Property Rights
Property Rights by State: All 50 States Ranked
How well a state protects what you own varies widely — from eminent-domain rules that decide when the government can take your land, to zoning and land-use regimes that dictate what you can build. This ranking scores all 50 states on property-rights freedom so you can see where ownership is most secure and where it is most constrained.
Score reflects eminent-domain protections, land-use and zoning freedom, and regulatory takings. Darker green = stronger; click any state for its full breakdown.
Strongest protections
All 50 states ranked
- 1NHNew Hampshire9.5A+
- 2NDNorth Dakota9.5A+
- 3SDSouth Dakota9.5A+
- 4FLFlorida9.5A+
- 5VTVermont9.5A+
- 6MIMichigan9.5A+
- 7NMNew Mexico9.5A+
- 8UTUtah8.0A-
- 9AZArizona8.0A-
- 10INIndiana8.0A-
- 11MNMinnesota8.0A-
- 12WYWyoming8.0A-
- 13KSKansas8.0A-
- 14NVNevada8.0A-
- 15OKOklahoma8.0A-
- 16TXTexas8.0A-
- 17GAGeorgia8.0A-
- 18OHOhio8.0A-
- 19ALAlabama8.0A-
- 20VAVirginia8.0A-
- 21SCSouth Carolina8.0A-
- 22IAIowa8.0A-
- 23PAPennsylvania8.0A-
- 24LALouisiana8.0A-
- 25MSMississippi8.0A-
- 26OROregon8.0A-
- 27MOMissouri6.5B-
- 28NCNorth Carolina6.5B-
- 29WVWest Virginia6.5B-
- 30WIWisconsin6.5B-
- 31WAWashington6.5B-
- 32TNTennessee6.0C+
- 33MTMontana5.0C-
- 34IDIdaho5.0C-
- 35MEMaine5.0C-
- 36AKAlaska5.0C-
- 37MDMaryland5.0C-
- 38NENebraska5.0C-
- 39RIRhode Island5.0C-
- 40COColorado5.0C-
- 41CTConnecticut5.0C-
- 42ILIllinois5.0C-
- 43KYKentucky5.0C-
- 44NJNew Jersey5.0C-
- 45CACalifornia5.0C-
- 46DEDelaware5.0C-
- 47HIHawaii5.0C-
- 48ARArkansas1.5F
- 49MAMassachusetts1.5F
- 50NYNew York1.5F
Further reading
Squatters’ Rights by State: Laws & How to Remove Them (2026)
Every state has adverse-possession laws, but a wave of 2024–25 reforms has made it far easier to remove squatters in some. Here is how the laws work and where owners are best protected.
Rent Control States: Where It Exists and Where It’s Banned (2026)
Only a handful of states allow rent control — and more than 30 ban it outright. Here is the full map of where rent is capped, the difference between statewide and local, and the debate.
Eminent Domain by State: Which States Protect Owners (2026)
Eminent domain lets the government take private property — and since the Kelo decision, states have split sharply on how far that power reaches. Here is where owners are best protected.
Common questions
Which states have the strongest property rights?
New Hampshire ranks #1 for property-rights freedom, scoring 9.5/10 — typically a state with strong eminent-domain limits and lighter land-use restrictions. The full ranking is above.
What is eminent domain?
Eminent domain is the government’s power to take private property for public use, with compensation. Since the 2005 Kelo decision, 47 states have strengthened protections against takings for private development.
Which states have the weakest property rights?
New York ranks lowest on property-rights freedom, reflecting weaker eminent-domain limits and heavier land-use and zoning restrictions.
Where does the property-rights data come from?
The property-rights score draws on eminent-domain protections, the Institute for Justice’s reform grades, and land-use/zoning freedom measures. See the methodology page for sources.