Legal Definitions - tide lands

Tidelands refer to the specific strip of land located along a coastline that is alternately covered by the sea at high tide and exposed when the tide recedes. This area is uncovered daily by the natural action of the tides.

Legally, tidelands are typically considered to belong to the owner of the property that directly borders the water at that point. This means that if you own land that fronts the ocean, bay, or tidal river, you generally also own the tidelands immediately in front of your property.

Here are some examples to illustrate this concept:

• Residential Beachfront Property: Imagine a homeowner who owns a house situated directly on a sandy beach. When the tide is high, the water comes up to their seawall or the edge of their lawn. However, at low tide, a significant stretch of wet sand becomes visible between their property line and the water's edge, allowing people to walk much further out.

  How it illustrates the term: This newly exposed sandy area is considered tidelands. The homeowner, as the owner of the adjacent beachfront property, legally owns this specific strip of land that is periodically covered and uncovered by the tides.

• Coastal Resort Development: A large resort complex is built along a bay, featuring private cabanas and a boardwalk. During low tide, a wide expanse of muddy flats, rich with marine life, becomes visible beyond the resort's manicured beach, extending hundreds of feet towards the deeper water.

  How it illustrates the term: These muddy flats are tidelands. The resort, as the owner of the property bordering the bay, holds the ownership rights to these tidelands. This ownership might influence their ability to build temporary structures like docks or manage access for guests during low tide activities, subject to environmental regulations.

• Oyster Farm in an Estuary: A family operates an oyster farm in a tidal estuary. Their land extends to the water's edge, and at certain low tides, large sections of the oyster beds, normally submerged, become exposed, allowing workers to access them on foot for harvesting and maintenance.

  How it illustrates the term: The exposed oyster beds and the surrounding muddy ground are tidelands. The family, as the owners of the land bordering the estuary, also owns these tidelands, which is crucial for their ability to manage and operate their aquaculture business directly on the periodically exposed seabed.