Coastal squeeze, or the collision between coastal development and rising seas, poses a threat to beaches, and the public s ability to enjoy and access them. David Ramos/Getty Images
As Americans flock to beaches this summer, their toes are sinking into some of the most hotly contested real estate in the United States.
It wasn t always this way. Through the mid-20th century, when the U.S. population was smaller and the coast was still something of a frontier in many states, laissez-faire and absentee coastal landowners tolerated people crossing their beachfront property. Now, however, the coast has filled up. Property owners are much more inclined to seek to exclude an ever-growing population of beachgoers seeking access to less and less beach.
Who owns the beach - and how wide is it? It depends on state law and tide lines
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Ankerson: Who owns the beach? It depends on state law and tide lines
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It wasn’t always this way. Through the mid-20th century, when the U.S. population was smaller and the coast was still something of a frontier in many states, laissez-faire and absentee coastal landowners tolerated people crossing their beachfront property. Now, however, the coast has filled up. Property owners are much more inclined to seek to exclude an ever-growing population of beachgoers seeking access to less and less beach.
On most U.S. shorelines, the public has a time-honored right to “lateral” access. This means that people can move down the beach along the wet sand between high and low tide – a zone that usually is publicly owned. Waterfront property owners’ control typically stops at the high tide line or, in a very few cases, the low tide line.