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Simple English definitions for legal terms
tidelands
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A quick definition of tidelands:
Tidelands: Tidelands are the wet sandy areas between the high and low tides that the ocean covers and uncovers every day. They are also called the foreshore. The landowner who owns the land next to the ocean usually owns the tidelands. However, the government has a special rule called the public trust doctrine that says the land under the water belongs to the state and is held in trust for the people. This means that the state can only use the tidelands to benefit the public, like for fishing or boating. Some states say that private property ends at the high tide line, while others say it ends at the low tide line.
A more thorough explanation:
Tidelands are the wet sandy areas that are covered and uncovered by the tides each day. They are also known as the foreshore. The owner of the land that fronts on the sea at that point usually owns the tidelands. The public trust doctrine states that the federal government owns the lands beneath navigable waters, including the tidelands, and vests them in the state upon its admission into the Union. The state holds title to such lands in a trust for its people and can only dispose of such lands to promote the interests of the public.
- The sandy area between the high and low tide lines on a beach is an example of tidelands.
- In California, tidelands are defined as "those lands lying between the lines of mean high and low tide covered and uncovered successively by the ebb and flow thereof."
The examples illustrate that tidelands are the areas that are covered and uncovered by the tides each day. In California, the definition of tidelands is more specific and includes the lines of mean high and low tide.