ENFORCEMENT POLICY
Non-compliance with the Rules and Regulations will result in enforcement actions as outlined in the steps below. A non-complying property owner will first be issued a written warning in the form of both a letter and an email. Further non-compliance will result in a final written warning in the form of both a letter and an email. Continued non-compliance after the final warning is issued will result in disciplinary action in the form of a suspension of membership rights and lake-use privileges for a period of one year.
- Step 1 First Warning- Warning letter & email
- Step 2 Final Warning- Warning letter & email
- Step 3 Disciplinary Action- Suspension of membership rights and lake use privileges for one year.
- Failure to recognize this suspension of rights/usage will result in the offender being reported to the police as trespassing.
- At the discretion of the WLCT, serious transgressions may result in reduced warnings and gross misconduct may result in immediate disciplinary action.
Quiet Time rules
QUIET TIME
No internal combustion powered craft is allowed on the lakes between 1:00 PM and 3:00 PM on Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays. Only motorized boats that are solely electric powered are allowed on the lakes during Quiet Time. They are not to exceed minimum steerage speed. This rule is in effect from Memorial Day through Labor Day (inclusive).
BOATING
On Hitchcock Lake your speed should be based on polite boating etiquette and every effort should be made not to create an excessive wake. You should be adjusting your speed so as not to disrupt others on the water.
Before you enjoy boating on Hitchcock Lake, be sure to understand it thoroughly and know its hazards. Some areas of the lake are rocky and very shallow.
1. All activity is done at the user’s risk.
2. All boaters must follow all rules of the current Connecticut Boater’s Guide.
3. No public launching of boats is permitted.
4. Guest craft are not allowed.
5. No commercial use of the lakes is permitted.
6. Operation of amphibious craft, aircraft, airboats, jet packs and fly boards is prohibited.
7. No wake is permitted from one half hour after sunset to sunrise.
8. Water-skiing, tubing, towing, is forbidden between 30 minutes after sunset until sunrise and when visibility is restricted to less than 100 yards.
9. No person shall operate a personal watercraft (jet ski) between sunset and sunrise or during periods of reduced visibility.
10. All motorized crafts must travel in a counter clockwise direction.
11. Jet skis must abide by the “Slow-Jet Ski -No Wake” buoys.
12. All boaters must comply with safety buoys.
13. ALL (motorized and non-motorized crafts) must be washed down thoroughly prior to entering the lake in order to prevent the spread of Eurasian Water Milfoil and Zebra Mussels, which are very invasive and are a dangerous threat to the health of the lake.
14. Do not top off gas tanks when filling to avoid spillover into the water.
15. When approaching another craft, always bear to the right.
16. Sail boats and non- motorized crafts have the right of way over all motorized craft.
17. Pontoon boats over 26 feet and other motorized boats over 23 feet are not allowed on Hitchcock Lake. The length of the boat is defined as the length stated in the manufacturer’s specifications.
18. The permanent beaching of any vessel is not allowed. The term “permanent” shall be defined as exceeding a 24-hour period.
19. All motorized and non-motorized crafts must display their required navigational lights at all times between sunset and sunrise, and during daylight periods of reduced visibility.
20. All motorized crafts must display an official Hitchcock Lake Improvement Association Annual Registration Sticker. (Each season is April 30th to April 30th)
a) Each lakefront property may register with the HLIA no more than two motorized crafts per property owned.
b) All motorized crafts must be CT state-registered to a Hitchcock Lake resident with lakefront property or deeded right-of-way, who is a HLIA dues paying member.
c) Co-ownership on a state registration is considered part of the two motorized crafts allowed per lakefront property owner.
d) Lakefront tenants are allowed to register no more than two motorized crafts with the HLIA as long as the tenants are HLIA dues paying members, have the motorized crafts CT state-registered solely in their names, and are granted written permission from the lakefront property owner.
e) Property owners with a deeded right-of-way can register a boat and have access to the lake but cannot moor or place a boat on a right-of-way or construct a dock on a right-of-way. Boats must be docked at a lakefront property owner’s dock.
f) No mooring is allowed on Hitchcock Lake.
g) HLIA registration sticker requests for all motorized craft (including electric powered boats as of 2013) must be accompanied by:
A copy or image of an annual CT State Vessel Registration for the current year.
▪ A copy or image of current Certificate of Insurance showing liability coverage for each vessel or craft registered.
▪ A signed statement that all of the current Rules and Regulations of the Wolcott Land Conservation Trust, Inc. for Hitchcock Lake have been read by each household motorized craft operator.
▪ Each request for registration sticker must be accompanied by the current annual registration fee payable to Hitchcock Lake Improvement Association.
▪ A copy or image of a Safe Boating Certificate is required for the use of a boat from all operators in the household in order to receive a boating sticker.
▪ A copy or image of a Personal Watercraft Certificate is required for the use of a jet ski from all operators in the household in order to receive a boating sticker.
▪ All registration sticker information must be submitted to HLIA.
Hitchcock Lake Improvement Association; PO Box 6224 Wolcott, CT 06716
▪ Stickers can only be obtained during the registration periods to be announced by the Hitchcock Lake Improvement Association.
