NASBLA Public Library

This section of the Tennessee Code establishes statewide operating requirements for wakeboarding and wakesurfing. The law prohibits these activities between sunset and sunrise, on bodies of water smaller than 50 acres, on waterways less than 400 feet wide, and within 200 feet of a shoreline, dock, pier, boathouse, or other structure. It also requires participants to wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved personal flotation device while wakeboarding or wakesurfing.

The statute further prohibits wakesurfing behind motorboats with propulsion systems that extend beyond the boarding or swim platform and provides an exemption for approved regattas, races, tournaments, exhibitions, and other aquatic events authorized by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. This resource serves as a reference for boaters, law enforcement officers, boating safety professionals, and others seeking guidance on Tennessee's wakeboarding and wakesurfing regulations.