Disposition of Regulation Requests for 2012

The Secretary of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources has made the following decisions based on the recommendation of the Boat Act Advisory Committee:  Please click on the name of the regulation to access the official COMAR description.

• Wake Surfing – (Adopt as Proposed) A person shall not operate or give permission to operate a watercraft for the purpose of wake surfing less than 200 feet from a shoreline, marine structure, (piers, docks, pilings, jetty, bridge structure, abutment, bulkhead, float anchored to the bottom and used for swimming or water skiing, State regulation buoy, channel marker, etc.) other vessels operating in the area or at anchor or moored or an individual or individuals in the water.
   
• Auxiliary Ballast – (Adopt as Proposed) A manufacturers label shall be affixed to any portable ballast tank identifying the maximum capacity in gallons and/or weight in pounds and combined with the occupants shall not exceed the maximum carrying capacity of the vessel.
   
• Personal Watercraft (PWC) –  (Adopt as Proposed) Worcester County PWC Livery Operators are prohibited from operating in the Atlantic Ocean and the Ocean City Inlet and within all of the tributaries of the Coastal Bays behind Ocean City in Worcester County (Herring, Turville, Manklin Creeks and St. Martin River) during the boating season, April 15th to October 15th.
  

Please contact Mr. Mike Grant, Regulations Coordinator at (410) 260-8013 or Jeannine Moaney at (410) 260-8417 if you have any further questions.