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A developer in Wisconsin wants to subdivide a parcel of land along a lake into 10 residential lots. Only three of the lots will directly border the lake. The developer proposes granting 'deeded lake access' easements to the seven non-waterfront lot owners, allowing them to use a common access path to the lake. A prospective buyer of one of the non-waterfront lots asks the listing agent whether those buyers will have the same riparian rights as the waterfront lot owners. Which response is MOST accurate under Wisconsin law?

Correct Answer

B) No, because riparian rights in Wisconsin belong exclusively to owners whose parcels physically touch the navigable water; easement holders do not acquire riparian rights.

Under Wisconsin law, riparian rights attach only to parcels that physically border a navigable waterway. A non-waterfront lot owner who holds a deeded easement for lake access has contractual access rights, but does not acquire the full bundle of riparian rights that belong to the waterfront landowners. Riparian rights — such as the right to install a pier, make reasonable use of the water, and potentially own to the ordinary high-water mark — are appurtenant to the land that touches the water, not to easement interests in neighboring parcels.

Answer Options
A
Yes, because any buyer with a deeded easement to the lake automatically acquires full riparian rights identical to those of waterfront owners.
B
No, because riparian rights in Wisconsin belong exclusively to owners whose parcels physically touch the navigable water; easement holders do not acquire riparian rights.
C
Yes, because Wisconsin law requires all lots in a lakefront subdivision to share riparian rights equally regardless of physical proximity to the water.
D
No, because non-waterfront lot owners are prohibited by the Wisconsin DNR from using any navigable lake under the public trust doctrine.

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Related Topics & Key Terms

Key Terms:

riparian_rightseasementlake_accesssubdivisionnon_waterfront_lot

Related Concepts

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