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New Laws for Area Lakes

New Laws on Area Lakes
The Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department Lakes Enforcement Units worked with the three lake commissions to unify all the boating laws on Lake Norman, Mountain Island Lake and Lake Wylie. Each of the three main lakes in the Charlotte area have Marine Commissions that pass laws pertaining to safety and water quality for their respective lakes.

In the past there have been different age restrictions for operating personal watercraft and different requirements for pulling skiers on the different lakes. Working with the commissioners from Mountain Island Lake Marine Commission, Lake Norman Marine Commission and Lake Wylie Marine Commission, we have reached an agreement that will benefit the public as well as law enforcement.

Below you will find some of the major changes to area boating law.

You must be over the age of 16 to operate a personal watercraft or a motorboat with an internal combustion engine over 10 horsepower. However, persons 12 to 15 years of age may operate either craft above if they successfully complete a water safety class that is National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) approved but not offered on the internet. This is the same class that has been taught in the area by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission, US Coast Guard Auxiliary, US Power Squadron, and Lighthouse Marine. Persons age 12 to 15 must also carry proof of passing the class as well as a picture identification card. (Persons requesting ID cards for this purpose may contact the Lake Wylie Marine Commission or the Lake Norman Marine Commission to have one made after completing the course.)

Another new requirement for this year is that any person being towed behind a boat for recreation must have on a US Coast Guard approved life preserver capable of withstanding an impact of 50 miles per hour. This pertains to skiing, wakeboarding, kneeboarding, tubing, etc. For the past several years this has been a requirement for persons being towed behind a personal watercraft, this new ordinance makes things equal for both.

In addition to the towed person wearing a life preserver, there has to be an observer in the boat or a marine type mirror adequate to observe the progress of the person being towed. This too has been a requirement for personal watercraft and now becomes a requirement for motorboats. In the past, the law required this only if the towed person was not wearing a life preserver. The new ordinance requires the life preserver AND either a mirror or observer.