How to deal with private occupation of public land?

Legal analysis: if rural villagers illegally occupy land for building houses, the land and resources management department of the people's government at or above the county level shall order them to return the illegally occupied land and dismantle the newly built houses on the illegally occupied land within a time limit. In addition to the illegal occupation of land by rural villagers to build houses, those who illegally occupy land without approval or by deception shall be ordered to return the illegally occupied land and restore the land to its original state.

Legal basis: Article 5 of the Measures for the Investigation and Handling of Disputes over Land Ownership stipulates that disputes between individuals, individuals and units, and units and units shall be investigated and handled by the county-level administrative department of land and resources where the disputed land is located.

Disputes between individuals and between individuals and units specified in the preceding paragraph may be accepted and handled by the people's governments at the township level upon the application of the parties.