Acquisitive Prescription of Movables in Louisiana

When a Movable Becomes Part of the Land: A Quick Guide to Louisiana Acquisitive Prescription


In Louisiana, you can become the owner of a “movable” (anything that isn’t real estate - like a mobile/manufactured home, equipment, car, artwork) by acquisitive prescription—ownership earned through possession over time.


  • 3-year route: If you possess the item as owner in good faith and under a document capable of transferring ownership (e.g., a bill of sale), uninterrupted for three years, you acquire ownership.
  • 10-year route: Even without a valid title document or good faith, uninterrupted possession as owner for ten years can also confer ownership.


In either case, possession must be public, peaceable, and unequivocal. Time can tack from prior possessors if there’s no interruption. Separately, some movables—like manufactured homes—can be immobilized by judgment, making them legally part of the real estate so lenders and title insurers can treat them like improvements to the land.


Our recent case, in a nutshell. 


A decades-old manufactured home sat on rural property without a recoverable paper title or serial/VIN. The lender required clear title or proof the home was legally part of the land. SNW attorney Johnston Burkhardt came up with a solution: establish ownership by acquisitive prescription and obtain a judgment of immobilization. This was a genuinely unusual problem our firm hadn’t confronted in this exact configuration. We secured the immobilization judgment, clearing the title issue so the transaction could move forward.


Why it matters. Missing titles and legacy improvements can stall closings. Pairing acquisitive prescription principles with immobilization can unlock financing, cure underwriting concerns, and deliver marketable title.


We like hard problems. If you’re facing a one-off title tangle involving real property or another unusual legal issue, we’re ready to help map the fastest, cleanest route to resolution. For a free consultation, contact Johnston Burkhardt at 504-313-4199 or johnston@snw.law.