§ 3554 — Presumption of payment, release or extinguishment

(a) Lapse of 20 years.--When:

(1) for 20 years after the same or any part thereof becomes due, no payment has been made on account of a dower, recognizance, legacy, annuity instalment, or other charge, created by will, agreement, inter vivos trust or court decree, upon real property; or

(2) no proceeding has been brought or no written acknowledgment of the existence thereof or no written promise to pay the same has been made within such period by the owner or owners of the property subject to the charge;

a release or extinguishment thereof shall be presumed, and the charge shall thereafter be irrecoverable.

(b) Perpetuation of evidence.--The evidence of any such payment or written acknowledgment or promise may be perpetuated by recording it in the office of the recorder of deeds of the county or counties in which the real property bound by the charge is situate. The recorder of deeds shall index such evidence in the grantor's index under the name of the record owner or owners of the real property and in the grantee's index under the name of the owner or owners of the charge.

(c) Renewal of evidence every 20 years.--If such evidence of the charge is so recorded and indexed within the said period of 20 years, it shall remain a charge on the real property for a period of 20 years from the time of indexing and no longer: Provided, That such evidence may be renewed within successive periods of 20 years, as often as necessary.

(d) Irrecoverable after 20 years.--If such evidence does not appear of record and is not indexed as herein provided within a period of 20 years or within the periods provided for a renewal thereof, then said dower, recognizance, legacy, annuity instalment, or other charge shall be irrecoverable from any purchaser, mortgagee, or other lien creditor.