21. Official HLIA sticker must be displayed on the starboard (right-steering wheel) side of the craft, to the LEFT of the State of Connecticut registration numbers, prior to
launching the craft.
22. All motorized craft not displaying a current Hitchcock Lake Improvement Association registration sticker will be considered in violation.
23. Failure to register all motorized craft(s) will constitute a violation of the Rules and Regulations of the Wolcott Land Conservation Trust, Inc. for Hitchcock Lake.
24. All non-motorized craft should display the HLIA non-motorized sticker. These numerical identification stickers are available for free from the HLIA and help identify the owner of stray or lost boats.
25. Boating Enforcement
a) The Hitchcock Lake Improvement Association and/or the Town of Wolcott Police Department will enforce all Rules and Regulations and all relevant State of Connecticut boating laws and regulations.
b) Non-compliance with Rules and Regulations will result in the revocation of the sticker and all privileges associated with the same by the Board of Directors of the Hitchcock Lake Improvement Association for the remainder of the registration year.
c) Any misuse of a vessel may result in the revocation of the sticker and all privileges associated with the sticker until reissued by the Board of Directors of the Hitchcock Lake Improvement Association.
d) Misuse is defined as:
▪ Not abiding by the Rules and Regulations of Hitchcock Lake.
▪ Not abiding by the current State of Connecticut boating laws and regulations
▪ Acting in such a way so as to endanger or put at risk themselves or others on the lake.
SWIMMING
1. Use of all Wolcott Land Conservation Trust, Inc. property is at the user’s risk.
2. Extreme caution should be exercised when diving into any area of the lakes, especially from docks, rafts, beaches, shore, rocks or boats.
3. There is to be no unattended swimming of the width or length of the lakes without the accompaniment of an escort craft (except during quiet time).
4. From sunset to sunrise, and times of reduced visibility, swimming is limited to areas near shore.
CAMPING & FISHING
1. Camping on Wolcott Land Conservation Trust, Inc. property is prohibited.
2. Fires on Wolcott Land Conservation Trust, Inc. property are prohibited.
3. All State of Connecticut fishing regulations must be obeyed.
4. Fishing is restricted to Lake residents and their guests.
WINTER ACTIVITIES
1. Any winter activity on Hitchcock Lake is at the user’s risk.
2. Fires on Wolcott Land Conservation Trust, Inc. property, including frozen lake surfaces, are prohibited.
3. Snowmobiles and all other motorized or motor driven crafts and vehicles are prohibited on frozen lake surfaces.
4. No objects of any kind are to be left unattended on frozen lake surfaces.
5. The use of dock bubblers is prohibited on Hitchcock Lake.
NOISE LEVELS
1. All State of Connecticut laws regarding noise levels must be obeyed.
DOCKS, BOAT LIFTS, RAFTS AND WALLS
1. Written approval must be obtained from the Board of Directors of the Wolcott Land Conservation Trust, Inc. in order to place docks, walls, or any object in or on the water, which is Wolcott Land Conservation Trust, Inc. property. A permit must be obtained from the Inland Wetlands Department, Building Department and Planning and Zoning Department before any construction can take place on Wolcott Land Conservation Trust, Inc. property or adjacent property.
a) Any requests for work to be done along the shoreline that requires the need for the lake drawdown must be received by the WLCT by September 1.
2. Docks are limited to a width no greater than 20% of lakefront property footage. Minimum width is 3 feet and maximum width is 24 feet. Maximum length allowed is 20 feet.
3. No new docks will be approved with Styrofoam as the mode of flotation.
4. Boat lifts must be approved by the WLCT. Boat lifts must be adjacent and attached to a dock or to the shore above the high-water mark.
5. Boat lift canopies can only be installed over boat lifts and must be approved by the WLCT and must have written approval from all neighbors whose sightlines to the lake would be affected.
6. It is the responsibility of the individual property owners to maintain their waterfront structures in a safe manner or remove them if they are in disrepair or unsafe.
7. Floating trampoline, island or dock must adhere to dock guidelines, not to exceed 20 feet from the shore. Floats shall be single story and shall not include an appurtenance except a swim ladder. Floats must be removed from the lake at the end of the summer season.
LANDFILL
1. Filling the lake with or dumping of soil, sand, rocks or any other matter into the lake to extend property or for any other reason is forbidden.
2. No extensions of or additions to walls for the purpose of extending property are permitted.
3. No drainage of any sort is to be directed towards or into the lake without the express permission of the Board of Directors of the Wolcott Land Conservation Trust, Inc. and the Hitchcock Lake Improvement Association.
ENVIRONMENT
1. Disposing of any oils, fertilizers, pesticides, chemicals, soaps, paint, cement, building materials, litter or any other foreign matter or material into storm drains or directly into the lake is prohibited.
2. Blowing, mowing, raking or dumping of grass clippings, branches or leaves into the lake is prohibited.
3. The washing or bathing of any person or animal with soap or detergent in the lake is prohibited.
Welcome to the HLIA Website!
Spring is here and the Membership Dues Drive and Boat Registration opened April 1st
Visit the new membership registration page for payment link and all registration information.
Visit the HLIA News page for the latest news!