Riparian Rights When You Own Land in 联系 with the Water: A Mix of Environmental, Admiralty and State Law - June 2013

By 詹姆斯·T. 朗.

Why do people pay extra for property “on the water”?  Besides the ambience and the view, owning land in contact with the water of a river, 湾, creek or ocean includes valuable riparian property rights.  的 Virginia Supreme Court in 2012 wrote:

的 littoral or riparian nature of property is often a substantial, 如果不是最伟大的, 元素的值. This is true whether the owner uses his access to the sea for navigation, 钓鱼, 洗澡, 或者视图.

Lynnhaven Dunes Condominium Association v. 弗吉尼亚海滩市, 284 Va. 661, 673, 733 S.E.2d 911, 917 (2012).

的se riparian rights are recognized as a property right, the type of property right that  cannot be taken without just compensation, 该权利在“河岸区”内行使，“河岸区”从土地上的平均低潮线开始，一直延伸到水体的“通航线”。.  泰勒v. 弗吉尼亚联邦, 102 Va. 759， __， 47 s.E. 875, 880 (1904).  的 method to set out the boundaries 的 riparian area is as follows:

measure the length 的 shore and ascertain the portion thereof to which each riparian proprietor is entitled; next measure the length 的 line of navigability, and give to each proprietor the same proportion of it that he is entitled to 的 shore line; and then draw straight lines from the points of division so marked for each proprietor on the line of navigability to the extremities of his lines on the shore. 每一船东应有权享有这样分配给他的可航线部分, and also to the portion 的 flats, 或者在水下着陆, 在从这条线的他那部分的末端到他那部分海岸的末端所划的线之内.

格v. 福斯特, 94 Va. 650, 652-53, 27 S.E. 493, 494 (1897), 经批准引用于, 卡尔v. 基德, 261 Va. 81, 86, 540 S.E.2d 884, 887 (2001).  这些河岸权利是指通航河流附近土地所有者所享有的五种特定利益, 湾, 小溪或海洋:

成为并保持河岸所有者的权利，并享有因毗邻水源而赋予土地的自然优势的权利.

通行权:进入水域的权利，包括进出可通航部分的通行权.

在通航水域以外建造码头、码头的权利，但受国家有关规定的限制.

的 right to accretions or alluvium.

合理利用流经或流出土地的水的权利.

泰勒v. 弗吉尼亚联邦, 102 Va. 759, 773, 47 S.E. 875, 880-81 (1904),经批准引用于, 斯科特v. Burwell's Bay Improvement Association, 281 Va. 704, 710, 708 S.E.2d 858, 862 (2011).   

因此, 例如, an adjacent landowner may contest his or her neighbor’s construction of a pier, if the pier encroaches on the landowner’s riparian area, 就像在 卡尔v. 基德, 261 Va. 81, 540 S.E.2d 884 (2001). 

Importantly, the land owner does not own the land beneath the water in the riparian area. Unless the Commonwealth has granted it away[1], title to all “the beds 的 湾s, 河流, 联邦管辖范围内的小溪和海岸是联邦的财产。”. 弗吉尼亚法典第28条.2-1200; see also, 43 U.S. 法典第1311条(水下土地法)确认了“各州边界内通航水域下土地的所有权和所有权”, and the natural resources within such lands and waters . . . vested in and assigned to the respective States”); 马丁五世. Waddell, 41 U.S. 367 (1842) (when the American Revolution took place, the people of each 状态 took title to submerged lands formerly owned by the Crown).

因此, 例如, when the General Assembly granted a lease of 10 acres within Mrs. Taylor’s riparian area on the York River, which lease entitled the lessee to oyster and to install an Artesian well, Taylor’s legal action to eject the lessee was unsuccessful. 泰勒v. 弗吉尼亚联邦, 102 Va. 759, 773, 47 S.E. 875, 880-81 (1904).

这并不意味着, 然而, 弗吉尼亚联邦有不受约束的自由裁量权以违背公众利益的方式管理水下土地. 之所以如此，是因为这些被淹没的土地由英联邦托管，以维护公共利益, a principle that was established by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1892 after the 伊利诺伊州 conveyed 1,000英亩的水下土地，包括芝加哥市和伊利诺斯中央铁路公司的港口. 的 Court repudiated and revoked the conveyance, holding that:

的 控制 的 状态 for the purposes 的 trust can never be lost, except as to such parcels as are used in promoting the interests 的 public therein, 或者可以在不严重损害剩余土地和水域的公众利益的情况下予以处置.

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国家再也不能放弃对全体人民都有利害关系的财产的信任, like navigable waters and soils under them, so as to leave them entirely under the use and 控制 of private parties, 但为改善航行和利用水域而提及的包裹除外, 或者在不损害公众对剩余土地利益的情况下处置土地, 那么它就可以放弃管理政府和维护和平的警察权力. 在政府的行政管理中，可在有限的期限内将这种权力授权给直辖市或其他机构使用, 但是，国家仍然有权撤销这些权力，并以更直接的方式行使这些权力, and one more conformable to its wishes. So with trusts connected with public property, or property of a special character, like lands under navigable waters; they cannot be placed entirely beyond the direction and 控制 的 状态.

Illinois Central Railroad Company v. 伊利诺伊州, 146 U.S. 387, 453-454 (1892).

除了在管理其水下土地时履行其公共利益责任之外, 弗吉尼亚联邦还必须以符合公共航行奴役的方式管理水下土地, which holds that the navigable waters are deemed to the be public property 的 Nation. 这里的规则是“所有的河岸利益都服从于在航行中占主导地位的公共利益。.” U.S. v. 柳河电力公司, 324 U.S. 499, 507, (1945).

在维吉尼亚州, 希望在英联邦拥有的水下土地上放置船只或建筑物的人, or encroach on those submerged lands, 必须向弗吉尼亚海洋澳门亚洲博彩平台排名委员会申请涵盖拟议活动的许可证吗, 如果不这样做，违法者将面临刑事起诉(根据弗吉尼亚州第1类轻罪). 法典第28条.2-1203) or civil penalty (up to $25,000 for each day of violation per Va. 法典第28条.2-1213) for the unauthorized trespass or encroachment. VMRC有管辖权和责任平衡拟议活动的优点, the effect on the riparian rights of adjacent landowners, 对导航的影响, the effect on marine and fishery resources, 对潮汐湿地的影响, the effect on water quality and the public interest, all of which is outlined at Title 28.2、弗吉尼亚法典第12章、VMRC的规定以及法院的判例.  

最后，河岸财产权由那些拥有与水接触的财产的人持有. 美国.S. 最高法院和许多其他法院遵循的规则是，财产位于水附近, 但没有和它接触, 不符合:

Those rights are incident to riparian ownership. 他们以这样的所有权存在, and pass with the transfer 的 land; and the land must not only be contiguous to the water, 而是与它接触. Proximity, without contact, is insufficient. 的 riparian right attaches to land on the border of navigable water, without any declaration to that effect from the former owner, and its designation in a conveyance by him would be surplusage.

Illinois Central Railroad Company v. 伊利诺伊州, 146 U.S. 387, 445 (1892).