Under the remit of the Ministry of District Administration and Lands, the Public Lands Commission (PLC) was established in 2017 by the Public Lands Act, 2017. The mandate of the Public Lands Commission is set out in Section 5 of the Public Lands Act (now the 2020 Revision) found here. 

• Regulate the use and enjoyment of public land by members of the public;
• Protect the right of access to and use of public land (This includes registered and unregistered public rights of way to the beach and shoreline) by members of the public, including the enforcement of public rights of way over private land;
• Respond to complaints regarding the use or misuse of public land;
• Issue permits for the use of, and activities on public land;
• Advise the Chief Officer of the Ministry presided over by the Minister, on general policies respecting the enforcement of the Law and in particular enforcement matters;
• Exercise the powers and carry out the functions delegated to it by the Minister responsible for Lands.

The Inspectorate enforces the law as set out in the Public Lands Act (2020 Revision) and the Public Lands Regulations, 2021. The core role of the Inspectorate relates to the application and use of government property. The PLC is the entity responsible, under the Prescription Act (2018 Revision) for applying to the Grand Court in the event that an unregistered (prescriptive) public right of way to the beach is disputed. Obstructing a registered public right of way is a criminal offence under the Public Lands Act. Activities on public land without a PLC permit is a criminal offense and are liable to a fine by the PLC. (See details in the Public Lands Regulations 2021, Section 16)