Riparian Rights and Waterfront Legal Issues Archives
The archive of past articles of Attorney Writes from noted riparian rights and water law attorney Clifford H. Bloom, Esq. This archive goes up to 2020, the documents are in PDF and made available by MLSA.
You will find the most current Attorney Writes articles HERE and will need an MLSA membership for access.
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| Magazine Column: Article Title | Link to Article | Issue Date |
|---|---|---|
| Woe is Canals | Read Article | 2021 Fall |
| Riparian Landowners Cannot Win - Receding Waters Also Create Problems | Read Article | 2021 Fall |
| When is a Houseboat really a Home versus being a Boat? | Read Article | 2021 Summer |
| Keeping the Family Cottage (Written by Cliff Bloom Associate) | Read Article | 2021 Spring |
| Those Who Wait, Lose... | Read Article | 2021 Spring |
| Two Ticking Time Bombs | Read Article | 2021 Winter |
| Road End Blues! | Read Article | 2020 Fall |
| Attorney Writes: Land Gaps at the Lake | Read Article | 2020 Fall |
| Ask the Experts: Can anything be done about our high lake level? | Read Article | 2020 Summer |
| New Limited Michigan Legislation Regarding Emergency Local Boating Regulations | Read Article | 2020 Summer |
| Attorney Writes: High Water Blues | Read Article | 2020 Summer |
| Several Interesting Michigan Court of Appeals Decisions Regarding Standing, Injunctions, Deed Restrictions, and Easements | Read Article | 2020 Spring |
| Attorney Writes: Who Owns the Water in Michigan Lakes? | Read Article | 2020 Spring |
| Swim Rafts | Read Article | 2020 Winter |
| The Beach Walker Case - Almost 15 Years Later (or, The High Water Blues) | Read Article | 2020 Winter |
| Attorney Writes: Prescription Means Without Consent | Read Article | 2020 Winter |
| Attorney Writes: To Disclose or Not to Disclose? | Read Article | 2019 Winter |
| Some Key Points regarding Special Assessment Districts for Lakes in Michigan | Read Article | 2019 Winter |
| Attorney Writes: Local Government Transparency | Read Article | 2019 Summer |
| WAKE BOATS, AGAIN! | Read Article | 2019 Summer |
| Attorney Writes: What does Marijuana have to do with Lake Living? | Read Article | 2019 Spring |
| Lake Parks – A Disappointing Court Decision | Read Article | 2019 Spring |
| Ask the Experts: Is there any legislation pending in Michigan that could affect Michigan riparians? | Read Article | 2019 Fall |
| Hazards to Navigability | Read Article | 2019 Fall |
| Mooring One’s Boat Over the Riparian Bottomlands of Another | Read Article | 2018 Winter |
| The Difficulty of Bottomlands Ownership Location | Read Article | 2018 Summer |
| Attorney Writes: Twixt the Water and the Land | Read Article | 2018 Summer |
| Ask the Experts: What is a marina? | Read Article | 2018 Summer |
| Attorney Writes: Do All Riparians Hate Public Lake Access Sites? | Read Article | 2018 Spring |
| Important Michigan Court of Appeals Decisions | Read Article | 2018 Spring |
| The Road End Legislation at Six Years Old | Read Article | 2018 Spring |
| More on Wake Boats | Read Article | 2018 Fall |
| Attorney Writes: Are All Easements and Roads at or Near Lakes Forever? | Read Article | 2018 Fall |
| Ask the Experts: Can a lake association or the local government raise or lower the level of our lake via a dam, impoundment or pump? | Read Article | 2018 Fall |
| Attorney Writes: Title Insurance | Read Article | 2017 Winter |
| The Importance of Liability Insurance for Riparians | Read Article | 2017 Summer |
| Attorney Writes: Short-Term Rentals, Long-Term Consequences | Read Article | 2017 Summer |
| Attorney Writes: Tips for Sellers of Waterfront Property | Read Article | 2017 Spring |
| Attorney Writes: Two Interesting Recent Michigan Court of Appeals Decisions Regarding Riparian Issues | Read Article | 2017 Fall |
| The Killer Bees Appear to be Winning: An Update Regarding Wake Boats/Bladder Boats | Read Article | 2017 Fall |
| Attorney Writes: "I Can No Longer Even Enjoy My Lake..." | Read Article | 2016 Winter |
