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LAKES

Raleigh City Code pt. 9, ch. 5
in effect

Raleigh City Code § 9-5001 GENERAL CONDITIONS.

Sec. 9-5001. - GENERAL CONDITIONS. (a) Duly appointed City lake wardens and watershed inspectors shall be the official custodians of the lakes owned by the City and the surrounding premises. (b) It shall be the duty of the park rangers, lake managers, wardens, and watershed inspectors to enforce all rules and regulations herein prescribed, and to insure that no indiscreet acts of any character are committed by any person upon the premises which would tend to result in the pollution or tend to affect the quality of the water supply. (c) All duly appointed enforcement personnel, state or local, including wardens, watershed inspectors, park rangers or lake managers, or state wildlife protectors shall have the power and authority to summarily deny admission to the lakes to any person known to have violated the rules and regulations or ordinances governing fishing, boating, or other uses of lake premises. In addition, all enforcement personnel shall have the authority and power to require any such person or persons to leave the premises if discovered thereon. This authority to refuse admission or to eject persons shall also apply to any person or persons having intoxicating liquors, including wine or malt beverages, or drugs in their possession or who show evidence of being under the influence of alcohol or drugs. (d) It shall be unlawful for any person to consume any intoxicating beverage including wine or malt beverage on or about City-owned lakes. (e) It shall be unlawful for any person to spit in the lakes, to put his feet in the water, except under the conditions prescribed for wading or water skiing on or in Lake Wheeler, or to commit on the lakes or within two hundred (200) feet thereof, any nuisance or act which would tend to affect the quality of water in the lakes. (f) It shall be unlawful for any person, except duly authorized enforcement personnel, to possess a firearm or fireworks upon the premises or to discharge any firearm or fireworks from any boat on the lakes or on the shores of the lakes. Further, it shall be unlawful to hunt with dog, gun, or bow and arrow or other weapon on any lands owned or controlled by the City abutting the lakes. (g) No picnics shall be allowed upon the grounds, structures, or waters of the lakes, except where areas for this activity are specifically designated. All persons using these areas shall be responsible for disposing of any trash or litter. (h) It shall be unlawful for any person or persons to enter upon the lakes or upon the property of the City abutting the lakes except during the times and upon the areas permitted under this chapter or by other regulation.

Raleigh City Code § 9-5002 ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS.

Sec. 9-5002. - ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS. (a) The days and hours of operation for each lake shall be established by the Department of Parks and Recreation in conjunction with the Department of Public Utilities and shall be posted upon the premises, except that in no event shall the public be allowed upon any lake for any activity except from dawn to dusk. (b) The Department of Parks and Recreation, in conjunction with the Department of Public Utilities, shall establish all conditions for each concessionaire operating at any City lake and the rights and privileges of such concessionaire shall be expressly subordinate to and conditioned upon compliance with all such conditions and regulations. All concession contracts shall be approved by the Council before becoming effective. (c) Any fees to be charged members of the public for use of any facility or activity on or about any City lake shall be prescribed by the City Council or be imposed pursuant to a properly approved concession agreement. A schedule of current fees shall be maintained in the Budget and Management Services Department, and is hereby incorporated by reference into this Code. (d) The Department of Parks and Recreation is hereby empowered to establish regulations limiting the number of season passes for boating in addition to prescribing the number of daily passes which shall be available for various classes of boats, including but not limited to, the establishment of guidelines for the total number of boats or classes of boats which shall be allowed upon each lake at any given time. (e) It is further provided that, in that the primary nature of the lakes herein regulated is the provision of a safe and adequate water supply for the City of Raleigh, the Director of Public Utilities is hereby empowered to close or to limit access to or the use of any lake facility where, in his discretion, such limitation is reasonably necessary to the proper protection of the water supply. (Ord. No. 1998-454, §15, 11-4-98; Ord. No. 2019-949, §1(Att.), 6-4-19, eff. 7-1-19)

Raleigh City Code § 9-5003 GENERAL FISHING REGULATIONS.

