Except as provided in Section 13-107.1, actions brought for the recovery of any lands, tenements or hereditaments of which any person may be possessed by actual residence thereon for 7 successive years, having a connected title, deductible of record, from this State or the United States, or from any public officer or other person authorized by the laws of this State to sell such land for the non-payment of taxes, or from any sheriff, marshal, or other person authorized to sell such land for the enforcement of a judgment or under any order or judgment of any court shall be brought within 7 years next after possession is taken, but when the possessor acquires such title after taking such possession, the limitation shall begin to run from the time of acquiring title.
13-107.Seven years with possession and record title.
Article XIII. Limitations · Part 1. Real Actions · Last amended 2018 · Last verified July 20, 2026
In one sentenceShortens the limitations period to 7 years for actions to recover land from someone who has resided on it for 7 straight years under a title traceable of record to the state, the federal government, a tax sale, or a judgment-enforcement sale.
Full Text of 735 ILCS 5/13-107
Plain-English Summary
This is one of Illinois's color-of-title limitations rules. Someone who has resided on land for 7 consecutive years, holding a title traceable through the public record back to the State, the United States, a tax-sale purchase, or a sheriff's, marshal's, or other officer's sale enforcing a judgment, gets a shortened 7-year period instead of the general 20 years in Section 13-101.
The clock ordinarily runs from when possession begins. But when the possessor takes possession first and only later acquires the qualifying record title, the 7 years instead runs from the date title is acquired.
Section 13-107.1 carves out an exception for purchasers whose title comes from a judicial foreclosure sale; those cases get a 2-year period instead, addressed in that separate section.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long is the limitations period under Section 13-107?
Seven years, running from when possession begins, or from when the qualifying record title is acquired if that happens after possession starts.
What kind of title qualifies for this shortened period?
A title deducible of record from the State, the United States, a tax-sale purchaser, or a sheriff, marshal, or other person selling to enforce a judgment.
Does actual residence matter, or is any possession enough?
The section requires actual residence on the land for 7 successive years, not occasional or intermittent use.
Does Section 13-107 apply to land acquired through a judicial foreclosure sale?
No. Section 13-107.1 governs that situation separately, with a 2-year period instead of 7.
What happens if the person takes possession before acquiring the qualifying title?
The 7-year period begins running when the title is acquired, not when possession began.
Amendment History
(Source: P.A. 100-1048, eff. 8-23-18.)
Source & verification. Section text and amendment history are
reproduced verbatim from the Illinois Compiled Statutes, published by the
Illinois Compiled Statutes, Illinois General Assembly / Legislative Reference Bureau. Last verified July 20, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: illinois seven year adverse possession color of titleillinois tax deed limitations periodshortened statute of limitations real property illinois