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Committee approves bill to bar adverse‑possession claims where owner has been paying taxes; sponsor seeks costs provision
Summary
House Bill 123, aimed at protecting landowners who have been paying property taxes from adverse‑possession claims, passed committee unanimously with a drafting amendment; the sponsor proposed a follow‑up amendment to require adverse‑possession claimants to pay legal costs if they pursue claims that force owners to incur defense costs.
The Agriculture, State & Public Lands & Water Resources Committee unanimously voted 9–0 to pass House Bill 123 with an amendment that inserts the phrase "consistent with the recorded title" after a listed term in the bill.
The sponsor told the committee the bill responds to a practical dispute on a leased ranch where decades of informal fencing and changing leases created uncertainty about legal boundaries. The sponsor said the measure is meant to stop adverse‑possession claims from being used to force property owners who have paid taxes on a described parcel into costly legal defenses.
"My thought was, why even open the door and allow that process…
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