To start with, the waters of Deep Creek Lake are completely surrounded by a "Buffer Strip" of land which is owned by the State of Maryland.  This strip of land varies in width, from just a few feet to hundreds of feet wide.  Private properties that adjoin this Buffer Strip are called "Lakefront."

These adjoining landowners may apply for a "Buffer Strip Use Permit," which typically gives the landowner permission to make a pathway to the lake, and place a dock in the water.  However, since 1986, landowners have not been permitted to place permanent structures on the Buffer Strip, nor to change its character by cutting down trees or clearing brush.

So, a "Lakefront" property will adjoin the Buffer Strip, and may be only a few feet from the water's edge, with a grassy lawn that was established prior to the conservation restrictions, or it may be separated from the water by hundreds of feet of densly forested land.  In fact, some "Lakefront" properties are split by a road that runs parallel to the shoreline.  But regardless of the distance from the water, one of the benefits of owning Lakefront property is the ability to apply for permission to cross the buffer strip to reach the water, and to place a private dock in the lake.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources manages the lake buffer strip, and their website includes regulations and permit applications.