the property. In summary, show the police there is no lease, no permission, and the occupants are trespassers. This allows law enforcement to intervene when the facts are clear.

When the squatter claims they have permission like a lease or they own the property, the police become like wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube men, say it’s a civil matter, and run back to their cars. In those cases, Alabama provides another remedy: ejectment under Ala. Code § 6 6 280.

Ejectment

Ejectment is appropriate when the investor holds title and the occupant has no legal right to possession. Ejectment does not require a landlord‑tenant relationship, notice to quit, or the seven‑day statutory cure periods. It is a pure ownership‑based action designed for unauthorized occupants, holdovers, and post‑foreclosure possessors.

More on Adverse Possession

Investors should also understand that Alabama’s adverse possession laws do not protect squatters. Under Ala. Code § 6 5 200, adverse possession requires open, notorious, hostile, exclusive, and continuous possession for ten years, and even then,

only when the possessor has some kind of deed recorded, are paying the taxes, and other statutory elements. A squatter who recently entered a vacant property cannot claim adverse possession, and investors in Alabama should not be intimidated by threats of “squatter’s rights.”

For Alabama investors, the key is understanding that unauthorized occupants are not tenants — they are trespassers — and Alabama law gives property owners strong tools to regain possession quickly.

Gregory Stanley is a land lawyer in Alabama, and Stanley & Associates handle squatter removal, evictions, and ejectments in addition to foreclosures and quiet titles. Gregory@Stanley-Law.com