Wash Post — Who can use the beach? Erosion, tide lines and state laws make a difference.

By Thomas Ankersen — … On most U.S. shorelines, the public has a time-honored right to “lateral” access. This means that people can move down the beach along the wet sand between high and low tide — a zone that usually is publicly owned. Waterfront property owners’ control typically stops at the high tide line or, in a few cases, the low tide line.