| Dock and Boat Hoists - Everything You Always Wanted to Know | Read Article | 2016 Winter |
| Attorney Writes: The Freedom to Assemble... | Read Article | 2016 Summer |
| Attorney Writes: The All-Important Purchase/Sales Agreement | Read Article | 2016 Spring |
| Ask the Experts: Has any lake association asked to be taxed as a special assessment district to pay for preservation of the lake frontage or island property? Is this a legal option for an association looking to prevent over-development of their lake? | Read Article | 2016 Spring |
| Another Road End Case from the Michigan Court of Appeal | Read Article | 2016 Spring |
| Attorney Writes: Bottomlands Ownership | Read Article | 2016 Fall |
| Attorney Writes: What to do About a Freeloader | Read Article | 2015 Winter |
| Three Interesting New Michigan Court of Appeals Decisions | Read Article | 2015 Winter |
| Golf Cart News | Read Article | 2015 Summer |
| Attorney Writes: Artificial or Real? | Read Article | 2015 Summer |
| How can I use my Lakefront Cottage or House? | Read Article | 2015 Spring |
| Attorney Writes: Passing the Buck - Poor Rural Roads Around Lakes | Read Article | 2015 Spring |
| Attorney Writes: On-Lake Regulations | Read Article | 2015 Fall |
| Attorney Writes: Aquatic Special Assessment Districts - Mass Confusion? | Read Article | 2014 Winter |
| Attorney Writes: Liability Potential for Associations | Read Article | 2014 Summer |
| A Legal Primer | Read Article | 2014 Spring |
| Attorney Writes: You CANNOT Give it Away | Read Article | 2014 Spring |
| Ask the Experts: Do artificial lakes have the same riparian rights as natural inland lakes? | Read Article | 2014 Spring |
| Attorney Writes: What is Riparian? | Read Article | 2014 Fall |
| Prescriptive Easement Claims | Read Article | 2013 Winter |
| Ask the Experts: If an off-lake property owner is improperly keeping a dock and moored boat at a road end or easement at a lake, what must be done legally to stop them? Can we call the police or must a lawsuit occur? | Read Article | 2013 Winter |
| Land Gaps at Lakes | Read Article | 2013 Winter |
| Attorney Writes: Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Plats! | Read Article | 2013 Winter |
| Attorney Writes: What are Easements? | Read Article | 2013 Summer |
| Another Court Case that Restricts Lake Access | Read Article | 2013 Summer |
| Attorney Writes: Miscellaneous Matters Regarding Docks and Swim Rafts | Read Article | 2013 Spring |
| Lakefront Myths and Other Lore | Read Article | 2013 Spring |
| Keeping the Family Cottage: New Tax Benefit for Transfers Between Parents and Children | Read Article | 2013 Spring |
| Attorney Writes: Can an ORV be Driven on the Beach? | Read Article | 2013 Fall |
| Of Mosquitoes and Killer Bees | Read Article | 2013 Fall |
| A New Road End Bill | Read Article | 2012 Winter |
| Attorney Writes: Buying and Selling Waterfront Property -The Pitfalls | Read Article | 2012 Winter |
| What Permits are Needed to Install a Seawall? | Read Article | 2012 Winter |
| Attorney Writes: You Can't Do That | Read Article | 2012 Summer |
| The New Public Road Ends at Lakes Law | Read Article | 2012 Summer |
| Public Road End Bill is Almost Michigan Law | Read Article | 2012 Spring |
| Beachwalker Case--Some Seven Years Hence | Read Article | 2012 Spring |
| Attorney Writes: Armageddon! | Read Article | 2012 Spring |
| Ask the Experts: What, if any, riparian rights do canal property owners have? Are they riparians? | Read Article | 2012 Spring |
| Attorney Writes: Potpourri | Read Article | 2012 Fall |
| Unusual (But Potentially Helpful) Local Municipal Regulations | Read Article | 2012 Fall |
| Ask the Experts: Is it legal for someone to build a cottage so that it interferes with my view of the lake? | Read Article | 2012 Fall |
| Attorney Writes: To Litigate or Not to Litigate, that is the Question... | Read Article | 2011 Winter |
| Natural Landscaping or Blight? | Read Article | 2011 Winter |
| Two More Interesting Lake Access Easement Cases | Read Article | 2011 Summer |
