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Wake Surfing Legislation Heating Up In A Handful Of States

| General Government Relations

With several state legislatures schedule to resume operations in the days and weeks ahead, the NMMA advocacy team is engaging with policymakers across the country on key recreational boating industry issues, including wake surfing access. To date, four state legislatures have acted on this critical issue, and more are expected to follow suit throughout 2021.

Below is a list of states where the NMMA advocacy team is engaging on wake surfing legislation, along with the specific proposals before each legislature.

For more information, please contact NMMA manager of Great Lakes policy and engagement, Jill Sims at [email protected].


Active Wake Surfing Legislation

Indiana (HB1098)

  • HB 1098 – Defines wakeboarding and wake surfing; prohibits night wake boarding/wake surfing; establishes process for lakes to petition NRC for restrictions and includes safety requirements for the watercraft.

New Hampshire (HB229 and HB115)

  • HB 229 – “Wake boat" means any boat that is equipped with ballast tanks, bags, compartments, containers, plumbing, or similar devices or systems that are designed to alter or enhance the characteristics of the boat's wake, and is also known as a "ballast boat."
  • HB 115 – Requires wake surfers to wear life jackets, bans nighttime wake surfing, and requires the tow boat to be designed by the manufacturer for wake surfing.

Oregon (HB 2555, HB 2725, and HB 2734)

  • HB 2555 and HB 2725 – Provides that maximum loading weight of motorboat must be less than 4,000 pounds to obtain towed watersports motorboat certificate.
  • HB 2734 – Directs State Marine Board to study and make recommendations for legislation to impose excise tax on wake boat sales.

Virginia (HB 2083)

  • H.2083 – Prohibits a person within 200 feet of a dock, pier, boathouse, boat ramp, shoreline, or other person in the water from operating a vessel on any inland lake that is more than 500 feet above sea level and of 20,000 acres or more in size, and wholly located within the Commonwealth (Smith Mountain Lake), while accompanied by a person or persons engaged in wake surfing.