What possession requirement governs New York recovery of real property?

Identify an action to recover real property or its possession, rather than a claim for money damages for property injury.

Section 212(a) asks whether the plaintiff or predecessor was seized or possessed within ten years before commencement. The required legal possession and interest must be established.

Other subdivisions address state grants, mortgage redemption and separate trafficking conduct. Their acts and events must not be substituted for subsection (a).

Historical limitation and tolling questions remain separate. This guide does not convert a nominal anniversary into proof of a possessory right.

1. Identify an action to recover real property or its possession, rather than a claim for money damages for property injury.
2. Section 212(a) asks whether the plaintiff or predecessor was seized or possessed within ten years before commencement. The required legal possession and interest must be established.
3. Other subdivisions address state grants, mortgage redemption and separate trafficking conduct. Their acts and events must not be substituted for subsection (a).
4. Historical limitation and tolling questions remain separate. This guide does not convert a nominal anniversary into proof of a possessory right.
5. This guide supplies no fixed date. Establish the applicable statutory branches and their actual events before applying any calendar-month, calendar-year or final-day provision.
6. Preserve the actual seisin or possession history of the claimant and predecessors. Test the statutory lookback against proposed commencement separately.

A calendar anniversary cannot decide the statutory classification or supply missing facts. No computed or paid date is published.

Fictitious comparison. Two plaintiffs choose the same nominal last-possession date. Only one establishes the required predecessor relationship and qualifying possession. The matching anniversary does not prove both actions satisfy section 212(a).

Section 212(a) supplies a retrospective legal possession condition. The isolated date preset cannot establish the relevant right, predecessor facts, commencement and historical tolls.

Predecessor’s interest

The statute expressly includes the plaintiff’s predecessor, requiring the actual relationship and relevant possession history.

Different land remedies

Read subsections (b) and (c) separately for their determination, breach, deed-recording and continuous-possession requirements.

Property damage comparison

Section 214(4) concerns injury-to-property damages, not this possession lookback.

Historical executive-order toll

The calculators accept selected events after November 3, 2020. They do not apply the 2020 executive-order toll. Brash distinguishes a toll from a suspension. Historical events require separate review and receive no calculated or paid date here. Do not add 228 days to every historical event without testing its actual applicability.

• Preserve the applicable edition and establish the actual statutory facts independently.
• Section 212(a) supplies a retrospective legal possession condition. The isolated date preset cannot establish the relevant right, predecessor facts, commencement and historical tolls.

• Identify an action to recover real property or its possession, rather than a claim for money damages for property injury.
• Section 212(a) asks whether the plaintiff or predecessor was seized or possessed within ten years before commencement. The required legal possession and interest must be established.
• Other subdivisions address state grants, mortgage redemption and separate trafficking conduct. Their acts and events must not be substituted for subsection (a).
• Historical limitation and tolling questions remain separate. This guide does not convert a nominal anniversary into proof of a possessory right.
• The statute expressly includes the plaintiff’s predecessor, requiring the actual relationship and relevant possession history.
• Read subsections (b) and (c) separately for their determination, breach, deed-recording and continuous-possession requirements.
• Section 214(4) concerns injury-to-property damages, not this possession lookback.
• Preserve the actual seisin or possession history of the claimant and predecessors. Test the statutory lookback against proposed commencement separately. CPLR 304 governs commencement by the required initiating filing. In the applicable NYSCEF program, 22 NYCRR 202.5-b(d)(3)(i) uses recorded transmission and the required fee information or permitted later actual payment. Transmission is permitted any day or night. Preserve the actual recorded filing and fee event. Check county, action eligibility and any paper filing hours. Electronic filing of initiating papers does not itself serve the defendant under paragraph (f)(1).