Entry Law and Legal Definition
An entry is the act, right, or privilege of entering real property. Such an entry may be forcible, lawful, unlawful, open, and reentry. Similarly, an entry may be used for an item written in a record or in connection with recording of journal entries in accounting.
Forcible entry means an act or an instance of violently and unlawfully taking possession of lands and tenements against the will of those in lawful possession. Forcible entry also refers to the act of entering land in another's possession by the use of force against another or by breaking into the premises.
Open entry is a conspicuous entry onto real property with an intention to take possession or an entry that is neither stealthy nor carried out by secret pretense or trick and that is accomplished in the presence of two witnesses.
Reentry is the act or an instance of regaining possession of land by someone who formerly held the land and who reserved the right to retake it when the new holder let it go. For example, a landlord's resumption of possession of leased premises upon the tenant's default under the lease.
Unlawful entry is a crime of entering another's real property, by fraud or other illegal means, without the owner's consent. For example, an alien's crossing of a border into a country without proper documents. On the other hand, lawful entry is the entry onto real property by a person not in possession, under a claim or color of right, and without force or fraud.
