HONOLULU (AP) — Oahu North Shore beachfront property owners say they continue to see shorelines getting closer to their properties which could cause them to lose parts of their land to the state.
HONOLULU (AP) — Oahu North Shore beachfront property owners say they continue to see shorelines getting closer to their properties which could cause them to lose parts of their land to the state.
Hawaii common law measures the shoreline by the high water mark. That’s the point where the wave washes up during high tide.
From that point to the ocean is public property and therefore belongs to the state.
State Attorney General Doug Chin says if property owners want to build something on land that used to be theirs, they have to pay fair market value.
They have the option of applying for state permits to build temporary structures to protect their properties from erosion before it occurs.
