Opinion ID: 6536839
Heading Depth: 5
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Overarching right of access

Text: Before statehood there was a general common law riparian and littoral right of access to deep or navigable waters. 33 Under this general law, a riparian or littoral landowner had the right of access to [deep or navigable] waters for the purpose of navigation, upon which the owner could base an action against an intruder who places obstacles on the shore that prevent him [or her] from having access to the navigable waters. 34 Several cases affirmatively recognized this general rule before Alaska became a state. 35 After statehood, in Wernberg v. State we specifically recognized that the right of riparian and littoral landowners of access to deep or navigable waters from their upland properties was a private property right that could not be taken for public use by the government unless it paid just compensation. 36 We were particularly concerned that, due to Alaska's unique geography and economy, taking such a right from a riparian or littoral landowner without just compensation would render property valueless or greatly reduce its value. 37 Without discussing the full scope of this right, we noted that the right of access includes more than just access to the main stream of a channel. 38  We revisited the issue in Classen v. State, Department of Highways , setting some limits on the right of access. In that case, a riparian owner challenged the construction of a bridge that would interfere with his floatplane business. 39 We held that the bridge was not a taking of the landowner's riparian right of access because he still ha[d] unlimited access to the river itself, for whatever use he cho[se] to make of it; only his access to the air via the river was obstructed. 40 Thus, although Wernberg had broadened the right of access, it was not so broad as to include a riparian or littoral landowner's right of access to the air via navigable water.