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Information about lake districts

What is a Lake District?

Lake districts are special purpose units of government, and include; public inland lake protection and rehabilitation districts, sanitary districts, special districts, and commissions formed by local governments. The purpose of a district is to maintain, protect, and improve the quality of a lake and its watershed for the mutual good of the members and the lake environment.

Lake districts are established by town, county or village boards, or city councils, and usually based on a formal petition of lake area owners. Lake district formation and operations must comply with Chapter 33 of the Wisconsin Statutes. The boundaries of a lake district usually include the property of all riparian owners and can include off-lake property that benefits from the lake or affects the lake's watershed.  The district may include all or part of a lake or more than one lake.  A city or village must give its approval to be included in a district.

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Lake districts are governmental bodies with elected or appointed leaders and annual budgets funded from tax levies or special assessments. Districts also have some capabilities to regulate lake use, such as local boating ordinances and sewage management. Within a lake district, all property owners share in the cost of management activities undertaken by the district. Residents who live in the district and are eligible voters and all property owners have a vote in the affairs of the district.  This is accomplished at an annual meeting which must be held between May 22 and September 8 each year. ​  

How is a Lake District Formed?

Lake Districts are formed through a petition process amongst property owners within the proposed boundaries. In this case, the proposed boundaries include all riparian, or lakefront boundaries. For a Lake District to be formed at least 51% of the property owners within the boundaries must sign the petition. However, Only certain owners of land are qualified to sign a lake district petition: 

  • Each person whose name appears as an owner of real property on the previous year’s tax roll is qualified to sign. 

  • The spouse of a person named on the previous year’s tax roll is eligible to sign the petition, provided that the spouse is “referred to on the tax roll.” For example, some tax rolls include the terms “John Smith and spouse” or “John Smith et ux,” which refer to the spouse even though that person is not explicitly named. 

  • Ownership of more than one parcel of real estate within the proposed district does not entitle the individual to sign more than once. An individual signs the petition only once for all of the parcels he or she may own within the proposed district 

  • A partnership, corporation, trust, foundation, association or local unit of government is treated as a single owner of property entitled to one petition signature. In these cases, the petition must be signed by the authorized representative.3 State and federal governments are not eligible to sign the petition.

What does a Lake District do?

Lake districts can conduct a broad range of activities to manage and enhance the lake or lakes they are organized around. Some typical activities include: 

  1. Understanding the lake’s water quality and its ecosystem by:

    • Monitoring water quality

    • Inventorying and monitoring aquatic plants

    • Mapping the lake’s watershed

    • Identifying pollution sources

    • Developing long range lake management plans

  2. Protecting lake habitat through:

    • Educational efforts

    • Wetland restoration

    • Acquisition of land or conservation easements to protect sensitive areas

    • Erosion control programs

    • Invasive or nuisance aquatic plant management programs (like harvesting, chemical treatment and education)

  3. Enhancing recreational boating and boater safety through:

    • Operation of water safety patrols

    • Boating safety classes

    • Developing water trails

    • Developing informational/educational tools (such as boat landing signs, brochures, or maps)

    • Boating ordinances

  4. ​Providing public services such as:

    • Sewer and water

    • Solid waste/recyclable collection

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