In most states some portion of beaches are public land and all members of the public have a right to use that portion of the beach. The ability to walk along the beach is known as lateral beach access.

But the land between where people can park or walk to the beach and where they can enjoy the beach is often private property, making it difficult to provide access to the public while protecting personal property rights. The ability to reach the beach is known as vertical beach access.

Laws regarding public access to beaches vary from state to state but many states recognize the public trust doctrine, a legal doctrine that certain natural resources such as beaches are owned or held by the government in trust for the public’s use and enjoyment and that the government has an obligation to protect and maintain these resources for the public.

In South Carolina, the public has the right to use the beaches under the public trust doctrine, which holds that the state owns the beaches in trust for the public's use and enjoyment. The state's Beachfront Management Act helps to ensure public access to the beachfront. Lateral beach access, the right to walk along the beach, is generally allowed up to the high-water mark, which is considered public land. However, vertical beach access, which is the ability to reach the beach from inland areas, can be more complicated due to private property rights. South Carolina has made efforts to provide public beach access points, but in areas where the land between the access points and the beach is privately owned, access can be limited. The state and local governments work to balance the rights of private property owners with the public's right to access the beach, often by establishing public pathways or easements to allow for vertical access to the shore.