US property law
How long is squatters' rights in South Carolina (SC)?
Ten years, under South Carolina Code section 15-67-210, applying the ordinary common law test with no tax payment or color-of-title condition attached.
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- Statutory period
- 10 years
- What's different here
- a flat 10-year rule
- Statute
- S.C. Code § 15-67-210
South Carolina's adverse possession period is ten continuous years of hostile, actual, open, notorious and exclusive possession. There is no requirement to have paid the property taxes and no shorter route available for a possessor holding a defective deed, unlike neighboring states with tiered systems.
The ten-year figure puts South Carolina in the same middle band as Missouri, New York and Washington's ordinary rule, longer than California's five years but well short of the twenty-plus year periods in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Alabama's bare-possession rule, or Maine.
As everywhere, none of this changes how a South Carolina owner deals with an unwanted occupant right now: removal is a formal eviction matter, and the ten-year adverse possession period only ever becomes relevant to an actual ownership claim, which requires that entire decade of uninterrupted, visible occupation.
Where South Carolina sits against the rest of United States, in years
Of 15 places in United States on these pages, 3 have a shorter clock and 6 a longer one or none at all.
This is called self-help eviction, and it is illegal in every state once someone has established residency. It exposes the owner to liability, on top of not working.
How it unfolds
From the day someone moves in to the day a claim is possible
The same three stages in most places. The exact rule, and whether the last stage exists at all, is on each place's own page.
- Day oneMoving inCaught in the act, it is usually a matter for the police: a trespass, not a tenancy.
- Weeks to yearsSettled inOnce someone lives there, removing them usually takes a court order, the same route as for a tenant.
- After 10 yearsA claim becomes possibleOnly if every test held, without a break, for the whole period. Where the law allows no such claim, this stage never comes.
Not yours to do, once they have moved inChanging the locks, cutting the water or power, or removing belongings yourself. It is illegal in every US state and most places on these pages forbid it too. Each page says how removal works there.
Before it is ever a court case
The record a court asks for, kept as you go
Wherever your property stands, removing an occupant usually comes down to showing who had the right to be there, and since when. Dardaris files every lease, message and document for a building by date, so that record already exists on the day you need it.
- Every lease, with who signed it and when
- Every message with a tenant, on the thread it was sent in
- Every document, filed against the building it concerns
Frequently asked questions
What are the squatting laws in South Carolina (SC)?
South Carolina's squatter law comes down to S.C. Code § 15-67-210: 10 years of continuous, hostile, open and exclusive possession before a squatter can claim ownership. What sets South Carolina apart: a flat 10-year rule. Squatting itself is trespassing, and a squatter who has settled in is still removed through the courts, never by changing the locks or cutting the utilities.
How long is squatters' rights in South Carolina?
Ten years of continuous, hostile, open, notorious and exclusive possession, under S.C. Code § 15-67-210.
Does South Carolina require tax payment for an adverse possession claim?
No. South Carolina's ten-year period does not depend on the possessor having paid the property taxes, unlike California or Indiana.
Can a South Carolina property owner remove a squatter without a court order?
No. Self-help eviction, changing locks, cutting utilities, removing belongings, is illegal in South Carolina once an occupant has established residency. Removal requires the formal eviction process.
What is the difference between a squatter and a trespasser in South Carolina?
A trespasser has no claim to residency and can typically be removed by police before settling in. Once someone has moved in and established residency, even without any lease, removing them becomes a civil eviction matter rather than a police matter.
Elsewhere in United States
The same question, on a different clock. Every place sets its own period and its own shortcuts.
This is general information, not legal advice.Laws change, and a county or a city can add its own wrinkle on top of the state rule, the way New York City does. Confirm the current rule for your address before acting on it, and talk to a local attorney before relying on any of it in a real dispute.
Know who is actually in your property, before it becomes a court case.
Hand over one building and see every lease checked against what is actually happening on the ground.
14 days before the first charge · Nothing is switched on until you say so