![Maine is One Of Two States Where It’s Legal to Own Part of The Ocean](http://townsquare.media/site/696/files/2021/09/attachment-Public-Shoreline-Access-Maine-dot-gov.jpg?w=980&q=75)
Maine is One Of Two States Where It’s Legal to Own Part of The Ocean
Maine has 5,400 miles of mainland and island shoreline. Some of that land is privately owned. How does that work?
According to Public Shoreline Access in Maine: A Citizen’s Guide to Ocean and Coastal Law, about 12% of all that shoreline is in public ownership.
This is so Maine! You can actually own part of the ocean. Maine describes it very well with a spiffy picture:
Landowners can own part of the beach and even the ocean. But (and it's an important but) the public has some rights to “fish, fowl, and navigate.” That's from colonial times! It's a very delicate legal balance between public interests and respecting private property.
It can get touchy and slightly ugly. In March 1989, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court ruled on a conflict between public versus private rights to the shore in Maine over Moody Beach. It was this case that has pretty much become the go-to reference for the conflict between public versus private rights to the shore in Maine. To boil it all down to the simplest form: the public has only very limited rights in the intertidal zone (see the chart above). Since the Moody Beach decision, access to the coast has been a bit of a sticky issue.
Are you on private property, but it's a beach? Don't set up your hot dog stand any time soon. There is an entire website dedicated to what you can and can't do. That's for both property owners and if you want to fish in that ONE particular area off the coast. It's Accessing the Maine Coast. I had no idea I had so many questions!
LOOK: Here are the 50 best beach towns in America
25 True Crime Locations: What Do They Look Like Today?
More From 94.3 WCYY
![Take a Chilly Yet Refreshing Dip in This Secret Emerald Pool in New Hampshire](http://townsquare.media/site/701/files/2022/06/attachment-Untitled-design-2022-06-19T191421.977.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![WCYY is Returning to Day One to Celebrate Its 29th Birthday](http://townsquare.media/site/698/files/2022/07/attachment-WCYY-Studio-2.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![The Dunkin’ Location in the Scarborough, Maine, Walmart is Never Going to Reopen](http://townsquare.media/site/698/files/2024/07/attachment-Walmart-Scarborough.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Jet Blue Announces Year-Round Direct Flights to Florida out of Portland, Maine](http://townsquare.media/site/698/files/2024/07/attachment-Untitled-design-53.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![4 Perfectly-Secluded Beaches in Maine for When You Want to Be Left Alone](http://townsquare.media/site/698/files/2022/07/attachment-Birch-Point-Beach-Sylvi-Roy.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![New Hampshire is Officially the Only State Where It’s Legal to Not Wear a Seatbelt](http://townsquare.media/site/698/files/2024/06/attachment-RS50142_GettyImages-1252881131-scr.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![6 Fun and Relaxing Summer Cruises in Maine](http://townsquare.media/site/698/files/2024/06/attachment-RS52012_GettyImages-172224860-scr.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![How to Win Your Way Into a Private Acoustic Shinedown Show in Portland, Maine](http://townsquare.media/site/698/files/2024/05/attachment-GettyImages-2121037174.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![New Hampshire Recently Named #2 Best State in the US](http://townsquare.media/site/698/files/2024/05/attachment-RS51708_GettyImages-637088104-scr.jpg?w=980&q=75)