Wis. Admin. Code Department of Natural Resources NR 45.11

Current through October 28, 2024
Section NR 45.11 - Boats
(1) No person may operate a boat within a water area marked by buoys or other approved regulatory devices as a swimming beach; or operate a boat in a restricted use area contrary to regulatory notice marked on buoys or other approved regulatory devices. This subsection does not apply in the case of emergency, or to patrol or rescue craft.
(2)
(a) No person may moor, anchor or leave unattended any boat or aircraft in any state park, recreation area, state natural area or at any campground or picnic area in any state forest, except in areas designated for that purpose.
(b) No boat or aircraft may be left on shore, moored or anchored overnight in the waters of any state park, state natural area, recreation area or forest recreational area except in areas designated for that purpose or on state-owned islands designated for camping.
(c) No person may remain overnight in any boat, watercraft or aircraft anchored, moored or docked at any department-controlled dock, wharf, boat landing or marina, or other mooring area except at the marina at High Cliff state park, the marina at Lakeshore state park, at the sand delta at Kinnickinnic state park, at Eagle island (Horseshoe island) and Nicolet bay (Shanty bay) in the Peninsula state park, at the campground in Merrick state park, and at Rock Island state park.
(3) No person may leave any boat or watercraft on any state property contrary to posted notice except as provided in s. NR 45.11 (2) (a) and (b).
(4) No person may operate a motorboat of any kind in any manner on the following specified waters, except as provided in sub. (5):
(a) Lakes of the Dalles in Interstate park, section 31, T34N, R18W, and section 36, T34N, R19W, town of St. Croix Falls, Polk county.
(aa) Bass lake, section 18, T38N, R2W, town of Flambeau, Price county.
(b) Interfalls lake in Pattison state park, sections 21, 22, 27 and 28, T47N, R14W, town of Superior, Douglas county.
(bm) All waters of the Meadow Valley wildlife area in Jackson, Juneau and Monroe counties.
(d) The following waters in the Northern Highland and American Legion state forests:
1. Crystal lake, sections 27 and 28, T41N, R7E, towns of Plum Lake and Boulder Junction, Vilas county.
2. Wildwood lake, section 33, T41N, R7E, town of Boulder Junction, Vilas county.
3. Firefly lake, sections 28 and 33, T41N, R7E, town of Boulder Junction, Vilas county.
4. Little John, Jr. lake, sections 28 and 29, T41N, R7E, town of Boulder Junction, Vilas county.
5. Little Bass lake, sections 15, 16, 21 and 22, T39N, R7E, town of Woodruff, Oneida county.
6. Maple lake, sections 3 and 10, T42N, R6E, town of Boulder Junction, Vilas county.
7. Nichols lake, section 24, T42N, R6E, town of Boulder Junction, Vilas county.
8. Alva lake, sections 27 and 28, T42N, R8E, town of Plum Lake, Vilas county.
9. Salsick lake, sections 11, 12, 13 and 14, T41N, R8E, town of Plum Lake, Vilas county.
11. Allequash springs, section 14, T41N, R7E, town of Plum Lake, Vilas county.
12. Stevenson springs, sections 3 and 4, T41N, R7E, towns of Plum Lake and Boulder Junction, Vilas county.
13. Bear springs, sections 7 and 18, T41N, R8E, town of Plum Lake, Vilas county.
(dm) All waters of the Wood county public hunting grounds in Wood county.
(e) All waters in Spring Creek wildlife area, Price county.
(fm) All waters in Pershing wildlife area, Taylor county.
(gm) All waters in Muddy Creek wildlife area, Dunn county.
(i) All state-owned lands and waters within the boundaries of the Germania wildlife area, Marquette county.
(k) On all ditches, streams and flowages, except the Little Eau Pleine river, within the boundaries of the Mead wildlife area, in the counties of Marathon, Portage and Wood.
(km) Mud lake in the Goose Lake wildlife area, section 2, T7N, R12E, Dane county.
(L) On the waters of MacKenzie lake in sections 11, 12, 13 and 14, T36N, R16W, town of Bone Lake, Polk county.
(Lm) All waters of the Sandhill wildlife area in Wood county.
(m) All waters in Theresa Marsh wildlife area, Dodge and Washington counties during the open season on migratory waterfowl.
(mm) All waters in Gov. Tommy G. Thompson Centennial state park, sections 13-15, 17, 22-24, T33N, R18E, town of Stephenson, Marinette county.
(n) All waters in Eldorado wildlife area, Fond du Lac county.
(p) All waters in Collins Marsh wildlife area, Manitowoc county.
(q) On the waters of Little Falls lake in Willow River state park in sections 4, 8 and 9, T29N, R19W, town of St. Joseph, and sections 8 and 9, T29N, R19W, town of Hudson, St. Croix county.
(s) All waters of the Grand River wildlife area in Green Lake and Marquette counties.
(u) All waters of the McMillan Marsh wildlife area in Marathon county.
(w) On all the waters of Jersey Valley lake, section 13, T14N, R4W, town of Christiana, Vernon county.
(x) On all the waters of Sidie Hollow lake, section 10, T12N, R5W, town of Franklin, Vernon county.
