Shoreline Access
Rep. Cortvriend is Fighting for Every Rhode Islander's Right to the Shore
Rhode Island's constitution guarantees the public's right to the shoreline, but that right has to be won, defined, and defended. For years, Representative Terri Cortvriend has led the charge to make that constitutional promise a reality for every resident, not just those who can afford to live on the water.
Her work began with a landmark study commission she led in 2021 and 2022 to settle the long-debated question of exactly where public beach access begins. In 2023, the General Assembly adopted her legislation clarifying that the constitutionally guaranteed public area of the shoreline begins 10 feet landward of the recognizable high tide line, a clear, enforceable standard that Rhode Islanders can actually use.
Recognizing that getting to the beach matters as much as the right to be there, Representative Cortvriend has championed a growing body of legislation to protect the paths, roads, and parking that make shoreline access real:
In 2024, she co-sponsored legislation requiring disclosure of shoreline access rights to buyers of coastal property.
In 2025, she helped pass a law setting requirements municipalities must follow before restricting parking near CRMC-designated public rights of way to the shore, including a mandatory public comment period and potential fines for noncompliance.
In 2026, she introduced a package of three bills to allow municipalities to designate historic footpaths as protected "special ways," enable the CRMC to officially recognize traditional walking paths as rights of way, and require landlords to disclose public shoreline access rights to tenants before the start of a lease.
House Speaker Shekarchi praised Cortvriend's study commission on shoreline access as a model for the legislature; proof that study commissions are not where issues go to die, but where things get done.
Representative Cortvriend's message is simple: Rhode Island's beaches and shores belong to everyone, and she will keep working to make sure it stays that way.