Welcome to Summer on Crockery Lake
There are ordinances in place that you should be aware of as you put in your boats and docks and begin the summer fun on the lake.
There is an ordinance in place about fertilizers and yard waste:
No Person shall apply, deposit, leave, maintain, place, use or permit another Person to apply, deposit, leave, maintain, place, or use any fertilizer on any land or property within three hundred feet (300’) of the lakeshore of Crockery Lake. b. No Person shall deposit, dump, or place, nor permit another Person to deposit, dump, or place any grass clippings, yard wastes, shrubs, leaves, tree branches, brush or other plant materials either on or in Crockery Lake, nor shall any Person store any such materials in a location in such close proximity to the waters of Crockery lake or in any manner that makes it more likely than not that such materials will be moved into the waters of Crockery Lake by wind, water or other means. https://www.chester-twp.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Fertilizer.pdf
There is an ordinance about dock placement and number of motorized boats on each parcel:
NUMBER OF DOCKS OR PIERS
From and after the effective date of this Ordinance, no parcel or platted lot which adjoins, fronts on or abuts Crockery Lake shall have thereon, or in the waters of Crockery Lake immediately adjacent to such parcel or platted lot, any dock, pier, wharf, or boat mooring site unless the parcel or platted lot has at least One Hundred (100) feet of frontage on Crockery Lake for each such dock, pier, wharf, or mooring. Provided, however, that lawful parcels or platted lots which were of record at the Register of Deeds Office for Ottawa County as of the effective date of this Ordinance and which have less that One Hundred (100) feet of frontage on Crockery Lake, may have not more than one (1) dock, pier, wharf, or boat mooring erected thereon.
NUMBER OF BOATS PERMITTED PER PROPERTY
No more than three (3) registered watercraft may be moored, stored, anchored or docked at one time for a given lakefront parcel or lot, whether on or at the shoreline or at a dock, pier or shore station, in the waters of the lake, on the bottomlands of the parcel or lot or on the shore. This restriction shall {10591-004-00074460.3} 2 apply to any registered watercraft which is moored, anchored, docked or otherwise present for periods of time in excess of 48 hours. For purposes of this section, the term “registered watercraft” shall mean a boat, vessel, or other device for which a certification and registration (or comparable document) has been issued or is required under the laws of the state of Michigan or the state in which the owner of the watercraft resides.
MAXIMUM LENGTH OF A DOCK AND OTHER DOCK REQUIREMENTS
A. No more than one (1) dock or pier shall be permitted per lawful parcel or lot.
B. No dock or pier shall extend into Crockery Lake for a distance greater than fifty (50) feet as measured perpendicularly from the shoreline.
C. Each dock, pier, store-station and boat hoist (and any and all parts thereof) shall be completely removed from Crockery Lake during the winter season (i.e. from December 15 through the following March 15). If a permanent dock, pier or other nonconforming dock lawfully existed prior to the adoption of this Ordinance and if any such dock or pier is replaced, reconstructed, moved, or altered, it shall lose its lawful nonconforming structure status, in which case such dock or pier (as well as any replacement dock or pier) shall be fully subject to this Ordinance and shall be completely removed from Crockery Lake from December 15 through the following March 15. Notwithstanding such prohibition contained in this subsection and the prohibitions contained in Section 9 hereof, cement blocks and similar small marker items may remain in the lake year round so long as they comply with Michigan law, are located below the ice (and are not frozen in the ice) and do not present a safety or navigability hazard.
D. For all properties with frontage on Crockery Lake in any residential or agricultural zone district under the Chester Township Zoning Ordinance, as amended, only boats or watercraft owned by the owner or occupant of the lake property involved may be moored, kept, beached, docked or stored on that property (or the bottomlands thereof) overnight. Notwithstanding such restriction, the children or parents of the owner of the lake property involved may moor, keep, beach, dock or store their boat at that lake front property more than 48 hours, but the three registered watercraft limitation of Section 4 hereof shall still apply. https://www.chester-twp.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/2019-02-01-Lake-Regulation-Ordinance.pdf
As we start to have gatherings and parties be reminded that there is a noise ordinance, be mindful of the fact that noise carries louder and farther over water:
Breach of the Peace Offenses. No person shall:
(A) Disturb the public peace and quiet by loud or boisterous conduct or noise.
Nuisance Animals. No person shall:
Permit any dog, cat or other pet owned or controlled by such person to run loose or be at large outside the boundaries of the property owned or leased by the owner of the pet (or on property upon which the owner of the pet has permission to permit the pet to run free or be at large) unless the pet is on a leash held by a person walking the pet. -
Permit any dog owned or controlled by that person to bark, yelp, howl or produce any other noise which is excessive or would unreasonably disturb the peace of other persons or persons residing on the adjoining or nearby properties.
Permit a dog owned or controlled by that person to engage in prolonged barking, howling or yelping for a period of 15 minutes or longer and where such noise can be heard beyond the boundary lines of the property on which the dog is located.
https://www.chester-twp.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Noise-and-Disorderly-Conduct-Ordinance.pdf