Riparian rights determinations

Riparian rights determinations. Riparian rights determinations. In order to determine whether a pier or boat shelter interferes with the rights of an adjacent riparian, a riparian may use any of the following methods they determine most fully meets the Wisconsin supreme court ruling in Rondesvedt v. Running , 19 Wis. 2d 614 (1962) , that “. . . each must have his due proportion of the line bounding navigability and a course of access to it from the shore exclusive of every other owner, and that all rules for apportionment or division are subject to such modification as may be necessary to accomplish substantially this result.” (1) Apportionment of the line of navigation. The general procedure for the apportionment of the line of navigation is to measure the whole shoreline of the cove or bay and the line of navigation in front of the shoreline and to apportion the line of navigation among the riparians in proportion to the length of their respective holdings on the shoreline. The area of water within which each riparian may place a pier to reach the line of navigation is determined by drawing straight lines between the corresponding points of division on the shoreline and the line of navigation. (2) Coterminous riparian rights lines. Under the coterminous riparian rights lines method, chords are drawn to connect points established at the intersection of each lot line with the ordinary highwater mark. The lines that bisect the angle formed by adjacent chords are the coterminous riparian rights lines. The extension of the coterminous riparian rights lines to the line of navigation describes the portion of the water within which each riparian may place a pier to gain access to the line of navigation. If the coterminous riparian rights lines intersect before the line of navigation is reached, another method of apportionment will be used. (3) Extended lot lines. Under the extended lot line method, the area of water within which each riparian may place a pier to reach the line of navigation is determined by extending the lot lines along the same alignment from the upland to the line of navigation. (4) Other methods. Any other method for determining the rights of riparians to gain access to the line of navigation that is consistent with sub. (1) .