Summary

The Department of Administration (DOA) is charged with managing and controlling the State's submerged lands. DOA does not have a comprehensive inventory of lands submerged under navigable rivers, so the extent to which private parties may hold title to these lands is unknown. Whereas DOA grants and tracks certain types of easements, it does not require easements for many structures built on lands submerged under navigable rivers and does not exercise its authority to lease or convey mineral deposits for most mining on submerged lands. The General Assembly could consider requiring DOA to improve its management and tracking of submerged lands and creating a submerged lands claims process based on a process North Carolina used for 25 coastal counties in the past.

Final Report

Executive Summary

Presentation