Tideland Ownership: Private vs. Public
Tideland ownership can be confusing and conflicting for some waterfront owners, since property ownership varies between communities and even between nearby local properties within Washington. In Oregon, all beaches are considered public, and private ownership starts above the mean high water mark. In Washington on the other hand, the state sold about 70% of it's tidelands to private upland property owners between the time of statehood and 1971.
If a property comes with tideland ownership, that generally refers to ownership of the land exposed between the lower low water mark to the mean high water mark. The lower low water mark is rarely exposed, and only at minus tides. There are occasional technical differences to the high water mark, where government meander lines were instead used as approximations.
Land below the low water mark is generally public, although there is "underwater land" ownership in some places, mostly used for the purposes of shellfish harvesting. This public land under the water comes under the jurisdiction of the Aquatic Lands Division of the Washington State Department of Natural Resources.
So, depending upon where one is located and how the property ownership was exchanged over the years, beach ownership for waterfront owners varies from property to property. As a matter of civility, it's always important to respect the "front yards" of waterfront property owners no matter what the particular ownership rights. Even if the beach is public, visitors should address loitering, garbage removal, noise, and such just as they would want people to act right beside their own home elsewhere.
If a property comes with tideland ownership, that generally refers to ownership of the land exposed between the lower low water mark to the mean high water mark. The lower low water mark is rarely exposed, and only at minus tides. There are occasional technical differences to the high water mark, where government meander lines were instead used as approximations.
Land below the low water mark is generally public, although there is "underwater land" ownership in some places, mostly used for the purposes of shellfish harvesting. This public land under the water comes under the jurisdiction of the Aquatic Lands Division of the Washington State Department of Natural Resources.
So, depending upon where one is located and how the property ownership was exchanged over the years, beach ownership for waterfront owners varies from property to property. As a matter of civility, it's always important to respect the "front yards" of waterfront property owners no matter what the particular ownership rights. Even if the beach is public, visitors should address loitering, garbage removal, noise, and such just as they would want people to act right beside their own home elsewhere.
