UPDATE: Hawaii Supreme Court Rejects Beach Ownership Case

A month ago, we asked "Who owns the sand?" and on Thursday the Hawaii Supreme Court gave us the answer [pdf] — and it's complicated.

Basically, in declining to review the appeals court ruling in Maunalua Bay Beach Ohana vs. State of Hawaii, the Supreme Court, by a 3-2 vote, left the lower court's opinion as the law of the land.

As it stands today, the state must fairly compensate oceanfront property owners if it takes any sand that piled up on beaches before 2003, but the state can take any subsequent or future beach growth without any compensation.

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