Boundary & Encroachment Dispute Attorneys in Northern Virginia
Defend Your Property Line
A fence, shed, driveway, or use that crosses your line puts your land at risk. We read the survey, plat, and deed, and we fight for the true edges of what you own across Northern Virginia.
✓ Survey-Driven
✓ Leesburg & Fairfax
✓ Built to Defend
A Few Feet Can Cost You Your Land
The Clock Works Against the Owner Who Waits
42%
Of Americans report a dispute with a neighbor, with boundaries among the leading causes
15 Years
Virginia period after which an unchallenged encroachment can ripen into a claim on your land
5 Years
Virginia limit to sue for an injury to your property, so acting early protects your options
Sources: FindLaw neighbor dispute survey; Code of Virginia § 8.01-236 (adverse possession) and § 8.01-243(B) (injury to property).
A boundary problem rarely fixes itself. The longer a fence, structure, or use sits where it does not belong, the stronger the other side’s position can become. The sooner you act, the more of your land you keep.
Your Line Is Set by the Record, Not the Fence
Property lines are legal constructs. They are fixed by the deed, the recorded plat, and a licensed survey, not by where a fence went up or where a hedge has grown over the years. When a neighbor’s fence, shed, driveway, or landscaping crosses that line, the fight is won or lost on those documents.
We start with the record. We pull the deed, compare it against the plat and a current survey, and find the gap between what the paperwork says and what is happening on the ground. From there we build the case for your true boundary, whether that means a demand letter backed by a survey or a suit to remove the encroachment and clear your title.
If a survey turns up a defect in the legal description or a conflict between deeds, that is a title and deed problem we resolve before it can cloud a future sale or build.
Schedule a ConsultationWhere We Come In
- ✓ A neighbor’s fence, wall, or shed sits on your side of the line
- ✓ A driveway, deck, or addition encroaches onto your lot
- ✓ Trees, roots, or landscaping cross the boundary and cause damage
- ✓ A new survey conflicts with the one you relied on when you bought
- ✓ A neighbor claims part of your land by long, unchallenged use
- ✓ You are selling and an encroachment is holding up the closing
What We Handle
Boundary Problems We Resolve
From a single misplaced fence to a structure built well over the line, we protect the edges of what you own.
Fences on the Wrong Line
The most common boundary fight. We use the survey and plat to prove where the fence should sit and pursue its removal or correction.
Encroaching Structures
Sheds, garages, decks, driveways, and additions that extend onto your lot, whether by mistake or by design.
Trees, Roots & Overhang
Boundary trees and invasive roots that cross the line and cause damage, and the questions of removal and cost that follow.
Survey Discrepancies
Conflicting surveys or a legal description that does not match the ground. We reconcile the record before it derails a sale.
Adverse Possession Claims
When long use threatens your ownership, or when you hold land you have used for years, we handle the adverse possession fight on either side.
Blocked Access & Easements
When a boundary fight also involves a shared driveway or right of way, we protect your easement and access rights.
Why acting early matters
In Virginia, someone who openly and continuously occupies part of your land for fifteen years can, under certain conditions, claim it as their own through adverse possession. A prescriptive easement can arise the same way for a driveway or path. That is why a fence or use you tolerate today can quietly harden into a legal claim tomorrow. If a neighbor is using part of your property, the safest move is to establish the record and assert your line before the clock does the work for them. Learn more on our adverse possession and prescriptive easements page.
Attorney Insight
“People assume the fence is the boundary. It almost never is. The boundary is what the deed and the plat say it is, and the gap between that record and what is on the ground is where these cases live. We close that gap, put the survey on your side, and make sure a neighbor’s mistake does not quietly become your loss.”
Anthony I. Shin, Esq.
Founder, Shin Law Office
Common Questions
Answers Before You Call
My neighbor’s fence is on my property. What can I do?
Start with a current survey and your deed. If the fence crosses your line, you can demand its removal and, in some cases, recover damages. Acting matters, because long, unchallenged use can mature into an adverse possession or prescriptive easement claim against you.
The fence has been there for years. Is it too late?
Not necessarily, but time is a factor. Virginia’s adverse possession period is fifteen years, and the analysis depends on how the land was used and whether the use was open and continuous. Get an assessment early, because the strength of each side’s position changes with time.
Do I need a survey before I do anything?
A current survey from a licensed surveyor is the single most useful piece of evidence in a boundary case. It establishes the line with precision and often resolves the dispute on its own. We routinely coordinate with surveyors and use the results to build your position.
Will this have to go to court?
Often not. Many boundary disputes resolve with a survey and a demand letter, or a recorded boundary line agreement. We prepare every matter as though it may be tried, which frequently produces a fair resolution without a trial.
A boundary problem is holding up my home sale. Can you help fast?
Yes. Encroachments and survey conflicts are a frequent cause of delayed closings. We move to clear the issue through negotiation, a corrected survey, or a court action, and we can address any related title or deed defect at the same time.
Related Real Estate Services
Hold the Line on What You Own
If a fence, structure, or use is crossing your property line, the survey is your best friend and the clock is not. Tell us what is happening. Serving Leesburg, Fairfax, and all of Northern Virginia.
Prefer to talk now? Reach Anthony I. Shin, Esq. at 571-445-6565.
Based in Loudoun County and serving clients across Virginia, Washington DC, and Maryland, we know that when everything’s on the line, the right attorney doesn’t just make a difference, they determine the outcome.
Navigate
Reproduction of any content on this site is prohibited except for individual, non-commercial, informational use. This limited permission does not allow modification, distribution, or incorporation of any content into other works or publications in any medium. You may not reproduce or distribute content from this site to any third party.
Copyright © 2026 Shin Law Office, PLC. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2026 Shin Law Office, PLC. All rights reserved.
Reproduction of any content on this site is prohibited except for individual, non-commercial, informational use. This limited permission does not allow modification, distribution, or incorporation of any content into other works or publications in any medium. You may not reproduce or distribute content from this site to any third party.