Assuming the lakebed is not privately owned and there are no local ordinances governing its surface water use, basically you are only entitled riparian rights, meaning the right to use the water abutting your land for things such swimming, boating, navigation, etc. That also means that your right to use those rights should be shared with your neighbors rights and vice versa. You don't own the lakebed, your property line does not really extend into the lake. However, sometimes local cities adopt ordinances that create an area in the lake that you may place your dock, sometimes they use property line extensions, sometimes they use perpendicular to the shore extensions, but that still does not mean that is your land, it is there for you to use.
If you want to try to work it out without legal intervention, you can use the “reasonable use” test. Reasonable use depends on a balance between one owners’ riparian rights with those rights of another, which varies from case to case. Other factors relevant to reasonable use is the extent of harm it causes another and the purpose of the use. Also factors such as how much lakeshore you have vs. them can come into play, shoreline natures and fluctuation, etc.. The goal is for each owner to be allowed an equal right to make reasonable use of the water.
neutral@winthedispute.com

