KLS Keeping Law Simple Legislation in plain English

Straight-ahead summaries built from the official bill text. We keep the source links front and center and leave the decision up to you.

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SB00313 • 2026

AN ACT CONCERNING WAKESURFING ON CERTAIN LAKES IN THE STATE.

AN ACT CONCERNING WAKESURFING ON CERTAIN LAKES IN THE STATE.

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Environment Committee
Last action
2026-02-27
Official status
Public Hearing 03/04
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide details on which specific lakes are covered under this act, only that it applies to most lakes in the state excluding those near certain towns.

Rules for Wakesurfing on State Lakes

This law allows people to use wake boats for wakesurfing and wakeboarding on most lakes in the state as long as they stay at least 200 feet from the shore.

What This Bill Does

  • Allows people to use wake boats for wakesurfing and wakeboarding on most lakes, but only if they are at least 200 feet away from the shore.
  • Does not stop towns of Warren, Washington, and Kent from having their own rules against using wake boats on certain lakes.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People who want to use wake boats for activities like wakesurfing and wakeboarding on state lakes.
  • Local towns that have specific rules against using wake boats, such as Warren, Washington, and Kent.

Terms To Know

wake boat
A type of boat with special features like ballast tanks or hydrofoils to create a bigger wave for activities like wakesurfing.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The law does not apply to lakes near the towns of Warren, Washington, and Kent.
  • It is unclear which specific lakes are affected by this rule.

Bill History

  1. 2026-02-27 Connecticut General Assembly

    Public Hearing 03/04

  2. 2026-02-26 Connecticut General Assembly

    Referred to Joint Committee on Environment

Official Summary Text

To authorize wakesurfing on most lakes in the state provided it occurs a certain distance from shore.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
LCO No. 1414 1 of 2

General Assembly Raised Bill No. 313
February Session, 2026 LCO No. 1414

Referred to Committee on ENVIRONMENT

Introduced by:
(ENV)

AN ACT CONCERNING WAKESURFING ON CERTAIN LAKES IN THE
STATE.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:

Section 1. (NEW) ( Effective from passage ) No person shall operate a 1
wake boat upon the waters of any lake in the state for the purpose of 2
conducting, or enabling any other person to conduct, wakeboarding or 3
wakesurfing unless such operation occurs not less than two hundred 4
feet from the shore of any such lake. Nothing in this section shall be 5
construed to: (1) Prohibit any municipality from requiring that any such 6
operation occur at a distance greater than two hundred feet from shore, 7
or (2) negate or preempt any prohibition on the use of wake boats on 8
any lake that borders the towns of Warren, Washington and Kent. For 9
the purposes of this section, "wake boat" means any vessel that uses 10
ballast tanks, wake shapers, hydrofoils or similar devices that are 11
designed to artificially increase or enhance the wake of such vessel. 12
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:

Section 1 from passage New section

Raised Bill No. 313

LCO No. 1414 2 of 2

Statement of Purpose:
To authorize wakesurfing on most lakes in the state provided it occurs
a certain distance from shore.

[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except
that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not
underlined.]