| Attorney Writes: No Good Deed Goes Unpunished! | Read Article | 2011 Summer |
| Ask the Experts: Do I Need a Permit Before Installing My Dock | Read Article | 2011 Summer |
| Attorney Writes: 2000 Baum Family Trust v Babel - R.I.P. | Read Article | 2011 Spring |
| Dock Permits on Michigan Lakes Tied into the Great Lakes | Read Article | 2011 Spring |
| Attorney Writes: Why ML&SA? (Note: our position on MWA has changed and we are, unfortunately, no longer working with or promoting the organization.) | Read Article | 2011 Fall |
| Cases: You Win Some, You Lose Some | Read Article | 2010 Summer |
| Proposed Michigan Legislation Regarding the Public Trust Doctrine (House Bill 5319) | Read Article | 2010 Summer |
| Important, Recent Riparian Appellate Cases | Read Article | 2010 Summer |
| Attorney Writes: Are Artificial Lakes in Michigan Real? | Read Article | 2010 Summer |
| Attorney Writes: Take Advantage of the Pause | Read Article | 2010 Spring |
| MI Supreme Court to Hear Appeal: Baum V Bable | Read Article | 2010 Spring |
| A Clear-cut Riparian Victory in Barry County | Read Article | 2010 Spring |
| Lake Property Tax Assessments - to Appeal or Not? | Read Article | 2010 Fall |
| Attorney Writes: Yours, Mine, or Theirs? | Read Article | 2010 Fall |
| A Tribute to Don Winne | Read Article | 2010 Fall |
| Attorney Writes: Weed Whacker | Read Article | 2009 Winter |
| Attorney Writes: Uh-Oh | Read Article | 2009 Summer |
| Amicus Curiae Briefs | Read Article | 2009 Spring |
| Attorney Writes: Enforcement! | Read Article | 2009 Spring |
| Two more Pro-Riparian Road-End Court Opinions: Montcalm County-Jacobs V Lyon Twp | Read Article | 2009 Spring |
| Attorney Writes: The 2000 Baum Case Decision Disaster | Read Article | 2009 Fall |
| A Pro-Riparian Case: Sullivan v Tillman | Read Article | 2009 Fall |
| Important Appellate Case Decision: MI Lake Homeowners Assn, Inc V Keeler Township | Read Article | 2008 Winter |
| Attorney Writes: Am I a Lakefront Property Owner? | Read Article | 2008 Winter |
| MI Supreme Court Reviews Tomecek Vs Bevas | Read Article Version 2 | 2008 Summer |
| MI Supreme Court Corrects Sunseekers Decision | Read Article Version 2 | 2008 Summer |
| Attorney Writes: Free Lake Weed Treatment? | Read Article | 2008 Summer |
| Riparianism and the Great Lakes | Read Article Version 2 | 2008 Spring |
| Attorney Writes: Wetlands - Not Swamps | Read Article | 2008 Spring |
| MI Court of Appeals on Riparian Boundary Lines | Read Article Version 2 | 2008 Fall |
| Attorney Writes: Riparians and Estate Planning | Read Article Version 2 | 2008 Fall |
| Attorney Writes: Docks and Rights | Read Article Version 2 | 2007 Winter |
| Attorney Writes: Buyer and Builder Beware! | Read Article Version 2 | 2007 Summer |
| Attorney Writes: Some Favorable Riparian Appellate Cases | Read Article | 2007 Spring |
| Attorney Writes: Odds and Ends... | Read Article Version 2 | 2007 Fall |
| Attorney Writes: Debunking Myths: Part II | Read Article Version 2 | 2006 Winter |
| Attorney Writes: New Michigan Appellate Cases | Read Article Version 2 | 2006 Summer |
| Attorney Writes: Associations: What good are they? | Read Article Version 2 | 2006 Spring |
| Another Riparian Victory in the Michigan Court of Appeals: Chauvette V Owczarek | Read Article | 2006 Fall |
| Attorney Writes: Debunking Myths | Read Article Version 2 | 2006 Fall |
| Higgins Lake Road Ends - Backlotters Lose Again | Read Article | 2005 Winter |
| Attorney Writes: The Beach Walker Case | Read Article Version 2 | 2005 Winter |
| Attorney Writes: A Blueprint to Protect Your Lake | Read Article Version 2 | 2005 Summer |
| Recent Events | Read Article Version 2 | 2005 Spring |
| Beach Walker Case Decision | Read Article Version 2 | 2005 Spring |
| Attorney Writes: Liability Concerns | Read Article Version 2 | 2005 Spring |
| Attorney Writes: No More Excuses for Municipalities | Read Article Version 2 | 2005 Fall |
| Attorney Writes: But the Realtor Told Me... | Read Article | 2004 Winter |
