Recently, there has been some news in Belize about public access to both over water structures and beaches in Belize. And, on Ambergris Caye, according to the San Pedro Sun, the Area Representative to the national legislature has announced a moratorium on the building of new docks on the island.
When I was doing my research into moving to Belize, I read that all beaches were considered public, and that docks were also open to the public between sunrise and sunset. This was a real positive for me, as I had lived on Kaua’i for 15 years, where all of the beaches in the state of Hawai’i are, by law, open to the public.
However, just before and after the strict Covid island lockdown in San Pedro, I noticed that both many of the new docks, and some of the nicer existing docks, were installing gates on the entrance to the docks, and these gates were locked not only at night, but anytime that the owners were not using them. Thus, public access to these overwater structures was limited, and this was a bit disappointing as I loved to walk out onto some of the docks during my early morning walks along the sea front in town.
In this article, we take a look at the national law, as well as some of the realities, concerning public access to the beaches in Belize.
What does the national law say about public access to beaches in Belize?
According to federal law in Belize, under the National Lands Act, there is a 66 foot Beach Reserve on all coasts, which extends 66 feet from the high tide mark inland. Thus, by law, public access is granted for all beaches in Belize. This Beach Reserve has traditionally been referred to as Queen’s Land.
Even if a private property owner has title to a large seafront parcel, under this law, the public have access to the beach area which starts from the hide tide mark and continues 66 feet inland toward the private parcel. Unfortunately, in practice, some large landholders and resort properties have recently attempted to build fences and other structures in places to keep the public from accessing the beach front.
According to the independent Belize News site National Perspective Belize, the Queen’s Land requirements can be summarized as follows:
National Perspective Belize
- Public Access to Beaches: Beaches, coastlines, and waterways are considered public goods, not private property. Regardless of ownership of adjacent lands, the beach itself is open to all Belizeans and visitors.
- Waters Are Not for Sale: Ownership of waterfront property does not extend to the surrounding waters or the seabed. These are nationally owned resources, protected by law for the enjoyment of everyone.
- Limits on Structures: Building docks, seawalls, or other structures in or near public waters requires specific government permits. Even then, such developments should not restrict public access.
Even though the law states that nothing can legally be developed on Queen’s Land without a Permit granted by the Ministry of Natural Resources, for anyone who has taken a walk along the sea front in San Pedro town, it is obvious that over the years many businesses have encroached on Queen’s Land by building decks and other structures along the shoreline.
Starting a couple of years ago, the San Pedro Town Council and the Building Department in San Pedro began more stringently enforcing regulations concerning building on the sea front. I recall one business which was building a new concrete parking area in front of their building near the Boca del Rio Park, and the Council forced them to dismantle what they had started to build, citing that the new work was being undertaken on Queen’s Land.
Let’s look at a few of the current problems with public beach access in Belize and some of the steps which have been taken to restore access.
Recent problems with access to public beaches in Belize: Caye Caulker
In January 2025, the Caye Caulker Village Council sent employees and volunteers to remove barriers from the beach area which were put in place by a local resident. The Village Council indicated that they were responding to complaints that a private party had restricted access to two public beach areas and a street.
One of the Caye Caulker residents who installed the barriers was a local attorney, who claimed that the barriers were not intended to restrict access to the beach, but to keep golf carts from driving on the beach in front of her mother’s beachfront property. She said that there was no legal street on the beach front, and the golf carts running along the beach affected adjacent properties.
According to the San Pedro Sun, the attorney claimed, “The posts had been in place for several years,” and she also mentioned that after leaving the country a year ago, the Village Council removed them without a court order or prior notice.
The Village Council replied that these areas are nationally owned and are meant to be accessible to the Caye Caulker community. The council explained that it has been working with government officials. local residents, and property owners over the past two years to address these issues.
Problems with access to docks in Belize: San Pedro
For the past three years or so, there has been a lot of debate and controversy over access to docks in San Pedro Town. The same law which mandates public access to Queens Land, which includes all land up to 66 feet from the high tide mark, also mandates that all beachfront, including docks, must remain accessible to the public, prohibiting any permanent barriers that would restrict access.
