Legal Definitions - drift-stuff

Drift-stuff refers to any object or material found floating freely in a body of water, such as a river, lake, or ocean, where its original owner or source cannot be identified. Because its origin is unknown and it appears to be abandoned, it typically becomes the property of the person who owns the land bordering the water where it is found.

• Example 1: After a severe storm causes a river to swell, a large, unbranded wooden pallet is seen floating aimlessly downstream. It eventually gets snagged on the bank of a property owned by a local farmer.

  Explanation: The wooden pallet is considered "drift-stuff" because it was floating randomly in the river, and its original source or owner is unknown. Since it came to rest on the farmer's riparian property, the farmer would typically acquire ownership of the pallet.

• Example 2: A homeowner discovers a large, intact but unidentifiable plastic barrel, clearly designed for industrial use, washed up on their private beachfront property after a high tide. There are no markings to indicate its origin or owner.

  Explanation: This barrel qualifies as "drift-stuff" because it is material found floating (or washed ashore from floating) in water, and its source or owner is undiscoverable. The beachfront property owner, as the riparian owner, would typically acquire ownership of the barrel.

• Example 3: A landowner with property bordering a large pond finds a collection of old, waterlogged lumber, clearly construction scraps, that has drifted from an unknown upstream source and accumulated against their shoreline.

  Explanation: This lumber is "drift-stuff" because it is material that floated randomly in the water, and its original source (e.g., a specific construction site or property) is not identifiable. As it has come to rest on the landowner's property, it typically becomes theirs.