About the Local Boating Ordinance Database
Recently, the Department developed an online database
of local boating ordinances. The Wisconsin Boating Ordinance data set shows waterbodies,
local municipalities and counties where local boating ordinances are in effect and
where the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has a copy on file. The data
layer only shows water bodies, municipalities or counties, as a whole, where ordinances
are in effect. It does not show the location of actual waterway markers.
By law, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources must receive a copy of each
local boating ordinance. The Boating Ordinance data set is the result of a two-year
effort to scan and map the ordinances on file. As new ordinances come in, they are
added to the database. However, there may be some delay between the time a local
boating ordinance is passed and the time it gets into the database.
Therefore, you may use this online data set for planning, but the only way to know
for sure if a water body has an ordinance in effect is to look for a sign posted
at a public boat landing.