A presentation on Wake Surfing Regulation in Wisconsin was given by Richard Phillips at the TLWA Annual Meeting, July 3, 2025.
Richard is a retired lawyer from Presque Isle in Vilas County, who is instrumental in helping local governments develop ordinances to regulate wake boat activity. He is a part of the Last Wilderness Alliance (LWA) who have secured vital protections for hundreds of Wisconsin lakes, safeguarding them – and the thousands of people who enjoy them – from the destructive impact of wake-enhanced boating.
He discussed current regulations, the chasm between what the boating industry wants and the needs of the local communities, how the State is unlikely to pass legislation in the near term and the relatively unique status of local community control on water related activities afforded to Wisconsin. There are 56 Wisconsin communities that enacted local ordinances to protect their lakes from wake surfing activities.
Read his outline here