If a riverbed or stream is deemed navigable, who owns the land up to the middle of the river or stream?

When a riverbed or stream is classified as navigable, it is governed by the principle that the waters are public highways. However, the ownership of the land beneath those navigable waters can vary depending on the jurisdiction. In the context of Ohio law and many U.S. states that follow similar legal principles, if a river or stream is deemed navigable, the adjacent landowners typically retain ownership of the land up to the midpoint of the navigable waterway.

This legal principle is rooted in the common law doctrine of riparian rights, which grants landowners the ability to use the water adjacent to their property while maintaining ownership of the land up to the water's edge. Therefore, the surrounding landowners have rights to the land that extends to the middle of the river or stream, provided it is classified as navigable.

The options related to the federal government, state government, and local municipalities do not accurately reflect the traditional approach to ownership of navigable waters in this context, as they do not claim ownership of the land under the water in the same way that adjacent landowners do.