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York County to consolidate no-wake zone records, schedule public hearing after enforcement confusion
Summary
After citizen complaints and uneven enforcement, county staff proposed consolidating all approved no-wake zones into a single resolution with file numbers on signs and scheduled a public hearing to gather input before adding or removing markers.
York County staff told the Board of Supervisors on Feb. 3 that the county will consolidate existing no-wake zone approvals into one codified document and hold a public hearing after residents raised concerns about unclear signage and enforcement.
"The county has no authority in enforcement," a county staff member explained during the work session, emphasizing that state agencies are responsible for citations. Staff and the dockmaster, James Scruggs, said the goal is to make the existing set of regulatory no-wake zones transparent and linked to state file numbers so boaters and enforcement officers can find the authorizing record.
Scruggs described the state standard for no-wake areas: idle speed within 50 feet of a dock, ramp or people in the water, and noted the difficulty of measuring vessel speeds in tidal conditions. "It's defined as the lowest speed you can go to maintain your vessel operable, and going in a safe direction," he said.
Residents and supervisors pressed staff about a contested sign on Chisholm Creek that residents said sits off the navigable channel and was not visible; some boaters were cited under signs they did not know existed. Several speakers said the sign’s location and visibility led to confusion and urged caution before re-posting markers.
Options discussed included a short public hearing (staff indicated a hearing would be scheduled for the next meeting), a temporary moratorium on new signage, a local advisory group of waterway users and experts to evaluate requests, or simply codifying the existing list of approved zones and adding file numbers to signs to improve enforceability and public transparency.
Staff said VMRC/BMRC (state marine enforcement) has suspended ticket-writing in some contested locations while County staff completes clarification and public outreach. The board directed staff to prepare a consolidated resolution with the known approved no-wake zones and to bring the item to a public hearing for resident input before making removals or additions to signage.
No final regulatory change was adopted at the meeting; staff will return with the proposed resolution and public-hearing schedule.
