In 1992, the State delegated its authority to regulate dock and mooring facilities on Canandaigua Lake to adjoining municipalities who then enacted the current “Uniform Canandaigua Lake Docking and Mooring Law. The six localities are the City of Canandaigua, and the Towns of Canandaigua, Gorham, Italy, Middlesex, and South Bristol. The Uniform Law focuses on regulating the uses and number of facilities allowed per lineal foot of lakeshore of a parcel.
Over the years, various issues with definitions, interpretations, and ambiguities came to light, leading the Canandaigua Lake Watershed Council to include a review of the law as part of the watershed management plan. The Ontario County Planning Department, which had coordinated the original drafting of the law, reconvened a review committee in March, 2000 with representatives from the all the communities, the Canandaigua Lake Watershed Task Force, Canandaigua Lake Pure Waters, the county attorney’s office, and a dock builder.
The direction from the Council was to address technical problems with the law and inconsistencies in interpretation to make the law easier for property owners, officials and builders to use.
Between 2000 and 2003 the Canandaigua Lake Docks and Mooring Committee worked on technical revisions of the law. An extensive public outreach efforts including communication through the lake associations’ mailings and meetings, town meetings and hearings, presentations to civic groups, and the media.
Consensus was reached by all Canandaigua Lake localities on a revised local law in 2003. As required by New York state law, the revised uniform dock and mooring local law was submitted to the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation for review and approval which was given on February 17, 2004. Each locality could then implement the law.
Click here for a copy of the local law as approved by the State and adopted by all localities. See individual localities for versions that have their own citations and numbering.
For permitting information contact the individual locality’s zoning or code enforcement officer. For municipal contacts click here.
For general questions or information contact Maria Rudzinski with the Ontario County Planning Department.
To review a copy of the law click here. 