(y) All waters within the boundaries of the Powell Marsh wildlife area in the counties of Iron and Vilas, except Little Trout, Ike Walton and Sherman lakes.
(z) All waters in the Augusta wildlife area in Eau Claire county.
(zb) On Straight Lake or Rainbow Lake in Straight Lake state park.
(zc) Puckett's Pond, Harrington Beach state park, Section 24, T12N, R22E, NE 1/4, SW 1/4, Town of Belgium, Ozaukee County.
(5) Any person possessing a physician's statement indicating that the person is not capable of rowing or paddling a boat or canoe may operate a battery-operated electric motor on waters specified in sub. (4), at a slow-no-wake speed and in no case may this speed exceed 5 miles per hour.
(6) No person may operate a motorboat of any kind in any manner except battery-powered electric motors at a slow-no-wake speed and in no case at a speed to exceed 5 miles per hour on:
(a) The waters of Devil's lake in Devil's Lake state park, sections 13 and 14, T11N, R6E, town of Baraboo, and section 25, T11N, R6E, town of Sumpter, Sauk county.
(b) All waters within Governor Dodge state park, sections 35 and 36, T7N, R3E, and sections 1, 2, 10 and 11, T6N, R3E, town of Dodgeville, Iowa county.
(c) All waters within Hartman Creek state park except Pope lake, sections 5 and 6, T21N, R11E, town of Dayton, Waupaca county.
(cm) All waters in the Browntown-Cadiz Springs recreation area, Green county.
(d) The following waters in the Northern Highland and American Legion state forests:
1. Cunard lake, sections 23 and 26, T39N, R7E, town of Woodruff, Oneida county.
2. Starrett lake, sections 13, 14, 23 and 24, T41N, R7E, town of Plum Lake, Vilas county.
3. Emerald lake, sections 32 and 33, T41N, R7E, town of Boulder Junction, Vilas county.
4. Fallison lake, section 33, T41N, R7E, town of Boulder Junction, Vilas county.
5. Lower Allequash lake, sections 16 and 17, T41N, R7E, town of Boulder Junction, Vilas county.
6. Frank lake, section 13, T41N, R7E and section 18, T41N, R8E, town of Plum Lake, Vilas county.
7. Hemlock lake, sections 8, 17 and 18, T39N, R7E, town of Woodruff, Oneida county.
8. Day lake, sections 1 and 2, T41N, R6E, town of Boulder Junction, Vilas county.
9. Nixon lake, sections 24 and 25, T42N, R7E, sections 19 and 30, T42N, R8E, towns of Boulder Junction and Plum Lake, Vilas county.
10. Dorothy Dunn lake, sections 26 and 27, T42N, R8E, town of Plum Lake, Vilas county.
11. Jean lake, sections 25 and 26, T42N, R8E, town of Plum Lake, Vilas county.
12. Eloise lake, section 25, T42N, R8E, town of Plum Lake, Vilas county.
13. Lone Tree lake, section 9, T41N, R8E, town of Plum Lake, Vilas county.
(f) Pigeon Creek flowage, sections 15 and 16, T20N, R2W, town of Millston, Jackson county.
(g) Vern Wolf lake within Richard Bong state recreation area, sections 15, 16, 21 and 22, T2N, R20E, town of Brighton, Kenosha county.
(h) Mauthe lake in Kettle Moraine state forest, sections 11, 12, 13 and 14, T13N, R19E, town of Auburn, Fond du Lac county.
(j) Butler lake in the Kettle Moraine state forest, section 20, T14N, R20E, town of Mitchell, Sheboygan county.
(k) Vernon wildlife area, all waters on department owned lands within T5N, R18E, T5N, R19E and T6N, R19E, Waukesha county except the Fox (Illinois) river channel.
(L) All waters in Big Bay Sand Spit and Bog state natural area, section 13, T5ON, R3W, town of La Pointe, Ashland county.
(m) Ottawa lake in Kettle Moraine state forest, section 34, T6N, R17E, town of Ottawa, Waukesha county.
(n) All waters within Paradise Valley wildlife area, except the Bark River channel and Beaver Dam lake, in Waukesha county.
(o) All the waters of Cruson and Smith lakes in the Lone Rock unit, Lower Wisconsin state riverway, Richland county.
(7) All boats, including every description of watercraft, used or capable of being used as a means of transportation on water are prohibited from the following specified waters:
(a) On the Pinnacle Rock public fishing pond, section 16, T15N, R3W, town of Jefferson, Monroe county.
(d) Salmo pond, section 5, T7N, R7E, town of Cross Plains, Dane county.
(e) Token Creek Spring pond, section 34, T9N, R10E, town of Windsor, Dane county.
(f) Kickapoo springs, section 14, T16N, R1W, town of Wilton, Monroe county.
(g) Lowe Creek pond, sections 29 and 30, T22N, R5W, town of Hixton, Jackson county.
(h) Oxbow trout pond, section 23, T22N, R3W, town of Komensky, Jackson county.
(k) Quarry lake, section 19, T12N, R23E, town of Belgium, Ozaukee county.
(8) No person may operate a motorboat of any kind in any manner except at a slow-no-wake speed and in no case at a speed to exceed 5 miles per hour on the waters of Blackhawk lake, sections 5 and 6, T6N, R2E, town of Highland and sections 7 and 8, T6N, R2E, town of Eden, Iowa county.
(9)
(a) Within the boundaries of state parks, air boats may not be operated on lands and waters including wetlands under the supervision, management or control of the department unless air boat use is specifically authorized by the property master plan.

