Adverse possession in Idaho
Idaho bars an action to recover land unless the person suing, or someone they claim through, held or possessed it within 20 years before the suit (Idaho Code 5-203).
How long it takes in Idaho
When the claim is founded on a written instrument, Idaho treats the property as held adversely after 20 years of continued occupation and possession (Idaho Code 5-207).
Adverse possession is not established in Idaho unless the land was occupied and claimed for 20 years continuously and the claimants paid all taxes levied on it (Idaho Code 5-210).
Sources: ID twenty-year limit; ID twenty years under a written instrument; ID taxes for twenty years
What the statute requires
Without a written instrument, land counts as possessed only where it has been protected by a substantial enclosure or usually cultivated or improved (Idaho Code 5-210).
Land and people the clock does not run against
If the owner is under a disability listed in the statute when the right accrues, the action may still be brought within 20 years after the disability ends (Idaho Code 5-213).
Source: ID disability tolling
Fences and boundary lines
Adverse possession is not established if a recorded written instrument declares that permitting possession was not meant to define property boundaries or ownership (Idaho Code 5-208).
Source: ID recorded no-intent instrument
Common questions
How many years for adverse possession in Idaho?
Idaho bars an action to recover land unless the person suing, or someone they claim through, held or possessed it within 20 years before the suit (Idaho Code 5-203).