Rights of the public and adjoining landowners.
Gulfport Code of Ordinances § 2-49
in effectSec. 2-49. - Rights of the public and adjoining landowners.
(a) The members of the general public have the reasonable and lawful right of use of the hereinabove-described property as a sand beach, for passage to and from, sunbathing, recreation, and other uses appropriate to a public sand beach subject to any exceptions and restrictions set forth herein.
(b) The record owners and their successors in title of the property adjoining and abutting the sand beach are the owners of riparian and littoral rights, both common law and statutory, including access to the water for swimming, boating, bathing, fishing and other aquatic pursuits and rights of air, light and view, and nothing shall be erected, constructed, or maintained on the surface of the beach to impair any such owner's right without his consent. Such rights, however, shall never be exercised in such a manner as to deny access of the general public to, or its use of, the sand beach nor to adversely affect the right of the city to maintain and replenish the beach.
(c) The division of the sand beach into categories of use as appearing now and from time to time hereafter by amendments, dividing the beach into two (2) or more categories of public use, is made to provide for and protect the rights, safety and interests of the public and of the adjacent landowners in and on the sand beach and shall be construed and enforced so as to regulate and protect those interests and not to deny access to the beach or to restrict or hamper the right of the city to maintain and replenish the beach.
Source: City of Gulfport, Mississippi, Code of Ordinances (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/ms/gulfport/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=PTIICOOR_CH2BODOWABE_ARTIISABE_S2-49RIPUADLAFetched: 11/1/2026