| Recent Michigan Appellate Cases of Interest | Read Article | 2004 Winter |
| Attorney Writes: Current Topics of Interest | Read Article Version 2 | 2004 Summer |
| Pro-Riparian Michigan Appellate Court Cases Regarding Lake Access Easements | Read Article | 2004 Spring |
| Attorney Writes: Wither Ice Mountain? | Read Article Version 2 | 2004 Spring |
| Attorney Writes: Why is Insurance so Important for Lake Properties? | Read Article | 2004 Fall |
| Michigan Supreme Court Refuses to Hear Appeal of Higgins Lake POA v Gerrish TWP Case | Read Article | 2003 Winter |
| Attorney Writes: The Top Eleven Threats to Riparians | Read Article | 2003 Winter |
| Attorney Writes: Recent Cases of Interest | Read Article Version 2 | 2003 Summer |
| Attorney Writes: Adverse Possession and Prescriptive Easements: A Prescription for Adversity? | Read Article Version 2 | 2003 Spring |
| Attorney Writes: On Water - Does Anything Go? | Read Article Version 2 | 2003 Fall |
| Attorney Writes: Maximum Enforcement | Read Article Version 2 | 2002 Winter |
| Attorney Writes: Zoning Tools that would Benefit Riparians if Supported or Authorized in Michigan | Read Article Version 2 | 2002 Summer |
| Attorney Writes: What Hath the Michigan Court of Appeals Wrought? | Read Article | 2002 Spring |
| Attorney Writes: Three Recent Court Decisions of Interest to Riparians | Read Article Version 2 | 2002 Fall |
| Attorney Writes: Getting in the Zone | Read Article Version 2 | 2001 Winter |
| Attorney Writes: The Top Ten Excuses - Are You Kidding?! | Read Article | 2001 Summer |
| Attorney Writes: Permit Me | Read Article Version 2 | 2001 Spring |
| Attorney Writes: Problems with Funneling | Read Article Version 2 | 2001 Fall |
| Attorney Writes: Where does your bottomlands end and your neighbor's begin? | Read Article Version 2 | 2000 Winter |
| Attorney Writes: Keeping it in the Family | Read Article Version 2 | 2000 Summer |
| Trespass on the Bottomlands of Another | Read Article | 2000 Summer |
| Attorney Writes: TRESPASS! | Read Article Version 2 | 2000 Spring |
| Bubblers - and we don't mean champagne | Read Article | 2000 Spring |
| Attorney Writes: Who Pulled the Plug on my Lake? | Read Article Version 2 | 2000 Fall |
| Attorney Writes: Anti-Keyhole and Anti-Funneling | Read Article Version 2 | 1999 Winter |
| Attorney Writes: Development | Read Article Version 2 | 1999 Summer |
| Attorney Writes: Let Sleeping Dogs Lie! | Read Article Version 2 | 1999 Spring |
| Loss of Local Control Could Hurt Lakes and Streams | Read Article | 1999 Fall |
| Attorney Writes: What Happens if the Dog Catches the Car? | Read Article Version 2 | 1999 Fall |
| Attorney Writes: Current Legislation | Read Article | 1998 Winter |
| Recent Statutes and Current Events | Read Article | 1998 Summer |
| What to do about Unreasonably Long Docks, Dangerous Rafts, Permanent Ski Jumps and other such items which Impede Navigability | Read Article Version 2 | 1998 Summer |
| Attorney Writes: A Modest Proposal | Read Article Version 2 | 1998 Summer |
| What is Navigability? | Read Article Version 2 | 1998 Spring |
| Attorney Writes: Urban Sprawl | Read Article Version 2 | 1998 Spring |
| DOCK WARS | Read Article Version 2 | 1998 Fall |
| Attorney Writes: One Definition of Chutzpah | Read Article Version 2 | 1998 Fall |
| Attorney Writes: Lake Associations | Read Article | 1997 Winter |
| Attorney Writes: Special Assessment Districts | Read Article | 1997 Summer |
| Attorney Writes: Recently Enacted Statutes and Current Issues | Read Article | 1997 Spring |
| Property Drainage Issues | Read Article | 1997 Fall |
| Attorney Writes: Preemption and Local Control | Read Article Version 2 | 1997 Fall |
| Attorney Writes: First Article - Road Ends at Lakes | Read Article Version 2 | 1996 Summer |
| Public Accesses - Rights and Limitations | Read Article | 1996 Fall |
| What Riparian Property Owners can do it their Municipality has no Lake Access Regulations | Read Article | 1995 Winter |
| What Can Be Done to Regulate Jet Skis? | Read Article Version 2 | 1995 Winter |