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Taking a stroll along the beach is one of life’s simple pleasures. But whether you can legally walk on any given sandy stretch can be quite complicated.
An ancient legal principle known as the public trust doctrine means people have the right to access certain lands and waters, which is usually set at the mean high tide line for beaches, write water law researchers Melissa Scanlan and Will Matuska. But there aren’t consistent rules for beach access across the U.S., resulting in a patchwork that varies by state and location – and has led to a number of legal fights over who gets to walk where.
Scanlan and Matuska’s article walks through some of the unresolved legal questions around beach access that are cropping up across the U.S. – from California to the Great Lakes and coastal Maine. They explain why taking a wander along the surf “isn’t as straightforward as it might seem – or as many people might like.”
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Are you allowed to walk on the beach? Maybe.
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images
Melissa Scanlan, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; Will Matuska, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Both legally and practically speaking, getting to the water’s edge isn’t as straightforward as it might seem – or as many people might like.
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