What are the property line laws in Pennsylvania?

In Pennsylvania, property line disputes are a common source of litigation. Whether it’s a disagreement over the maintenance of a fence or tree branches crossing over into a neighbor’s yard, disputes between neighbors can be difficult to solve.

When did Pennsylvania exempt landowners from paying for a fence?

In 1999, the court exempted residential landowners from sharing boundary fence costs if one of the neighbors neither wanted nor needed the fence. Settling boundary disputes and enforcing the remaining state fence law is left to county governments. A boundary line can may be marked by a tree.

Who is the owner of a property line dispute?

Papers show that the neighbor owns less than 10 feet on one side. This would make the land under debate belong to my daughter but no one knows exactly where the property corners are. Based on the facts of your case, your daughter seems to have ownership and the right to possession.

Can a bad fence cause a property dispute in PA?

If good fences make for good neighbors, then it makes sense that a bad fence can be a source of friction between neighbors. In Pennsylvania, property line disputes are a common source of litigation.

Can a neighbor build a fence for no reason?

Sometime a fence is built for no other purpose than to harass a neighbor. This is commonly referred to as a spite fence. Although there is not a state spite fence law, such cases can be addressed under nuisance law principles. To prevail, a neighbor must typically prove the following elements:

Can a person take ownership of a neighbor’s land?

Adverse possession enables a person to gain ownership of land without buying it. It can happen when someone begins using a neighbor’s property without permission. One example would be a man who starts parking vehicles on the neighbor’s land, or extends his fence or landscaping beyond his borders.

Can a neighbor build over your property line?

A common occurrence in our area, given the frequent lack of survey monuments, is a neighbor’s inadvertent building over your property line, whether it be a driveway, a fence, a deck or even a portion of a house. Must the encroachment over the boundary line be removed or may it legally remain in place? That, my friends, is the question.

Can You take Your Neighbor’s property under adverse possession?

It would not apply to the neighbor who sneakily uses his neighbor’s property, such as tunneling under the property line and building a basement on his neighbor’s land. Make sure other people see you using the land. Another condition of adverse possession is referred to as “notorious” possession.