Presumption of ownership from payment of taxes

TennesseeStatutes

Ask Donna

How this section applies to your facts.

TN Code › Title 28 › Chapter 2 › Section 28-2-109

This text was captured on Aug 14, 2026. It is a snapshot, not a live feed, so check the official code before relying on it.

Text

Any person holding any real estate or land of any kind, or any legal or equitable interest therein, who has paid, or who and those through whom such person claims have paid, the state and county taxes on the same for more then twenty (20) years continuously prior to the date when any question arises in any of the courts of this state concerning the same, and who has had or who and those through whom such person claims have had, such person's deed, conveyance, grant or other assurance of title recorded in the register's office of the county in which the land lies, for such period of more than twenty (20) years, shall be presumed prima facie to be the legal owner of such land. Acts 1947, ch. 28, § 1; mod. C. Supp. 1950, § 9159.1 (Williams, § 9746.1); T.C.A. (orig.ed.), § 28-209.

Any person holding any real estate or land of any kind, or any legal or equitable interest therein, who has paid, or who and those through whom such person claims have paid, the state and county taxes on the same for more then twenty (20) years continuously prior to the date when any question arises in any of the courts of this state concerning the same, and who has had or who and those through whom such person claims have had, such person's deed, conveyance, grant or other assurance of title recorded in the register's office of the county in which the land lies, for such period of more than twenty (20) years, shall be presumed prima facie to be the legal owner of such land.

Acts 1947, ch. 28, § 1; mod. C. Supp. 1950, § 9159.1 (Williams, § 9746.1); T.C.A. (orig.ed.), § 28-209.

This is a copy of a public record, reproduced as it was published. It is not legal advice, and it may not be the version a court would rely on. Check the official source before you cite it.

A word about cookies

We need a few to keep you signed in and the library working. The rest help us see which pages people use and where they get stuck. They stay off unless you say yes.

Presumption of ownership from payment of taxes · Tenn. Code Ann. § 28-2-109 | Frix