Usucapion and the Conflict with Public Property Rights – Legal Limitations
Keywords:
Usucapion, public property, private property, possession, conflictAbstract
Usucapion, also known as acquisitive prescription, represents an original way of acquiring the right of ownership, based on possession exercised continuously, peacefully and publicly, under the conditions and for the duration established by law. However, this legal institution encounters an essential limitation regarding its applicability to goods belonging to the public domain. The right to public property, regulated by the Romanian Constitution (art. 136 paragraph 4), is characterized by inalienability, imprescriptibility and insecurities. Thus, goods in the public domain cannot be acquired by usucapion, regardless of the good faith of the possessor or the duration of possession.
The Romanian Civil Code (art. 922 paragraph 2) reinforces this prohibition, expressly excluding the possibility of usucapion over goods that form the object of public property. This exclusion is justified by the general interest and the need to protect the patrimony of the state or of administrative-territorial units.
The jurisprudence of the High Court of Cassation and Justice, as well as of the Constitutional Court, has reinforced this orientation, stating that the imprescriptibility of the right to public property is an absolute constitutional guarantee. However, in practice, situations of uncertainty regarding the legal status of certain assets frequently arise, especially in the absence of their registration in the land register or official inventory, which can lead to conflicts between bona fide owners and public authorities.
To avoid these disputes, a clear and public record of assets in the public domain and a coherent administrative reform are necessary, which would strengthen the security of the civil circuit and avoid abuses or errors of legal qualification. In conclusion, although usucapion is a useful mechanism for stabilizing property relations, its applicability is legitimately restricted when it conflicts with the imperative of protecting public property.
References
Avram, M. (2016). Drept civil. Drepturile reale principale [Civil law. The main real rights] (Ed. a 3-a). Hamangiu.
Constituția României. (2003). Revizuită, art. 136 alin. (4), publicată în Monitorul Oficial, nr. 767 din 31 octombrie 2003. [Constitution of Romania. (2003). Revised, art. 136 para. (4), published in the Official Gazette No. 767 of October 31, 2003].
Curtea de Apel Brașov. (2016). Decizia civilă nr. 1073/2016 [Civil Decision no. 1073/2016]. În Jurisprudența de drept civil 2016. https://www.rolii.ro
Florian, E. (2019). Tratat de drept civil. Drepturile reale principale [Civil law treatise. The main real rights]. C.H. Beck.
Guvernul României. (2019). Ordonanța de urgență nr. 57/2019 privind Codul administrativ, art. 287, publicată în Monitorul Oficial, nr. 555/2019. [GEO No. 57/2019 on the Administrative Code, art. 287, Official Gazette No. 555/2019].
Legea nr. 213/1998 privind proprietatea publică. (1998). Publicată în Monitorul Oficial, nr. 448 din 24 noiembrie 1998. [Law No. 213/1998 on public property, Official Gazette No. 448 of November 24, 1998].
Legea nr. 287/2009 privind Codul civil. (2011). Republicată în Monitorul Oficial, nr. 505 din 15 iulie 2011. [Civil Code, Law No. 287/2009, republished in the Official Gazette No. 505 of July 15, 2011].
Nicolae, M. (2019). Tratat de publicitate imobiliară [Real estate advertising treatise]. Universul Juridic.
Pop, L., Popa, I.-F., & Vidu, S. I. (2020). Tratat elementar de drept civil. Drepturile reale principale [Elementary civil law treatise. Main real rights]. Universul Juridic.
Stoica, V. (2020). Drept civil. Drepturile reale principale [Civil law. The main real rights]. Humanitas.
