Keep Wisconsin
Lakes Open
Tell our Legislators:
Keep Our Lakes Open for Everyone!
SUPPORT the 200-Foot
Wake Surfing Standard.
✅ Scientifically-supported.
✅ Common sense.
✅ Statewide.
Out-of-State activists want to greatly expand NO WAKE zones in Wisconsin for all motorized boats. If these activists get their way, it will be idling only for many of our lakes.
Now is the time for state officials to set clear, statewide solution to preserve our lakes and protect our boating traditions.
A 200-foot from shore standard for wake surfing is the scientifically-supported, commonsense standard already adopted in other states that is proven to minimize shoreline impact while ensuring safe and fair use of public waters.
A 200-feet standard protects shorelines and lets everyone enjoy the water safely. At this distance, wakes are no more harmful than natural wind-driven waves, safety is improved, and our shorelines are preserved.
By adopting a uniform statewide law, we can safeguard natural resources, provide clarity for boaters and law enforcement, and keep Wisconsin’s waterways accessible, safe, and enjoyable for everyone.
➡️ Send a message to our legislators urging them to support the 200-foot standard!
Tell our legislators:
Keep Our Lakes Accessible!
Don’t let Wisconsin become the
most restricted boating state in the country!
Learn More
- Legislation to enact the 200-foot statewide setback from a shoreline, dock, pier, boathouse, or other structure for wakesurfing has been successfully implemented in other states already.
- Peer-reviewed research has concluded that this is the optimal distance to minimize the impact to shorelines.
- Researchers from Minneapolis used unrealistic conditions to generate their results and now are recommending that any motorized boats that are cruising or leisure cruising must be in at least 10 feet of water or greater. Regardless of what you are doing: fishing, towed water sports, pontooning, or wake surfing, it’s idle only for many Wisconsin lakes.
- Vessels towing persons may not come within 100 feet of shore, another boater, or designated swimming area.
- Wisconsin’s Public Trust Doctrine grants every citizen the right to use the state’s waterways, including for water sports recreation. The recreational boating industry is committed to working with the local community stakeholders and state and local elected officials to ensure all users have safe and equitable recreational access to public waters.
- Local ordinances cause confusion and problems, and the lack of a statewide standard creates challenges for both enforcement and compliance.
- A standardized approach, supported by the state, would provide clarity, improve compliance, empower DNR law enforcement and better protect the state’s natural resources.
- Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS): Wake boats are subject to the same laws as other boats regarding AIS and do not increase the spread of invasive species when appropriately drained.
- The boating and watersports industry is committed to educating users on how to decontaminate their boats. Here’s a link to WSIA’s decontamination database: https://www.wsia.net/wsia-announces-new-ais-decontamination-database/.
- Shoreline Protection: With a 200 foot state standard place, shorelines are more than protected as wake boats won’t damage shoreline when operated properly at that distance restriction.
- At a 200-foot distance, the energy of a wake boat wave is equivalent to waves generated by a 20 mph wind over a one-mile of water and much less than waves generated by wind on large lakes.
- Towed water sport boat wakes are still similar to those generated by other boats at a 100 feet from shore, which is the current state regulation (Cox and McFarlane).
- Safety: Properly operated boats don’t damage lake bottoms or put other boaters, fishers or swimmers at risk.
- Wake surfing is a slow, low impact activity that can be enjoyed by all ages, and the industry is committed to safety and keeping our waters in good condition and accessible to everyone.
- Depth requirements would be infeasible to enforce as water depth varies throughout.
- Towed water boat users avoid shallow water.
- The public policy debate about wake surfing has contained a lot of discussion about the St. Anthony Falls Study, which was conducted by the University of Minnesota. Local governments have relied upon the study to set policy and in some cases ban or significantly restrict wake surfing. Those against wake surfing are using it to try and convince lawmakers to significantly restrict wake surfing.
- Wisconsin’s Public Trust Doctrine grants every citizen the right to use the state’s waterways, including for water sports recreation. The recreational boating industry is committed to working with the local community stakeholders and state and local elected officials to ensure all users have safe and equitable recreational access to public waters.
- The study is flawed.
- The original study tested non-wakeboats under unrealistic conditions, very low speeds and minimal loading, while wakeboats were run under maximum ballast. Popular vessels such as pontoon boats and other sterndrive boats, which also produce large wakes, were not included. This created a biased and uninformed picture, overstating wakeboat impacts while ignoring other common boats and boating practices.
- Policies that single out wakeboats for restrictions risk creating an unfair and exclusionary precedent. Such measures marginalize one group of lake users despite evidence showing that all motorized craft share similar environmental profiles when operated responsibly. Restrictive rules would not only reduce recreational opportunities but also risk dividing lake communities at a time when collaboration is essential.
- Balanced, science-based guidelines are the key to healthy lakes and inclusive recreation. Practical measures such as operating boats in water deeper than 8–10 feet and keeping 100–200 feet from shore are effective for all vessels and avoid unfairly targeting specific groups. By focusing on watershed management, shoreline protection, and operator education, policymakers can achieve far greater environmental benefits without excluding certain boating communities.
- Maybe even more important to Wisconsin boaters though is that the St. Anthony falls study goes much further than just wake surfing. It actually recommends that:
- All recreational boats must be in 10 feet of water or more if cruising. This means you are no longer able to tube on many Wisconsin lakes and now you are trolling to your favorite fishing spot.
- All non wake boats leisure cruising must in 10 feet of water. This means no more pontooning around many of our lakes and looking at the houses
- Read more here about why the St. Anthony Falls Study is wrong.