---
urn: "urn:us-la:civcode:art:481"
article_number: "481"
status: active
heading: "Ownership and possession distinguished."
breadcrumb: "Book II › Title II › Chapter 1"
source_url: "https://legis.la.gov/legis/Law.aspx?d=110659"
acts_citations_raw: "Acts 1979, No. 180, §1."
acts_citations:
  - act_year: 1979
    act_number: 180
    section: 1
    role: enactment
schema_version: "1.0.0"
---

# Art. 481. Ownership and possession distinguished.

The ownership and the possession of a thing are distinct.

Ownership exists independently of any exercise of it and may not be lost by nonuse. Ownership is lost when acquisitive prescription accrues in favor of an adverse possessor.