Boat docks, like other properties along Missouri’s lakes, are valuable and jealously guarded by those claiming ownership or rights of use.
The law of boat docks is a muddle, perhaps due to the historic lack of clarity as to whether a boat dock is real property (land and the things attached permanently to it) or personal property (anything but real property), which is generally portable.
The Missouri legislature attempted to resolve that issue for the purposes of appraisal and mortgage lending with the enactment of HB 842, sponsored by Rep. Dennis Wood, whose legislative district encompasses Table Rock Lake.
Signed by Gov. Nixon on July 7, 2009 and effective August 28, 2009, this new law defines “boat dock” as “a structure for loading and unloading boats and connecting real property to water, public or private.” In addition, “a boat dock is real property and has riparian rights,” provided: Read the rest of this entry
Ozarks Law & Economy 