If simply posting “No Trespassing” signs has done little to stop someone from illegally trespassing on your property—stealing your rhubarb or using your lake to fish, for instance—sending a “No Trespassing” letter is the next course of action. A No Trespassing letter, sometimes called a “Letter of No Trespass” or “Notice of No Trespass,” is useful in a number of ways. It can threaten legal action, which is often enough to avoid actually having to take any costly legal measures, and if the situation does escalate, you’ll have proof that you officially notified the culprit of his or her illegal activity. Plus, there’s always the possibility that the violators did not know they were trespassing. A strongly-worded letter is sure to put an end to that.
Sending a No Trespassing letter lets trespassers know you are serous about prosecuting. From Paul Sableman.
Before you begin drafting a letter, check with your local police department to see if they have an official template you can use. These will usually include the No Trespassing statute that your target is violating. If no template is available, find your state’s statute and use this as the basis for the content of your letter.
In addition to clearly stating that the letter recipient is not allowed on your property, your No Trespassing letter should contain:
Always send No Trespassing letters through certified mail and keep the receipt. From Doug Coldwell.
Always send letters of this kind through certified mail so that you have both a record of sending the letter and of its delivery. In serious cases, you may also consider sending a copy of the letter along with a copy of the certified mail receipt to the police department, including your intention to do so in the letter’s content.
