Shoreline protection

Shoreline protection exists for the purpose of promoting access to shorelines for outdoor recreational activities and to preserve good living conditions for animal and plant life. If there are special reasons, you can be exempted from shoreline protection.

General information about shoreline protection

Shoreline protection applies to lakes and watercourses according to Chapter 7, Sections 13-18 of the Environmental Code. The purpose of shoreline protection is to promote access to shorelines for outdoor recreation, counteract privatization, and preserve good living conditions for animal and plant life on land and in water. Shoreline protection in Grums municipality varies from 100 to 300 meters upland from the shoreline and the same number of meters out into the water.

How do I know which area is protected from the shore?

The municipality's building inspector can answer how large the protected area is from the shore at our lakes and waterways in Grums, and whether there is a detailed plan or whether a collective development applies.

When is an exemption granted?

The municipal board can grant a shoreline protection exemption if it is assessed that there is a special reason for this. This could be if there is an established plot of land, or that a major road breaks the beach, or that there is a gap between two plots of land that makes the land inaccessible to the public.

The decision

If the municipal board can grant a shoreline protection exemption, a site restriction must be stated in the decision. The decision must be sent to the County Administrative Board, which can appeal the board's decision within three weeks of receiving the decision.

Application for a shoreline protection exemption

Documents submitted when applying for a shoreline protection exemption:

• Measured situation plan scale 1:500 or 1:1000.
• Map with markings where the application applies, scale 1:10000.
• Form for applying for a beach protection exemption. You can find the form via the link below.

Application for shoreline protection exemption (in Swedish) External link, opens in new window.

What you can and cannot do

Within a plot of land that you have the right to fence in, you may do the following without an exemption from the shoreline protection. This is provided that you do not significantly impair the living conditions of animals and plants:

• make minor extensions if you maintain the same purpose, for example, build a residential building or holiday home. However, this requires a building permit if the house is located within a collective development or detailed plan
• construct other normal land developments in close proximity to the main building.

Within a shoreline protection area, you may not, without a permit from the municipality (shoreline protection exemption):

• build a new building including a Friggebod. However, the County Administrative Board has decided that additional buildings on the plot that are located further from the shore than the current building do not require an exemption. The building permit requirement applies as usual
• change a building so that it serves a different purpose than it was previously used for, for example, convert a boathouse into a holiday home. Change of purpose also requires a building permit
• preparing land for new or modified development
• carrying out other facilities that prevent or deter the public from entering an otherwise public right area through privatizing measures. Examples of such facilities are jetties (including floating jetties) and piers, fences, barbecue areas, garden paths, gardens, arbors, lawns, flagpoles, playgrounds, tennis courts, roads and parking lots
• carrying out measures that significantly worsen the living conditions of animals and plants, e.g. beach protection and dredging.

Even if a beach protection exemption is not required, a permit may be required under other rules. The municipal board is the supervisory authority for compliance with the beach protection rules. If there is suspicion of an environmental crime, one is obliged to file a lawsuit.