Text of the provision
Art. 502. The following are of public dominion:
(1) Rivers and their natural beds;
(2) Continuous or intermittent waters of springs and brooks running in their natural beds and the beds themselves;
(3) Waters rising continuously or intermittently on lands of public dominion;
(4) Lakes and lagoons formed by Nature on public lands, and their beds;
(5) Rain waters running through ravines or sand beds, which are also of public dominion;
(6) Subterranean waters on public lands;
(7) Waters found within the zone of operation of public works, even if constructed by a contractor;
(8) Waters rising continuously or intermittently on lands belonging to private persons, to the State, to a province, or to a city or a municipality from the moment they leave such lands;
(9) The waste waters of fountains, sewers and public establishments.
(407)
Civil Code of the Philippines, Republic Act No. 386, approved June 18, 1949, effective August 30, 1950. Reproduced in full; verified verbatim against the LawPhil and ChanRobles official-text renderings.
What this article means
This article lists the waters that belong to the public dominion — rivers and their natural beds, springs and brooks in their natural beds, lakes and lagoons formed by nature on public land, rain water running through ravines, underground water on public land, water within the zone of public works, and the waste waters of fountains, sewers and public establishments. Water that rises on private land also becomes public from the moment it leaves that land.
Related provisions
- Article 413 — Special Laws Govern the Rest.
- Article 503 — Waters Of Private Ownership.
Cases citing this article
- Republic of the Philippines vs. Arcadio Ivan A. Santos III, et al, G.R. No. 160453, November 12, 2012 — read the decision on LawPhil →
- Pilar Development Corporation vs. Ramon Dumadag, Ronaldo Bacabac, et al, G.R. No. 194336, March 11, 2013 — read the decision on LawPhil →
- Filinvest Land, Inc. vs. Flood-affected Homeowners etc., et al, G.R. No. 165955, August 10, 2007 — read the decision on LawPhil →
- Pelbel Manufacturing Corporation, et al. vs. Hon. Court of Appeals, et al, G.R. No. 141325, July 31, 2006 — read the decision on LawPhil →
- Republic of the Philippines vs. Candy Maker, Inc., etc, G.R. No. 163766, June 22, 2006 — read the decision on LawPhil →
Compiled automatically from Supreme Court decisions published on LawPhil that expressly cite this article, most frequently cited first. A listing means the decision cites the provision — it is not a statement that the case is the leading authority, and it does not show whether a ruling has since been modified or abandoned. Always read the decision itself.