Dane County, WI Environmental Rules: Boat Dock Permits (2026)

Dane County Code ch. 71, "Regulation of Icebound Inland Waters," reaches beyond winter ice rules into year-round pier use. 51(1) makes it "unlawful and a violation of this ordinance for any person to dock his or her boat at any county-owned pier located on the navigable waters of Dane County," and requires county-owned piers to carry signs stating the section applies. Two carve-outs exist: sub. (2) exempts boats operated by on-duty Dane County employees, and sub. (3) exempts temporary docking - defined as "less than 10 minutes in duration" - by boaters using sanitary facilities at adjacent county sites.

52(1) separately bars docking "at any privately owned pier, mooring buoy or raft without the permission of the owner or lessee of the pier," with a narrow exception in sub. (2) for on-duty Dane County Sheriff's deputies performing active law enforcement. Neither section creates a permit-application process for building or installing a dock; instead they police who may tie up at an existing pier, buoy or raft. Both provisions trace to Official Amendment 3, adopted in the 1991-92 session and published May 29, 1991. Enforcement runs through the Dane County Sheriff's Office, which also administers the certificate and revocation provisions found earlier in the same chapter for motor-vehicle use on ice.