A riparian owner will often hold the title to the waterway up to its midpoint. Which type of waterway does this refer to?

• A. Navigable waterways
• B. Riparian rights
• C. Non navigable waterways
• D. Littoral rights

Answer: (C)

In property law, who owns the land under a waterway depends on whether the waterway is navigable. For non-navigable waterways, the riparian owner typically has title to the bed and the water up to the midpoint of the stream. If the waterway is navigable, the state generally owns the bed up to the center, and the private owner’s rights don’t include ownership of the bed itself. The term littoral rights refers to ownership along the shores of lakes and oceans, not inland streams, so it doesn’t describe the situation here. Therefore, the scenario described corresponds to a non-navigable waterway.