Riparian rights can differ between areas. What are riparian rights in Maryland?
With real estate comes real estate laws. Understanding these laws are foundational for being a responsible, law-abiding homeowner. When considering waterfront real estate, you might run into the idea of riparian rights. These laws differ in different areas, such as the East and West coasts, which is why it’s a great idea to learn specifically about riparian rights in your area. Let’s learn more about riparian rights in Maryland.
What Are Riparian Rights in Maryland?
Riparian rights are legal rights to access moving water like rivers and streams from your property. The state or county owns the water and the land under the water, and strives to preserve the navigation of the public, state-owned water.
A good analogy to riparian rights is having access to the street and sidewalk off of your property. The local government owns the sidewalks and roads, but you have free access to walk, drive, bike, etc., from your home to your destination using these public paths. In the same way, you have the right to take your boat off the shoreline and to your destination via the waterways.
In fact, you have the right to build a private wharf or pier off of your property into the water.
Terms to Know
Everything that is “fast land” is the property of the owner. Fast land in real estate law is land that is above the water at high tide. The property owner can gain more land through “accretion,” a gradual increase. This accretion refers to the land that a property owner can gain through shifting sands and changing tide patterns over time.
Handling Disputes
It isn’t likely that you will see any riparian rights disputes, but the most common kind involves the disruption of neighbors’ riparian rights. To handle the situation properly, one should do so within Maryland’s statute of limitations, which is three years. The government might also override your developments if it deems them to inhibit public navigation.
Benefits You Gain with Riparian Rights
While these legalities are in place, you don’t have to think much about them once everything is in place and all parties are in agreement. The benefit of having riparian rights is that you have free access to go out onto the water and ride up and down the rivers and the Bay. That is one of the joys of living in Maryland!
LEARN MORE WITH SHORE-LINE CONSTRUCTION!
At Shore-Line Construction, we know that your home is a reflection of you. That’s why we strive to make each home we build as beautiful as the family who will live there. We work with each of our clients to design a home that fits their needs. The end result is a durable, energy-efficient custom home that the family will enjoy for generations to come. Shore-Line Construction has been serving our customers for over 25 years, and we look forward to the opportunity to help you!
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