Early last month, Governor Brian Kemp signed House Bill 121, which imposes new restrictions on boaters engaged in towing wake boarders or providing a boat-generated wake for wake surfers.
Previously unregulated by the state, beyond a law that requires all boats to operate at idle speed within 100 feet of a shoreline or structure, the new law starting July 1, dictates that wakeboarding and wake surfing is permitted only between sunrise and sunset, and requires the use of personal flotation devices by all participants in the water.
In addition to the sunrise-to-sunset limitation and PFD requirement, Georgia law now states “… no person shall engage in wake surfing or wakeboarding upon waters of this state … within 200 feet of any moored vessel; any wharf, dock, pier, piling, or bridge structure or abutment; or any shoreline adjacent to a full-time or a part-time residence, public park, public beach, public swimming area, marina, restaurant, or another public use area…”
Exceptions to the law include privately owned lakes and the Intracoastal Waterway, as well as special “marine events,” such as regattas and tournaments, so long as the Georgia Department of Natural Resources has issued a permit.
Sponsored by Georgia House Representatives Victor Anderson, Stan Gunter, Lee Hawkins, Lauren McDonald, Alan Powell, and Bill Yearta, and State Senator John Kennedy, all Republicans, the bill was introduced on Jan. 30 this year, passed 164-6 in a Feb. 22 House vote, passed 51-2 in the Senate March 27, and was signed into law May 2, by Kemp.