Sec. 9-5003. - GENERAL FISHING REGULATIONS. (a) It is hereby provided that all laws of the State of North Carolina regulating or limiting the manner of taking, size, weight or number of fish taken and related matters shall be in full force and effect and shall be enforced by all wardens, park rangers and state wildlife protectors. (b) In addition to all controls imposed by state game laws, it shall be unlawful for any person or persons to take any fish by seining, trapping or by trotline. Further, fish may be taken only by a pole or rod and reel baited with natural or artificial bait. (c) Except as provided under §9-5007, no bank fishing shall be permitted upon any lake owned or controlled by the City of Raleigh. Fishing shall be permitted only from a boat furnished or authorized by the proper authority or from a pier erected for that purpose. (d) No person shall fish except upon those days and during those hours designated by the Department of Parks and Recreation in conjunction with the Director of Public Utilities. (e) Wardens, park rangers and state wildlife protectors shall have the right upon request to inspect any catch and to make a proper record of the catch. (f) All fishing concessions shall be governed by contract, awarded only after open competitive bids, following an invitation for bids published once in each of the daily newspapers published in the City at least ten (10) days before the bids are opened. All required contract provisions shall be established by the Department of Parks and Recreation in conjunction with the Director of Public Utilities. These provisions shall include, but are not limited to, a requirement that the successful bidder procure and maintain a liability insurance policy in an amount established by administration, that the contractor shall obey all state and local rules and regulations, and that the contract may be terminated upon breach of any condition of the contract. Any fishing, boating or other recreational activity may be terminated in the interest of the public health, safety and welfare in the discretion of the director of the Department of Public Utilities. The contractor shall have no cause of action against the City for any such suspension or termination.

Raleigh City Code § 9-5004 GENERAL BOATING REGULATIONS.

Sec. 9-5004. - GENERAL BOATING REGULATIONS. (a) Except as to Lake Johnson as provided in this subsection and as to Lake Wheeler as provided in §9-5007 herein no private boat of any type shall be allowed upon any lake at any time, except upon the conditions and at the times designated in this section. Non-powered boats capable of being transported on the top of a full size passenger car or in the bed of a one (1) ton pickup truck may be launched at Lake Johnson at locations and times marked and published by the Park Manager. (b) Except as provided in §9-5007 for Lake Wheeler, no private boat shall enter or leave any lake where boating is permitted except from ramps or docks provided by the City. Every boat used on every City owned lake shall have a U.S. Coast Guard approved life preserver for each occupant and no person shall use a boat on the lake unless it is so equipped. The life preserver requirement found in the previous sentence shall not apply during events and event practice sessions for events sanctioned by the City of Raleigh and U.S. Rowing or, at any other event specifically approved by the Raleigh City Council after making a finding that the public health and safety will not be endangered. (c) Each boat shall be equipped with a pail, which shall be used for sanitary purposes. (d) Except as provided in §9-5007 for Lake Wheeler, no gasoline, kerosene, or other petroleum-powered motors shall be permitted upon the lakes. Except as otherwise provided herein, all boats shall be propelled by means of oars, paddles or electric motors. Further, duly authorized wardens or park rangers may employ gasoline engines for emergency or enforcement purposes. (Ord. No. 2002-206, §§1, 2, 6-1-02; Ord. No. 2004-583, §1, 3-2-04)

Raleigh City Code § 9-5005 LAKE RALEIGH; BEAVER DAM RESERVOIR.

Sec. 9-5005. - LAKE RALEIGH; BEAVER DAM RESERVOIR. No recreational activities of any nature shall be permitted at any time or for any purpose upon Lake Raleigh or Beaver Dam Reservoir or its environs.

Raleigh City Code § 9-5006 LAKE JOHNSON AND LAKE BENSON.

Sec. 9-5006. - LAKE JOHNSON AND LAKE BENSON. (a) All of the foregoing sections, to the extent applicable, shall be in full force and effect upon each lake and at all times. (b) Fishing and boating shall be permitted upon the conditions set out in §§9-5003 and 9-5004. (c) No more than sixty (60) boats shall be permitted at any time upon the surface of Lake Benson. (d) Notwithstanding anything else in this Part, the Raleigh Public Utility Department shall have jurisdiction and control over Lake Benson and shall be responsible for its care and operation both as water supply and a recreational facility. When the water supply function conflicts with the recreational function the water supply requirements shall control. (Ord. No. 1987-43, §1, 9-1-87; Ord. No. 2014-284, §1, 4-15-14, eff. 6-15-14)

Raleigh City Code § 9-5007 LAKE WHEELER.

