This House got me wondering, since I have never dealt with waterfront property. How far does the property extend offshore? To the mean water line? If so, what right does a property owner have to extend a pier 360 feet out into a public water way.
How does this work in Texas?
Queso please
I can’t tell you how it works on the Gulf, but I have a home on Lake Livingston and it works like this (with the Trinity River Authority):
– My “property line” ends about 20 feet from the water; the TRA owns the property to the water. I have to lease it from them and pay them about $80 a year.
– My waterfront footage is small – 25 feet – because my lot is shaped like a pie. I don’t know how the fees are accessed; whether it’s per lot or amount of waterfront.
– To have anything done to the part that belongs to the TRA – bulkhead repair/replaced/installed, dock installation or repair – you MUST get permission from the TRA or you will be sued by the TRA. I don’t know if they’ve got inspectors monitoring the shorelines (that seems improbable) or what, but our contractor forgot to ask for permission before repairs to our bulkhead were made and we got a legal notice from TRA.
The reason the walkway is long is because it’s shallow there. The water depth at the end of the walkway to a boat dock has to be deep enough to get your boat/watercraft in and out. That’s one way you can tell how deep the water is around your property: long dock = shallow water; short dock = deep water.
Hope this helps.
Queso please
Sorry – long “walkway” (not dock) = shallow water; short walkway = deep water
This House got me wondering, since I have never dealt with waterfront property. How far does the property extend offshore? To the mean water line? If so, what right does a property owner have to extend a pier 360 feet out into a public water way.
How does this work in Texas?
I can’t tell you how it works on the Gulf, but I have a home on Lake Livingston and it works like this (with the Trinity River Authority):
– My “property line” ends about 20 feet from the water; the TRA owns the property to the water. I have to lease it from them and pay them about $80 a year.
– My waterfront footage is small – 25 feet – because my lot is shaped like a pie. I don’t know how the fees are accessed; whether it’s per lot or amount of waterfront.
– To have anything done to the part that belongs to the TRA – bulkhead repair/replaced/installed, dock installation or repair – you MUST get permission from the TRA or you will be sued by the TRA. I don’t know if they’ve got inspectors monitoring the shorelines (that seems improbable) or what, but our contractor forgot to ask for permission before repairs to our bulkhead were made and we got a legal notice from TRA.
The reason the walkway is long is because it’s shallow there. The water depth at the end of the walkway to a boat dock has to be deep enough to get your boat/watercraft in and out. That’s one way you can tell how deep the water is around your property: long dock = shallow water; short dock = deep water.
Hope this helps.
Sorry – long “walkway” (not dock) = shallow water; short walkway = deep water