In 1967, the Supreme Court affirmed that lands now or formerly flowed by the tides belong to the State of New Jersey. O’Neill v. State Highway Dept., 50 N.J. 307, 322 (1967). After the O’Neill decision, the state of New Jersey filed maps laying claim to properties in 17of New Jersey’s 21 counties. Lawrence J. Fineberg, Handbook of New Jersey Title Practice, § 11505 (3rd Ed. 2009).
State riparian claims are numerous; there are over 100,000 claims pending against properties in New Jersey. Written Submission of Department of Environmental Protection to the New Jersey Law Revision Commission, Sept. 5, 2007, page 4. Some are substantial; “Claims Map 686-2172,” which itself covers only a portion of Jersey City, includes claims in the middle of built-up, high-rise, city blocks.
