Projo — A storm damaged his beachfront property. Why is he suing over RI's shoreline access law?

Everybody has their favorite places to beachcomber along the Ocean State’s 400-plus miles of coast. Here are a few that are popular.

July 23, 2025

By Katie Mulvaney

Key Points (AI-assisted summary)

• Rhode Island beachfront property owner David Welch is suing the state's Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) over public access requirements for storm damage repairs.

• Welch argues the CRMC's requirement that he provide public access up to 10 feet inland of the high tide line is an unconstitutional taking of his property.

• This is Welch's second lawsuit against the state regarding beach access; the first challenged the 2023 shoreline access law and is pending before the Supreme Court.

The beachfront property owner who successfully challenged the state’s shoreline access law in Superior Court is suing the state again, this time over a requirement that he provide public access and allow inspections in order to repair storm damage on his property.

David Welch, the owner of four lots on Charlestown Beach in South Kingstown, sued the Coastal Resources Management Council on June 27 over what he characterized as its policy requiring shoreline property owners to provide public access up to “ten feet (10’) landward of the recent recognizable high tide line” as a condition of routine permits to do work. Acting under the corporate name Stilts LLC, Welch argues that the mandate represents an unconstitutional taking of his private property without just compensation.

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