Lakefront Property Myths Busted

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I am a brand new lake property owner in Minnesota. Not much lakeshore but lakeshore it is. Only about 15 feet. I have read all of the posts and all of the DNR stuff I could find. My question is that I have a 109.75″ pontoon lift and 112″ between a tree and the neighbors dock. If we get it past the tree we are ok. It will still be a tight fit – about 120″ or between one neighbor’s lift and the other neighbors dock. The neighbors have enjoyed the space directly in front of our property since they moved in about 8 years ago. My Aunt owned the property for 25 years. Now they don’t think we should but a lift in because it will interfere with their pontoon. We just want to be able to enjoy the lake too. I don’t see where it would interfere but then I could very well be wrong.

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I would think if it’s your lakeshore property, you should be able to put a boat lift in, unless there is some rule on how far docks or boat lifts need to be from each other. Sounds like a rough start with the new neighbors.

As a 30+ year waterfront property owner myself you have to get used to the “this is the way it has been” attitude. Just because it “has been that way” doesn’t mean squat. If you have room to put in what you want do it. I have had neighbors do stuff I didn’t like, but they have every right to do it. Just like the fisherman who can’t cast, fling their lure up on your ‘ducer and “reposition it for you”…nothing you can do, but they have every right to do it

My brother is getting sick of his neighbor who angles his dock into the front of my brothers shore. My brother has a very limited and narrow shoreline. The guy does it because there is a brush pile and he tries blocking people from fishing it.

They used to get along, but I think my brother is getting sick of it. There are times when there are three boats that need to be tied to the dock and this guy makes it a pain in the butt.

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My brother is getting sick of his neighbor who angles his dock into the front of my brothers shore. My brother has a very limited and narrow shoreline. The guy does it because there is a brush pile and he tries blocking people from fishing it.

They used to get along, but I think my brother is getting sick of it. There are times when there are three boats that need to be tied to the dock and this guy makes it a pain in the butt.

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Have your brother look up a PDF document on the DNR website titled “Docks and Access in Public Waters”. There he will find a paragraph that states “Design and locate your dock and boat lift to avoid interfering with your neighbor’s use of the water. Docks and boat lifts should be placed so that mooring and maneuvering of watercraft can normally be confined within the property lines if they were extended into the water.”
Hope this will help him out.

I owned a 5 foot wide parcel once and got an Education from the School of Hard Knocks. In Minnesota, every person who owns lakeshore whether an inch or a mile has water rights including the right to wharf and place structures on the submerged land underneath the water, and others. The rights are timeless and can be exercised at any time. A person can buy or sell these water rights with or without land, easement, etc. Property lines do not extend into the water generally, rather the whole lake bed is a separate lot owned by the State in trust for the public. The DNR administers the zoning and regulations on the submerged land below the Ordinary High Water Level. Municipalities zone the land above the OHWL–but cannot prohibit the construction of dock (even though they occasionally try). The surface of the water can be zoned / regulated as well (Lake Minnetonka Conservation District as an example). If the body of water is or was at any time connected in a navigable way to the Mississippi or other large commercial river Federal law protects your right to build aids to navigation. Adjacent property owners must make a reasonable adjustment for your reasonable placement of structures–you couldn’t operate a marina with 100 boats on the 15 feet–you might not be able to have more than one dock and lift depending on what is perceived to be reasonable–it can’t interfere with other peoples use of the water. That is true for you and for your neighbors under a principle we call “The Reasonable Use Doctrine”–similar to the Golden Rule. See specific citations to Statutes and Case Law by visiting this link: MN Riparian Rights, or message me with specific questions.

I don’t know how you guys wade in front of peoples property to fish. It may be legal, but I would be uncomfortable. If you put the shoe on the other foot, how would you feel?

To me that is the same issue as some dude yelling at you for casting at his dock.

Wait, this is from 2013???

^^^

mplspug wrote:

Wait, this is from 2013???

so…? now that you wade fish all over my ocean, I suppose it is fine …?

Git off my lawn!!!

big_g wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>mplspug wrote:</div>
Wait, this is from 2013???

so…? now that you wade fish all over my ocean, I suppose it is fine …?

No no no, have a completely laxed set of morals and ethics for salt.

Very interesting post, thank you for sharing. I run into this kind of stuff a lot on Lake Minnetonka. Everyone knows a “hey, you are too close to my dock” homeowner somewhere

Nick Cox wrote:

“hey, you are too close to my dock” homeowner somewhere

Then you shouldn’t have put it on MY water.

As a lakeshore and dock owner in Minnesota, I have seen alot of different situations. From pwc’s flying past my dock to the dock fishermen. If someone hangs a lure/plastic worm on my dock, I would rather have them step onto my dock and retrieve it than I find it in my foot or leg. On the other hand, I would not like it too much if someone came by and just started fishing on my dock. I was under the impression that the dock is connected to my property and thus is an extension of my property and that makes my dock private property. I could be wrong on that and most likely am. I don’t get too upset as it not worth the stress over that.