Just after the strict Covid lockdown on the island, there seemed to be an ever-growing number of both new docks and existing docks in San Pedro which had installed gates that were kept locked nearly all of the time.
The newly locked gates led to many complaints from the public, and the San Pedro Town Council sought clarification of the law from the Ministry of Natural Resources, who clarified that structures built on national land must allow public access from 6AM to 6PM. Any obstructions could result in penalties for property owners, including the loss of building permits or orders to dismantle unauthorized structures.
Even with this clarification, the San Pedro Town Council has continued struggling with figuring out how to enforce public access to these over water structures. These ongoing enforcement problems have led the Area Representative to the national legislature to promise more drastic action.
What are the proposed solutions to the problem of public access to docks and beaches in Belize?
Andre Perez, the San Pedro and Rural Belize South representative to the national legislature, has stated that there will be “No more docks” in San Pedro. He made this statement while discussing a broader initiative to address private property holders attempting to limit access to public lands in Belize.
Representative Perez, in an interview on Channel Five Belize, stated that he believes that the root of the problem is that some real estate agents are promising investors many things for which they have no right to promise.
For example, Perez states that real estate agents are telling people that they can guarantee a client that the client will receive a golf cart permit from the council, or that they can build a private dock or other structures along the shoreline.
Perez said that he and the council want to let the real estate companies know:
“They need to get their act together and let them know that when you sell a property to somebody, you cannot guarantee these things. We have people soliciting our offices saying minister or mayor, can you help me?
Belize Rural South Area Representative Andre Perez
These people want a golf cart; they want this, but that is a different matter. When you have the investors coming in and saying they promised me a golf cart and a dock, that was only to sell the property. We must look at that because real estate companies are not driving the real issue of buying a property, what it entails, and the responsibilities. Buying a waterfront property does not guarantee that you will be building a dock. In fact, we are making it clear: no more docks.”
As Representative Perez suggests, the problem with private property owners, especially new owners, seeking to restrict public access to docks and beaches in Belize is apparently due to widespread misunderstandings about property rights among waterfront property buyers in Belize.
Many folks seem to believe that purchasing waterfront parcels grants them exclusive rights over the shoreline and the beach; however, as we have seen, under Belizean law, the coastline is protected by the designated 66-foot beach reserve that ensures public access. Representative Perez believes that this legal framework was put into place to preserve the country’s natural resources and prevent the privatization of public spaces, and he is ready to take action to preserve public access to docks and beaches in Belize.
Public beach access in Belize is only one recent controversy which has, at its center, the real estate industry in the country. For more information on the Basics of Real Estate in Belize, please check out our article in which we take a look at real estate brokers, agents, and common practices here in Belize.
Final thoughts on Public Access to Beaches in Belize
While the examples I cite above concerning limiting public access to docks and beaches in Belize are taken from the cayes, the problem of private landowners building unpermitted structures in or over the water, as well as owners attempting to block public access to beaches in Belize also occurs on the mainland.
Last year, where I live in Corozal, a private landowner built a large stone jetty out into the water of Corozal Bay, and as the bay is protected as part of the Corozal Bay Wildlife Sanctuary (CBWS) in Belize, this structure had been built illegally. After a number of complaints by the public, the landowner was forced to disassemble the jetty.
There have also been reports of friction between private landowners and members of the community in Placencia over the use of the Beach Reserve in the area.
Now that international players such as Marriott and Hilton are operating large properties in Belize, I hope that the local and national governments in Belize will not begin to carve out exceptions for large property developers in order to help them provide private beaches and over water structures for their guests.
The national law concerning the public set-aside for the Beach Reserve here in Belize has been tested by some smaller players in the market, but I hope that it will withstand the pressure of large developers.
Finally, if you are considering the purchase of water front or beach-front property, please question any promises concerning beach access or the ability to build structures on Queen’s Land, as these promises are likely being made simply to make the property more attractive and to close a sale.
And, if you are considering a move to Belize, you might want to check out our book: Belize FAQs: A detailed guide for those interested in moving to Belize. In the book, there are more than 150 pages of Belize FAQs at your fingertips. And Belize FAQs is available in both paperback and Kindle formats.