Note: This provision applies to waters located entirely within the exterior boundaries of state parks. On waters of the state outside of but adjoining state park boundaries, air boats may be used up to the point where the water meets dry land. Maps of state park boundaries are available at https://dnrmaps.wi.gov/H5/?viewer=LF_Master_Planning.

(b) On properties other than those described under par. (a), air boats may not be operated on lands under the supervision, management, or control of the department, and air boats may not be operated on waters including wetlands under the exclusive riparian control of the department, unless air boat use is specifically authorized by posted notice. The department exercises exclusive riparian control over a water when the water meets all of the following criteria:
1. The riparian land is completely under department fee or easement ownership.
2. The waterbody lacks frequent and direct navigable public access from adjacent waters.
3. The surface water perimeter of the waterbody is not within any public road rights-of-way.

Note: When navigable water inundates lands under the supervision, management, or control of the department where air boat use is allowed, the department considers the water to be open to air boat use up to the point that it meets dry land.

(c) Except as restricted or prohibited under pars. (a) and (b), subs. (4), (6), (7), and (10), and s. NR 45.04 (1) (b), air boats may be launched or removed from any department-owned launch site.
(10) No person may launch or remove a motorboat of a type restricted on that waterbody in the property's master plan under the authority of s. NR 44.07 (4) (d), (5) (d), or (6) (h). Notice of the prohibition shall be posted at the launch site.

Wis. Admin. Code Department of Natural Resources NR 45.11

Cr. Register, December, 1983, No. 336, eff. 1-1-84; cr. (9), Register, August, 1986, No. 368, eff. 9-1-86; renum. (4) (f) and (r) to be (6) (cm) and (f) and am. (6) (cm), r. (7) (i), Register, December, 1987, No. 384, eff. 1-1-88; r. (4) (c), (g), (j) and (o), am. (4) (v) and (6) (e), cr. (6) (g) to (j), Register, December, 1993, No. 456, eff. 1-1-94; cr. (6) (k), Register, August, 1994, No. 464, eff. 1-1-95; am. (2) (a) and (b), cr. (4) (aa) and (6) (L), Register, November, 1995, No. 479, eff. 12-1-95; am. (1), (6) (cm) and (g), Register, December, 1997, No. 504, eff. 1-1-98; r. (4) (h), cr. (6) (m), Register, December, 1999, No. 528, eff. 1-1-00; CR 03-035: am. (6) (g), Register December 2003 No. 576, eff. 1-1-04; CR 04-092: cr. (4) (mm) Register April 2005 No. 592, eff. 5-1-05; CR 10-042: cr. (4) (zb) and (10), am. (2) (c) Register December 2010 No. 660, 1-1-11.
Amended by, CR 16-007: cr. (4) (zc), r. (7) (j) Register July 2017 No. 739, eff. 8/1/2017
Amended by, CR 23-060: r. (4) (t), (v), (6) (e), (i). cr. (6) (n), (o), r. (7) (b), renum. (9) to (9) (a) and am., cr. (9) (b), (c) Register July 29 No. 823, eff. 8/1/2024

Pursuant to the applicability provisions of s. NR 45.02, this provision will apply only to the launching and removal of motorboats from department-owned or managed properties.