Pine Needle Lawn

Wisconsin DNR receives permission to declare existing docks “illegal”

On July 6, 2006, the Wisconsin Supreme Court declared that the WI DNR could apply new standards retroactively to existing piers.

What does this mean? It means that if you have are a Wisconsin lakeshore owner, and your dock is:

1. Greater than 6 feet wide -or-
2. Extends into water deeper than 3 feet (or beyond the depth necessary to moor your boat) -or-
3. Has more than two slips for the first 50 feet of frontage and an additional slip for each additional 50 feet of frontage

You could be required to modify or remove sections of your existing pier. Thousands of docks throughout Wisconsin that have not received a permit could be deemed “illegal” and be required to be modified or removed.

This action could have a huge impact on lakeshore property values.

For more info:

http://dnr.wi.gov/org/water/fhp/waterway/piers.shtml
http://dnr.wi.gov/org/water/fhp/waterway/permits/Piers2006.pdf

This entry was posted on Friday, September 1st, 2006 at 3:02 pm and is filed under Environment. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.