Sec. 9-5007. - LAKE WHEELER. (a) All of the foregoing general provisions, to the extent applicable, shall be in full force and effect upon Lake Wheeler at all times. (b) Fishing and boating are permitted at Lake Wheeler under the foregoing rules and regulations. Provided further, private boats may also be placed upon Lake Wheeler upon the following conditions: (1) Sailing craft may be moored on the lake during both day and night hours but no sailing of such craft shall be permitted during the hours from dusk to dawn nor shall any person remain on or about such craft during those hours. The charge shall be as provided by the Department of Parks and Recreation and under no circumstances shall any liquid petroleum product be used or stored on sailing craft. (2) Boat traffic shall move around the lake in a general counterclockwise direction. Boats returning for downed skiers against traffic shall do so with caution. Sailing craft shall also move in the same general direction with traffic. (3) Season permits may be issued to authorized boat dealers for use in instructing new boat owners in the operation of boats or demonstrating boats to prospective purchasers; provided, no boat dealer shall have more than one (1) boat on the premises or in the water at any one time and the season permit issued to boat dealers shall not be valid on Sundays or legal holidays. (4) Season permits, other than those issued to boat dealers shall be conspicuously attached to the boat before entering into City property. In the event it becomes necessary to close the lake for a period exceeding 30 days, a pro rata credit for the time the lake is closed shall be allowed on the purchase of a season permit for the next season provided that evidence is furnished that a season permit was held at the time the lake was closed as herein provided for unless the Council shall otherwise provide. The permits herein provided shall not be transferable or assignable. (5) Motors in excess of seven and one-half (7½) horsepower shall not be operated in the area upstream from Penny Road Bridge. (6) The Parks and Recreation Department has the authority to limit the number of boats on the lake to insure safe operating conditions at all times. (7) The speed limit for all boats shall be no more than forty (40) miles per hour, except pursuant to a special use agreement approved by the Council and the State. (8) It shall be unlawful for any power boat to be operated in a manner or at a speed which will produce a wake. This restriction shall apply on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from the opening of the park until 11:00 a.m. The operation of power boats during these periods is not prohibited unless a wake is being produced. (c) Fishing. Fishing will be permitted on any part of Lake Wheeler; however, bank fishing may be allowed only upon Simpkins Pond. Daily or season permits for launching private boats shall include the privilege of fishing by any occupant of the boat and the admission of a motor vehicle to Lake Wheeler but shall not include fishing in Simpkins Pond. (d) Water skiing, swimming and wading. (1) Swimming, except that which is incidental to skiing, will not be permitted. (2) Each water skier shall wear a Coast Guard approved vest or belt life preserver. (3) The Department of Parks and Recreation may provide for areas of Lake Wheeler where the water is not more than three (3) feet deep in which wading shall be permitted. Such areas shall be clearly designated and shall be fenced. No other ingress into the water from the banks shall be permitted. (e) Personal watercraft. No person shall operate or place a personal watercraft on the waters of Lake Wheeler. For the purpose of this subsection, "operate" means to navigate or otherwise use or occupy a vessel and "personal watercraft" means a vessel which uses an outboard or propeller-driven motor, or inboard motor powering a water jet pump, as its primary source of motive power and which is designed to be operated by a person sitting, standing, or kneeling on, or being towed behind a vessel, rather than in the conventional manner of sitting or standing inside the vessel. (Ord. No. 2001-928, §1, 1-16-01; Ord. No. 2003-538, §1, 11-5-03)
Source: City of Raleigh, North Carolina, City Code and City Charter (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/nc/raleigh/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=DIVIICOGEOR_PT9PARECUAF_CH5LAFetched: 11/1/2026

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