Red state governor signs bill cracking down on squatters: 'Best dwelling' for them 'is a jail cell'

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, a Republican, signed into instrumentality connected Monday a measure that strengthens the rights of homeowners against squatters who illegally inhabit their property.

The measure, House Bill 182, was sponsored by authorities Rep. Craig Lipscomb and creates harsher penalties for individuals who inhabit spot they bash not own. Additionally, the measurement enhances penalties for those who falsify existent property documents – specified arsenic a lease oregon deed – successful an effort to amusement they person a close to inhabit the property.

The caller law, which received bipartisan enactment successful the authorities legislature and volition go enforceable connected June 1, besides establishes a process administered by section instrumentality enforcement officials to rapidly region individuals who are wrongfully occupying spot they bash not own.

"It has been said that a person’s location is their castle, yet aft a nationalist emergence successful amerciable occupations of homeowner’s backstage property, it is evident that much indispensable beryllium done to halt criminals from commandeering people’s homes," Ivey said successful a statement Monday.

TEXAS HOMEOWNERS WHO FINALLY EVICTED SQUATTER 'TREATED LIKE CRIMINALS'

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, a Republican, signed into instrumentality connected Monday a measure that strengthens the rights of homeowners against squatters who illegally inhabit their property. (Governor Kay Ivey/X, Getty Images)

"In Alabama, backstage spot rights are paramount. This caller instrumentality puts would-be squatters connected announcement that immoderate effort to hijack and instrumentality implicit someone’s location volition beryllium met with swift enactment by instrumentality enforcement. The champion dwelling for an amerciable squatter is simply a jailhouse cell, and we successful authorities authorities should ne'er remainder casual until each Alabama homeowners’ rights are afloat protected."

The caller instrumentality volition marque it easier for homeowners and authorities to region squatters from illegally occupied dwellings and adds a caller explanation to the state's classification of third-degree burglary, a people C felony. The caller explanation states that individuals tin beryllium charged with burglary successful the 3rd grade if they participate oregon stay unlawfully successful a dwelling and intentionally origin much than $1,000 successful damage.

The Alabama State Capitol gathering successful Montgomery, Alabama. (Elijah Nouvelage for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Other bills to combat amerciable squatting person been signed into instrumentality successful respective different GOP-led states recently, including Florida and Georgia.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a measure into law successful March that outlines however squatters volition look transgression charges for illegally moving into a location and allows property owners to record an affidavit showing they legally ain a property.

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Under the caller instrumentality successful the Sunshine State, which volition instrumentality effect July 1, spot owners tin present telephone on the sheriff’s office to instantly region squatters from their homes if the suspects are incapable to nutrient documents authorizing their residency by the spot owner. 

The instrumentality "will springiness the homeowner the quality to rapidly and legally region a squatter from a spot and which volition summation transgression penalties for squatting. Now, we person not had the aforesaid benignant of issues here, arsenic you've seen successful California oregon New York. Nevertheless, our laws were truly geared towards this not needfully being a fad," DeSantis said earlier this year.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, left, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, right, signed into instrumentality bills to combat amerciable squatting earlier this year. (Getty Images)

In Georgia, Gov. Brian Kemp signed into instrumentality a measurement that would summation penalties for individuals occupying spot that does not beryllium to them.

Under the caller law, offenders could look a $1,000 good and imaginable jailhouse time. If they forge a fake lease, they could beryllium charged with a felony.

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"This is insanity, that radical conscionable deliberation they tin travel successful and instrumentality implicit somebody's home. I mean it's conscionable outrageous," Kemp said during an quality connected "Fox & Friends" past month. "It truly points to, arsenic we've seen astir the country, the lawlessness that's gone connected nether the Biden administration."