Gov. McKee signs shoreline access bill into law

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Gov. Dan McKee signed legislation that clarifies where the public can access Rhode Island’s shoreline into law on Tuesday.

The bill, which was sponsored by Rep. Terri Cortvriend and Sen. Mark McKenney, intends to provide a clear, easily identifiable border between private property and the area of the shore that the public is constitutionally entitled to use.

The law establishes that the public area of the shoreline ends and private property begins at 10 feet landward of the recognizable high tide line.

The high tide line can be recognized by seaweed, scum and other deposits.

The law also specifies that in areas with multiple lines, the closest to the water will be where the 10 feet is measured.

The right of Rhode Islanders to access the shoreline was written into the state constitution when it was adopted in 1843, and further delineated after the 1986 constitutional convention.