What are Oklahoma squatters rights? What can Oklahoma property owners do about squatters?

After a TikTok encouraging immigrants to "invade" vacant American homes to gain possession went viral, the internet refreshed discussion about a medieval concept - squatter's rights.

In Oklahoma, users on Reddit asked similar ownership questions: If someone built a shed on another person's unused family property, could the landowner take action to remove it, or does the builder have ground to stand on?

So what exactly are squatter's rights, and how do they apply in Oklahoma?

Here's what we know about Oklahoma squatters' rights, and what rights property owners have when someone is living on their land or in their home.

Who are squatters?

A squatter, according to OKC Home Realty Services, is a person who tries to live "on a foreclosed, unoccupied, or unabandoned residential building or area of land without lawful permission."

A squatter does not pay rent or own the property.

What are squatter's rights in Oklahoma?

Oklahoma's squatter's rights, or adverse possession law, states a squatter can claim the property if they have resided on the property for at least 15 years and paid property taxes for five years.

What can a landlord do about squatters in Oklahoma?

An Oklahoma landlord or property owner must use the normal judicial eviction procedure laid out in the Landlord-Tenant Act to evict squatters.

Did the Oklahoma squatters bill pass?

In 2023, Oklahoma Sen. George Burns, R-Pollard, filed Senate Bill 456 to eliminate squatters rights in Oklahoma.

The bill never made it to a vote.

Why do we have squatter's rights?

According to Anderson Business Advisors, squatting is not a new idea. In fact, it goes back to the common law of medieval England, when the king's courts would consistently rule in favor of individuals who were occupying a property without permission if the owner had not taken action within a certain amount of time.

This often occurred when peasants were seeking an escape from their current tax burden, would move to the country and build a house on the land.

And ancient Welsh folk tradition follows that if a person builds a home on common land in one night, it would belong to them. Other variations include that a squatter would need to have a fire burning in the hearth by morning, and they could claim their property boundaries by throwing an axe as far as possible from all four corners of the home.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: What are Oklahoma squatters rights? Can landowners evict squatters?