open and notorious

open and notorious

In the theory of adverse possession, parties who do not have legal title to property may gain it if they use the property in a certain manner for specified periods of time and the true owner does nothing to stop them.See adverse possession,generally.One of the requirements is that the possession be open and notorious.This means such acts upon land as are consistent with the ordinary and customary uses of the land and which would alert the true owner that someone is claiming rights to the property. Adverse possessors may not furtively sneak upon land and leave behind subtle indications of their presence—they must act as if the land were theirs and behave accordingly.