“Illegal” pier concerns all wet: don’t sink pier rules

Released 11/07/05 Contact Tami Jackson (lakeinfo @ wisconsinlakes.org)

The Wisconsin Association of Lakes represents real people who own real lakefront property. We want to balance property owner’s rights to access the water, to continue enjoying their piers, and to preserve the character and health of our lakes. We served on the pier rule advisory committee to develop reasonable rules that ensure property owners that their pier is legal. We believe the proposed rules are reasonable, understandable, and while not perfect, they will do far more to preserve clean, safe, healthy lakes for everyone than no rules at all.

When the legislature passed 2003 Act 118, Wisconsin’s pier law changed. The legislature gave DNR the responsibility to develop rules for piers that are larger than outlined in the statute, while piers below a certain size remain perfectly legal without any required permit.

The Wisconsin Association of Lakes recognizes that a pier that suits one property owner can harm other property owners' rights on a lake by blocking navigation or damaging valued habitat. We support a review process outlined in the proposed rules to confirm that large, existing piers are not interfering with others’ rights or negatively impacting our lakes.

Now after eighteen months working for reasonable rules on the stakeholder committee and after six public hearings with many comments requesting strengthening the proposed pier rules, the Wisconsin Realtors Association has changed their name and their tune about piers. The Wisconsin Homeowners Alliance—a wholly owned subsidiary of the Wisconsin Realtors Association—wants to grandfather all pre-existing piers, no matter how large, even though these piers may be harmful to our lakes and with no review or documentation. Why do they want to make it difficult for you to know that your pier is legal?

What our lakes look like tomorrow will be determined by the rules we set in place today. What if your neighbor, or all your neighbors, put in piers that infringe upon your right to enjoy our public waters? Several of our lake group members—property owners who live on and know their lakes—have told us this rule makes sense. If you agree, please contact your legislator (1-800-362-9472) and support the proposed pier rules (NR 326).