Senate Bill 106 makes it a misdemeanor to operate a vessel within a 600 foot no-wake zone. It would also limit speeds to 5 nautical miles.
Sponsored by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA), it’s designed to increase public safety.
It is also intended to align Nevada state law with TRPA's updated shoreline regulations, to ensure consistency for the public and law enforcement, said TRPA executive director Julie Regan.
“We noticed that our 600 foot no wake zone is not included in the Nevada state law guidebook. This causes confusion for the public about how to safely recreate on the lake. It also hampers public safety,” she said.
Busy holiday periods often see increased violations of existing boating regulations, said Scott Lingren, chief of the Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District.
“One of our biggest offenders is all the rental boats and the rental jet skis because people come and rent those things and they might not be really good boaters or jet skiers and sometimes they have alcohol and it creates lots of problems when they don't follow the rules around other people,” he said.
The no wake zone will reduce conflict among users such as boaters, swimmers, and everyone else out on Lake Tahoe’s waters, Lingren said.
