Squatters taking over private property are wreaking havoc throughout the country and causing nightmare scenarios for homeowners. Wyoming is delivering a solution that is already showing results.
Challenges for property owners vary by location because laws differ widely across U.S. states, and owners often face complicated, lengthy, and expensive battles to recover what is rightfully theirs. In many U.S. jurisdictions, once someone has been inside for even a short time and claims residency or changes the locks, police often refuse to remove them, treating it as a “civil matter.”
Owners are then forced to go through formal eviction court instead of a simple trespass arrest. Eviction lawsuits can take weeks to months. Owners must file paperwork, properly serve notice, attend hearings, and sometimes wait for a sheriff’s lockout.
Legal fees, court costs, and lost rent or use of the property add up quickly and can be prolonged by delaying tactics used by squatters, including false claims of tenancy, requests for continuances, and appeals.
Further, owners must prove ownership and lack of permission. Squatters can sometimes counter the owner’s claim by producing fake leases or utility bills, or by claiming they were given verbal permission, shifting the burden back on the owners to gather evidence.
Additionally, if an owner is able to regain possession, they often face extensive property damage and cleanup costs.
Some states have passed laws in recent years. In Florida, HB 621 provides near-immediate sheriff removal via owner affidavit and includes criminal penalties, including felonies for fake documents or significant damage.
Georgia passed the Squatter Reform Act, HB 1017, which criminalizes squatting and shortens the process for removal.
A report at Cowboy State Daily reveals that a recent change to Wyoming law that allows law enforcement agencies to remove squatters from homes if the homeowner can show they’re there illegally already seems to be working.
Squatters meet resistance with red state push to protect homeowners | Fox News
The prospective Wyoming law would make squatting that involves property damage a felony offense punishable by up to 10 years and a $10K fine
Wyoming is the latest state to push legislation giving… pic.twitter.com/LpKZqfQqUb
— Owen Gregorian (@OwenGregorian) November 20, 2024
A couple accused of moving into a locked-up home and selling off the owner’s possessions allegedly told the homeowner they were squatters, they have rights, and he couldn’t do anything about it.
Then they were arrested and taken to the Laramie County Detention Center.
Senate File 6, which passed into law in February 2025 without a signature from Gov. Mark Gordon, makes squatting a criminal offense in certain circumstances. Those include the unwanted people not being current or former tenants, co-owners, family members or romantic partners.
Cap City News reports, “According to affidavits filed by a deputy with the Laramie County Sheriff’s Office, Crystal Curiel and Salvador Curiel-Aviles were caught breaking into a south Cheyenne property, reportedly to live there and make a profit selling valuables inside.”
“Curiel was charged with felony burglary, property destruction and theft. Curiel-Aviles was also hit with burglary and property destruction charges, as well as a felony charge for forgery.”
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