Lake Lure town officials pass new boating rules, fines those without permits this year
Stand-up paddleboards (SUPs), kayaks and other "non-motorized vessels" will not require a boat permit as of January 1, 2024 for non-livery use.
On Tuesday, September 12, the Lake Lure Marine Commission unanimously approved updating the Lake Use Regulations. Stand-up paddleboards (SUPs), kayaks, and other "non-motorized vessels" will not require a boat permit as of January 1, 2024, for non-livery use. Currently, the non-motorized permit is $25 per day or $100 annually, according to the town of Lake Lure website and you must complete an application in advance. If you don’t get a permit you may be fined $225, as Ann Kiefert was on July 26 by Sgt. Carl Umphlett for the "operation of a boat without a valid permit.” Kiefert appealed the citation, but it was denied.
In her appeal, she wrote, “It was the first time I have used a paddleboard and didn't know it was considered a ‘boat,’ and because it was the first time I have been to Lake Lure and didn't know that boats require a permit. The $225 penalty is excessive. The permit would have only cost $25 (which I would have gladly paid if I had known one was required). In addition, the paddle board itself only cost $250. (Now, if I was in a $40,000 motor boat, maybe a $225 penalty would seem more fair. But I was not and it is not.) If you choose to keep the money, I will have learned my lesson. There is no doubt. But I also learned that Lake Lure police would rather fine a first-time visitor than help them understand what is required to safely enjoy the lake. (If he had given me a handout with information about the permit, and a link to obtain one online, I would have paid for one on the spot. But he didn't.) My husband and I had planned to stay in town for dinner and explore the area more, but after our brief and negative experience on the lake, we left and ate at a restaurant in Asheville instead." She said she had to call the town five times. “When I got home, I wanted to pay the citation, but the amount is not written on the ticket. So I had to first find out how much I had to pay before I could even send the check. It took more than an hour (during my work day) and five phone calls to find out the amount.” I (Cops & Congress by Annie Dance) was unable to find the penalty fees posted on the Lake Lure website, and I have been an investigative reporter for years. The current regulations and new regulations do not list the dollar amounts, only the “Schedule of Civil Fines for Lake Regulation” categories. Read her experience in the meeting agenda here.
When a person is issued a citation, it does not say what the amount is because it depends on whether it's their first, second, or third offense and what that fine is, Dana Bradley, Parks, Recreation and Trails Coordinator, told the commission. “We won't know that until it goes through the front office and we figure it out,” she said.
Lake Lure police officer Kortney Burrell told the Lake Lure Marine Advisory Board in July that it is difficult to see stickers (permits) on kayaks, according to a review of past meeting minutes.
Mayor Pro Tem/Commissioner David DiOrio, who serves as the Lake Advisory board liaison, explained that the changes that were made to the last Lake Use Regulations had gone a long way in “decongestion” of the lake and “creating a much safer environment.” He advised that the board had spent time reviewing all of the data that resulted from the changes and they looked for ways to enhance the next iteration of the regulations. Some of the significant changes include expanded options for fishing permits and removing the permit fees for non-livery non-motorized boats. The new regulations will go into effect in 2024.
Bradley summarized the changes to the Lake Use Regulations:
The name of the permits has been changed to seasonal vs. annual permits and the readers will see a reference to "seasonal" permits throughout the updated regulations. This change has to do with the lake drawdown schedule (View the 2024 schedule here.)
Some definitions have been updated.
Non-residents of the area will be able to get a night fishing permit which will allow fishing from 9 p.m.- 9 a.m. in season and anytime outside of the season.
The fees for non-motorized boats will be waived with the exception of livery boats.
The proposed 2024 rates are being finalized by the Lake Advisory Board and will be presented to the Marine Commission at their regular December 2023 Meeting.
Watch the Marine Commission meeting on the Lake Lure YouTube page and/or read the unedited transcription on Cops & Congress by Annie Dance’s DocumentCloud.org page.
The regular town council meeting followed on Tuesday evening. Read the agenda, watch the meeting, and/or read the unedited transcription on Cops & Congress by Annie Dance’s DocumentCloud.org page.
Editor’s (light) note: I (Cops & Congress by Annie Dance) am excited to try paddleboarding next year. I will likely bring along my hearing-alert service dog. He hates water though, so we will see how it goes. (He loves biking!)
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About Annie Dance
Annie Dance has been a journalist for over 20 years and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication with a concentration in Journalism from Manhattan College. She completed 42 credits for a Master of Arts in Communication degree at Fairfield University. She has been published in local, national, and international publications, including Hearst newspapers and websites, CTInsider.com, NewsTimes.com, and others.
She is the Founding Editor of Western NC Deaf Community, a public Facebook group, where she covers deaf issues and leads discussions for ways deaf people can get better access to news and information in the 19 counties of western North Carolina. She was diagnosed with a profound hearing loss as a child and is an accessibility advocate, especially for using closed captioning.
Dance has experience in government affairs, media, and public policy. She is a registered unaffiliated voter and strives for fairness, truth and accuracy.
Dance grew up in Raleigh and the northeast. She served on local and state commissions in Connecticut for several years prior to moving to Rutherford County, North Carolina in 2020. She worked on local, state, and federal Republican candidates’ campaigns, including Connecticut’s Fifth Congressional District.
She aims to shine a light on important issues and hold officials accountable with Cops & Congress, focusing on police, policy, and public records in the Lake Lure area of North Carolina’s 11th congressional district.