Depending on the practice area, an individuals rights and subsequent procedures may vary greatly or not at all. One example are the rights a person may have during a foreclosure.

In a foreclosure, an individual has forfeited their rights to their property by default on their mortgage. U.S. States have different legal methods for resolving a foreclosure proceedings. Some states are considered Lien States, where a lender (bank) would have to file a lawsuit through the courts in order to foreclose. Followed by, Title states, that are generally conducted through a non judicial proceeding, where the lender has the right to initiate a foreclosure without wrying through the court system. In a map of the US north-east, the method by which foreclosures take place are shown. The chart below also depicts the state’s status as to whether it is a Lien Theory State or Title Theory State.

Property Rights in U.S. States: Lien Theory States or Title Theory States
Property Rights in U.S. States: Lien Theory States or Title Theory States

Below we have provided a list of the states, and their property rights’ categorizations:

State State Abbreviation Capital Largest Theory State
Alabama AL Montgomery Birmingham Title Theory State
Alaska AK Juneau Anchorage Title Theory State
Arizona AZ Phoenix Title Theory State
Arkansas AR Little Rock Lien Theory State
California CA Sacramento Los Angeles Title Theory State
Colorado CO Denver Title Theory State
Connecticut CT Hartford Bridgeport Lien Theory State
Delaware DE Dover Wilmington Lien Theory State
Florida FL Tallahassee Jacksonville Lien Theory State
Georgia GA Atlanta Title Theory State
Hawaii HI Honolulu Lien Theory State
Idaho ID Boise Title Theory State
Illinois IL Springfield Chicago Lien Theory State
Indiana IN Indianapolis Lien Theory State
Iowa IA Des Moines Lien Theory State
Kansas KS Topeka Wichita Lien Theory State
Kentucky[E] KY Frankfort Louisville Lien Theory State
Louisiana LA Baton Rouge New Orleans Lien Theory State
Maine ME Augusta Portland Lien Theory State
Maryland MD Annapolis Baltimore Lien Theory State
Massachusetts[E] MA Boston Title Theory State
Michigan MI Lansing Detroit Title Theory State
Minnesota MN St. Paul Minneapolis Title Theory State
Mississippi MS Jackson Title Theory State
Missouri MO Jefferson City Kansas City Title Theory State
Montana MT Helena Billings Title Theory State
Nebraska NE Lincoln Omaha Title Theory State
Nevada NV Carson City Las Vegas TItle Theory State
New Hampshire NH Concord Manchester TItle Theory State
New Jersey NJ Trenton Newark Lien Theory State
New Mexico NM Santa Fe Albuquerque Lien Theory State
New York NY Albany New York Lien Theory State
North Carolina NC Raleigh Charlotte TItle Theory State
North Dakota ND Bismarck Fargo Lien Theory State
Ohio OH Columbus Lien Theory State
Oklahoma OK Oklahoma City Lien Theory State
Oregon OR Salem Portland TItle Theory State
Pennsylvania[E] PA Harrisburg Philadelphia Lien Theory State
Puerto Rico PR Lien Theory State
Rhode Island[F] RI Providence Lien Theory State
South Carolina SC Columbia Charleston Lien Theory State
South Dakota SD Pierre Sioux Falls TItle Theory State
Tennessee TN Nashville TItle Theory State
Texas TX Austin Houston TItle Theory State
Utah UT Salt Lake City TItle Theory State
Vermont VT Montpelier Burlington Lien Theory State
Virginia[E] VA Richmond Virginia Beach TItle Theory State
Washington WA Olympia Seattle TItle Theory State
Virginia WV Charleston TItle Theory State
Wisconsin WI Madison Milwaukee Lien Theory State
Wyoming WY Cheyenne TItle Theory State
List of Theory States by State