Chapter 2 — BOATING REGULATIONS

Section

• 52.0201 Swimming and Flotation Devices.
• 52.0202 Speed Limit.
• 52.0203 Boat Launching Areas.
• 52.0204 Length of Boats.
• 52.0205 Overnight Occupancy of Boats.
• 52.0206 Littering Prohibited.
• 52.0207 Swimming, Scuba Diving and Skin Diving.
• 52.0208 Boating and Swimming Hours.
• 52.0209 Tunnels and Intake Towers.
• 52.0210 Spraying Watercraft with Water Canon Prohibited.

(a) Restriction of Swimming and Flotation Devices. In Big Bear Lake, no person shall swim except in designated swimming areas during the times set out for such areas. In Lake Arrowhead, no person shall swim or engage in the use of a paddleboard or other flotation device except within 100 feet of the shore. In Lake Silverwood, paddleboards and other flotation devices must be maintained within 100 feet of the shore, except in designated swimming areas. No person shall operate any boat, or pull, tow or ride on any aquaplane, water ski or similar device within any designated swimming area or within 50 feet of the boundary of any designated swimming area. No person may use or bring into an open water zone any flotation device such as a rubber raft, surfboard, surf mat, buoy, kite or other flotation device except for approved boats, aquaplanes, water skis or related equipment. The Sheriff’s Department may permit the use of otherwise unauthorized flotation devices in open water zones during special events, games, tests or experiments or when traffic is such as to render their use safe in open water zones.

In the Park Moabi Channel of the Colorado River, no person shall swim except in the designated swimming area during the times set out for swimming at that location. It shall be unlawful to swim, use a paddleboard or other similar flotation device in areas posted against such uses or to in any way interfere with the free and proper use of the channel by watercraft between the entrance to the channel and the launch ramp. The entrance to Park Moabi Channel is located at: Latitude: North 34 degrees, 43 minutes, 40.64 seconds Longitude: West 114 degrees, 29 minutes, 59.38 seconds. The launch ramp is located at Latitude: North 34 degrees, 43 minutes, 44.14 seconds Longitude: West 114 degrees, 30 minutes, 39.78 seconds. (b) Posting of Swimming Areas in Big Beak Lake. In Big Bear Lake, swimming areas shall be designated by signs in a manner and at such places as are reasonably calculated to give notice thereof. (c) Destruction of Signs. It shall be unlawful for any person to tear down, remove, mutilate, destroy or otherwise tamper with any sign erected pursuant to § 52.0201(b) of this Chapter. (Ord. 1233, passed --1965; Am. Ord. 1724, passed --1972; Am. Ord. 2572, passed --1981; Am. Ord. 4135, passed--2011)

On Big Bear Lake the speed limit between sunset and sunrise shall be ten miles per hour, and shall be five miles per hour at any time in any fishing zone so designated by Big Bear Municipal Water District. On Lake Arrowhead the speed limit between sunset and 7:00 a.m. shall be ten miles per hour. On Lake Silverwood, the speed limit between sunset and 7:00 a.m. shall be five miles per hour. At all times, the speed limit on those portions of Lake Silverwood that are south of the southern mouth of the channel shall be five miles per hour. The southern mouth of this channel is located at Latitude: North 34 degrees, 17 minutes, 2.88 seconds Longitude: West 117 degrees, 19 minutes, 59.93 seconds. On all waterways, it shall be unlawful to operate a motorboat at a speed in excess of 35 miles per hour any time except on the Colorado River or its tributaries, unless authorized by the Sheriff’s office or the local lake officials for special events. (Ord. 1233, passed --1965; Am. Ord. 1724, passed --1972; Am. Ord. 2572, passed --1981; Am. Ord. 4135, passed--2011)

No person shall launch any boat upon any water area or remove any boat therefrom except from or upon those areas designated as “Boat Launching Areas.” (Ord. 1233, passed - -1965; Am. Ord. 1724, passed - -1972; Am. Ord. 2572, passed - -1981)

(a) No boats or rubber crafts which are less than 12 feet in length or more than 26 feet in length shall be permitted on any waterway except the Colorado River, its tributaries and Lake Havasu, except as otherwise authorized in this Section. (b) In Lake Arrowhead, sailboats between seven and 12 feet in length may be used with the approval of the local authority. (Ord. 1233, passed - -1965; Am. Ord. 1427, passed - -1968; Am. Ord. 1724, passed - -1972; Am. Ord. 2572, passed - -1981; Am. Ord. 4135, passed - -2011; Am. Ord. 4257, passed - -2014)

No overnight occupancy of any boat shall be allowed except upon the Colorado River or its tributaries. (Ord. 1233, passed - -1965; Am. Ord. 1427, passed - -1968; Am. Ord. 1724, passed - -1972; Am. Ord. 2572, passed - -1981; Am. Ord. 4135, passed - -2011)

No person shall throw, discharge, deposit or leave or cause, suffer, or permit to be thrown, discharged, deposited or left, either from the shore or from any dock or vessel or elsewhere, any refuse matter of any description, into any lake, river, or other public water. (Ord. 1233, passed - -1965; Am. Ord. 1427, passed - -1968; Am. Ord. 1724, passed - -1972; Am. Ord. 2572, passed - -1981)

Swimming shall be prohibited in Big Bear Lake. Swimming in Green Valley Lake is prohibited except in the designated swimming area. Swimming outside the designated swimming area in Green Valley Lake shall be permitted only when authorized by the Sheriff’s Office or local lake authority. Scuba diving and skin diving shall be prohibited in any lake unless authorized by the Sheriff’s Office or local lake authorities. (Ord. 1233, passed - -1965; Am. Ord. 1724, passed - -1972; Am. Ord. 2572, passed - -1981)

Boating and swimming shall be unlawful between the hours of one hour after sunset until one hour before sunrise on the lake surface of Green Valley Lake. It shall be unlawful between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. to operate any boat on the lake surface of Lake Silverwood or to keep any boat on said lake surface or to keep any boat on the shore of said lake overnight except in an area so designated and posted for such purpose. It shall be unlawful to sleep overnight in any boat or to moor any boat overnight except at the commercial marina on Lake Silverwood. (Ord. 1233, passed - -1965; Am. Ord. 1305, passed - -1966; Am. Ord. 1724, passed - -1972; Am. Ord. 2572, passed - -1981)

Because of the hazards involved, no person shall operate a boat or floating device or swim within 500 feet of the tunnel intake tower or the inlet siphon or the spillway intake on Lake Silverwood. (Ord. 1233, passed - -1965; Am. Ord. 1724, passed - -1972; Am. Ord. 2572, passed - -1981)

No person shall emit or expel water or any liquid from a water canon or similar device at a watercraft while such watercraft is in operation or at any person operating or riding in such watercraft. As used in this section, “water canon” means any device capable of emitting or expelling a stream of water or other liquid over a distance of ten feet. (Ord. 4135, passed--2011)