Adjoining landowners are owners of land with common boundaries, and have mutual rights, duties, and obligations related to their adjoining pieces of land.
In Texas, adjoining landowners, also known as adjacent property owners, have certain rights and responsibilities concerning their shared property boundaries. These include the duty to respect the property lines and not to use their land in a way that harms their neighbor's property. Texas law follows the common law principle that landowners have the right to use their property as they see fit, as long as it does not interfere with the legal rights of adjoining landowners. This includes the right to build up to the boundary line, subject to local zoning ordinances and building codes. Disputes between adjoining landowners often involve issues such as trespass, nuisance, or encroachment, where one landowner's activities or structures intrude upon the property of another. Texas law also recognizes the doctrine of adverse possession, which can affect property boundaries if one landowner openly and continuously uses a portion of an adjoining landowner's property for a statutory period. It is advisable for landowners to resolve boundary issues amicably or seek the advice of an attorney if they are unable to do so.