Real Estate Term of the Week: Riparian Rights

Lydia Taylor May 31st, 2007

Riparian rights - The right of a landowner to use the water on, under, or adjacent to his land. Also known as aquatic rights or water rights.

For the homeowner that has a home that borders a river, riparian rights gives the homeowner the right to use the water as they see fit - unless it harms owners downstream. Whether your ownership stops at the river line or to the center of the river is determined by the navigability of the waterway. If the waterway is navigable, ownership stops at the high water mark. If the water is not navigable, then ownership extends to the centerline of the river or stream. Unfortunately there is some debate at to how navigibility is defined, but the official definition is waters that can afford a channel for useful commerce.