Rhode Island’s shoreline access bill was signed into law on June 26, 2023, and clarifies the public’s right to laterally access the shore up to 10 feet landward of the visible high tide line – the line that is recognized by seaweed, shells, or other debris left by the tide. This new law identifies where the shoreline is. Previously in Rhode Island, the public had access up to the mean high tide line, as defined by case law in 1982 (see State vs Ibbison). This boundary was impossible to visually determine, and required scientific instrumentation to precisely locate. This new law defines this boundary more clearly, stating that the public has the right to access 10 feet above the last high tide seaweed line (the line closest to the water, if there is more than one) or, if there is no seaweed line, the line of wet beach.

The law does not specifically enumerate activities that are permitted, but lawmakers have encouraged beach-goers to be respectful. What was illegal prior to this bill remains illegal, and vice versa. What is legal remains legal.

Second phase of Public Shoreline Access Management Plan to begin

DRAFT Rhode Island Public Shoreline Access Management Plan (PDF)

Presentation (PDF)

In 2022, CRMC along with partners Rhode Island Sea Grant (RISG), the Narragansett Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (NBNERR), and social science firm Impact by Design embarked on an 18-month project to identify and solve barriers to meaningful shoreline public access ( a prioritized strategy outlined in CRMC’s Section 309 approved plan). Administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the CRMC was one of only seven coastal programs in the nation to be awarded the funding.

CRMC and its partners conducted a needs assessment on shoreline public access and then created an inclusive, equitable shoreline public access Community Leaders Advisory Group, where the focus was on confirming or disputing the needs assessment results and forming connections that CRMC hopes will continue into the next phase of this work (development of a five-year shoreline public access management plan). 

There are statewide implications for this plan - its goal is to create long term connections between state and local government, as well as the state (CRMC) and neighborhood and community groups invested in shoreline public access and equitable access. The plan will outline goals for improving CRMC’s public access program, including the designation of more ROWs where needed, as well as addressing environmental justice issues regarding shoreline access.