Your pier is the starting point for summer mornings on the lake, afternoons on the boat, and evenings watching the sunset. Whether you’re planning a new pier or making changes to an existing one, understanding Wisconsin’s pier requirements can help you plan with confidence.
The Wisconsin DNR’s Pier Planner outlines how waterfront owners can design and place a pier that qualifies for a permit exemption. Here are some highlights to keep in mind.
Does Every Pier Need a DNR Permit?
No. Seasonal piers—the kind installed in spring and removed for winter—can qualify for a DNR permit exemption when they meet Wisconsin’s requirements for pier design, placement, and use. When all exemption conditions are met, a DNR pier permit isn’t required.
Older piers have separate considerations. Qualifying legacy piers first placed in the water before April 17, 2012, are exempt from DNR permitting. Repairs or replacement that preserve the existing footprint can remain exempt, but an expansion or layout change should be reviewed before you assume the same exemption applies. Wisconsin DNR pier guidance.
How Wide Can a Pier Be?
For a new pier seeking an exemption, the general maximum width is 6 feet. A wider loading platform is allowed, provided its surface area does not exceed 200 square feet. This leaves room for different layouts, including straight piers and “L” or “T” configurations. The important part is making sure the entire design meets the exemption requirements.
How Far Into the Water Can It Go?
There isn’t one standard pier length that works for every property. The Pier Planner generally allows a pier to extend to the 3-foot water depth, measured at summer low water, or to the depth needed to moor a boat or use a boat lift, whichever is farther from shore. An authorized municipal pierhead line may also apply.
That means water depth and boating needs matter when planning your layout. Your neighbor’s pier length may not be the right guide for your own waterfront.
How Many Boats Can You Keep at Your Pier?
Under the standard exemption allowance, you may have:
- Two boat slips for the first 50 feet of shoreline.
- One additional boat slip for each additional full 50 feet.
Boats kept on lifts or hoists count toward that total. There is also a separate personal watercraft allowance: two for the first 50 feet of shoreline, plus one for each additional full 50 feet.
Placement Matters as Much as Size
Your pier, boat lifts, and moored boats must stay within your property’s riparian zone—the area of water where you have the right to place waterfront structures.
Those boundaries aren’t always a straight extension of your land’s property lines, especially along a curved or irregular shoreline. Understanding them before installation can help avoid conflicts with neighboring waterfront owners.
Piers also must allow water to move freely and must not obstruct navigation or harm fish and wildlife habitat. A thoughtful layout makes room for both your waterfront activities and other users of the waterway.
Check Local Requirements, Too
A DNR permit exemption doesn’t automatically mean every approval is covered and all the same rules apply for seasonal and permanent piers. Municipalities may have additional rules or permit requirements. On the Great Lakes and certain other waters, authorization from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers may also be required.
Thinking about installing, extending, or reconfiguring your pier? Before starting your project, confirm the requirements for your property by contacting Pier & Waterfront Solutions and we will take care of contacting your local zoning office and DNR Water Management Specialist to make sure your project meets the full exemption requirements!
