Property Ownership

The Michigan Supreme Court has defined riparian rights on the Great Lakes as:

AUnlimited—riparian owners may do anything with their shoreline
BSubject to public trust doctrine, meaning the public has access to the waters and the state owns the bottomlands✓ Correct
CPrivate and exclusive to the adjacent landowner with no public access
DShared equally between state and federal governments

Explanation

Michigan courts have affirmed that the Great Lakes bottomlands and the area below the ordinary high-water mark are held in public trust by the state. Riparian landowners have rights to reasonable use of the water, but the public retains access rights.

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