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York County moves to clarify no‑wake zones after boaters report confusing signage
Summary
County staff told the Board of Supervisors they will consolidate the existing approved no‑wake signs into a single resolution and hold a public hearing after complaints that some signs were ambiguous or not visible, notably at Chisholm Creek/Lolly Road.
County staff and the Board of Supervisors on Feb. 3 discussed a review of existing no‑wake zone signs after community complaints about unclear locations and enforcement.
Dock master James Scruggs and assistant county attorney Shannon Forrest described staff work to research board approvals and state records and proposed codifying all current no‑wake zones into one county resolution to reduce confusion. "What we wanna do is kinda codify all of this in one document going forward," the county representative said. Staff said each sign will be assigned a file number and that the county will include approval details and a QR code on new signage to help enforcement and public lookup.
Residents and supervisors singled out a sign off Lolly Road near Chisholm Creek that many boaters said was hard to see and led to citations. One board member described how people "were getting busted just bridal along like normal in that part of the river and didn't even know that sign was there." Staff and board members agreed the disputed sign needs targeted review.
County staff clarified legal authority and enforcement: many no‑wake signs were approved by the board and by state authorities and remain enforceable by bodies such as the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources and marine police. Staff said VMRC and other agencies can write tickets, and that some enforcement was paused while county staff clarified locations for deputies in writing.
The board discussed options including pausing installation of new signs until review is complete, holding a public hearing (scheduled in the next meeting cycle), and possibly forming a local advisory committee of waterway users and experts to evaluate future requests. One supervisor proposed not erecting new signs "until we get this resolved." Staff said a resolution and public hearing will be brought forward for the board to consider codifying existing signs and then evaluating further changes.
The board also was told that US Coast Guard navigational tube markers could be used so zones show up on marine GPS devices and that signage will include file numbers and links for public reference. Staff said a public hearing will be held at the next advertised meeting and that they will present a draft resolution for board consideration.
