Reston Association

Boat Guide

Photography by: Sean Bahrami and Jim Kirby

All boats moored on Reston Association’s shoreline, permanent or otherwise, must have the prior consent and authorization of the Association.

All boats and other permitted watercraft shall operate in accordance with U.S. Coast Guard guidelines, rules, and regulations including providing life vests for each passenger.

RA reserves the right to board and inspect boats or vessels on the lakes.

Annually, clusters must provide RA with a list of residents with boats and cluster permit numbers.

Who can have a boat?Only those with lakefront property or the deeded right of direct access to the lake may own a pontoon or deck boat on Reston lakes, provided there is an approved location to moor the boat (i.e. have lakefront property or cluster has mooring spots available.) Pontoon and deck boats are prohibited on Lake Newport.

If you are in a cluster with lakefront property, only those who have the permission of the cluster to have a mooring space can own a boat.

What to know to make the most of boating season

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Lakefront property clusters with boat mooring policies

Lake Audubon Lake Thoreau Lake AnneLake Audubon Place Lakeport Lakeside

Lake Audubon Terrace Harbor Point Waterview

Cedar Cove Lakewinds II Washington Plaza West

Cabots Point Lakewinds I Chimney House

Mallards Landing Chadds Ford Waters Edge

Dockside Walden Moorings

Nantucket West Cove

Brenton Cove Harborside

Beacon Hill

Shores

Can a renter have a boat?Boats are tied to a given property and must be owned by the property owner. Exceptions can be made if a written legal agreement is recorded with RA stating the property owner will take ultimate responsibility for the boat if/when the renter no longer resides at that property.

How many boats are allowed?Only one boat per mooring space is allowed. Owners of lakefront property may have a maximum of two boats seasonally, April 1 through October 31, but only one can remain on the lake after October 31.

At clusters, no more than 50% of available shoreline can be used for mooring boats.

What are the size requirements?Boats can be no larger than 10’ wide by 18’ long.

There are some grandfathered boats larger than this. They are considered oversized and cannot convey with the sale of the property. Any oversized boat needs to be shortened or removed from the lake prior to the sale of a property.

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SUNRISE VALLEY DRIVE

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Boat Access PointsBoat access points NORTH Boat access points SOUTH

BOAT LAUNCH

What are the boat construction guidelines? • Boats shall have a maximum of one level and the entire deck surface shall be above the water line under all loading conditions. • Deck boats must be designed to prevent polystyrene foam from coming in contact with the lake bottom, retaining walls, stone riprap, or anything that will break apart the float. • Float material must be encased to prevent its deterioration. Encased means completely enclosed or surrounded by a durable material. Floats are usually available encased in a hard plastic shell. • Deck boats must be designed to support the weight of the boat itself, the weight of all the passengers, plus all accessories including tables, chairs, coolers, canopies, benches, batteries, motors, etc. • All boats shall float level and flat when moving through the water, when anchored, or when docked. • Deck boats should have at least 7 cubic feet of float material for each 10 square feet of deck surface, thus a 10x14 ft. deck boat must have approximately 96 cu. ft. of flotation. • All wood must be cut on land and sealed on land prior to building on the lake or launching. NOTE: All wood preservatives finished and sealers will pollute the lake. • Boat material and fasteners must be of non-corrosive materials (galvanized, aluminum, plastic, zinc, stainless steel, or nylon.) • All deck boats must be screwed or bolted- not nailed together. • Batteries shall be attached to the deck of the boat or set into holders to prevent sliding off into the lake.

What about boat motors?Only electrically powered motors – no more than 3 horsepower or the equivalent of 80 pounds of thrust are allowed. NO gas engines (i.e. internal combustion engines) are allowed on Reston lakes unless authorized by RA for emergency or maintenance purposes only.

Reston lakes are designated as No Wake Zones. “No wake” is defined as a vessel traveling at or below idle speed, or at such speed that the boat or its wake (waves) is not sufficient to cause possible injury or damage to other persons, boats, or property. Traveling at idle speed, which is very slow, is done to prevent waves from splashing against the bank and eroding the shoreline, to protect aquatic life, and to prevent boats from rocking and scouring the shoreline.

Boat ConditionsAll boats need to be in good working order. Owners shall be required to replace and remove from the lake all deteriorating float material and warped, splintering, rotting deck or other structural material.

Oversized larger than 18’ long x 10’ wide $80

Large between 141 and 180 sq ft $60

Medium between 100 and 140 sq ft $45

Small less than 100 sq ft $30

What is the fee for my permanent mooring permit?Fees are based on boat sizes and square footage

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Boating Guidelines• Persons under 8 years of age must be accompanied by a person 18 years or older when using a boat or vessel on the lakes.• RA may control crowding of the lakes by limiting the number of boats (of all kinds) which may use the general access areas on a given day.• No person will operate any boat or vessel while under the influence of alcohol, any narcotic, drug or barbiturate.

Are inflatable boats, sailboards, stand-up paddleboards or windsurfers allowed?Yes. Inflatable boats may be used if they have at least 3 separately inflated chambers. Sailboards and windsurfers are permitted on the lake but must have a mooring permit if left on the water. If taken off the water after each use, the boat will need a general access permit.

Do I need a permit for my kayak, canoe, paddleboard or other hand carried boat?Yes. All hand carried boats need a general access permit that corresponds to the current boat owner. A general access permit is red and is free to members of the Reston Association. A cluster registration decal may be required as well.

Do I need a permit for my pontoon, deck boat, or sailboat?Yes. All boats kept on the water year-round and permanently moored between October and April must have a visible RA registration permit decal with a number that corresponds to the current boat owner. The permanent mooring permit is teal green and has an associated annual fee. The permanent mooring permit must be renewed each year and a yearly decal must be affixed to the permit.

Where should I place the permit on my boat?Permits should be placed on the outside of the boat at the rear or outer side that faces the interior of the lake and be visible when boat is winterized. RA staff monitors conditions from a boat and encourage permit placement to be accessible from a boat on the lake.

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Who has the authority to make rules or set fees for boats?The amended Reston Deed gives the RA Board of Directors the right to establish, adopt, enforce, and repeal Rules and Regulations for the use of the Common Area and participation in Association programs. The Reston Association boat permitting procedure is based on RA Resolution 2, Lake Use & Access; Use and Maintenance Standards Resolution 11 – Boats; and Covenants Enforcement & Insurance Resolution 2 – Enforcement of Lake Use & Access Rules. For more information, contact RA at 703-435-6530.

What is the fee for my hand-carried boat?There is no fee for a General Access Permit. They can be picked up at the Members Services Desk at the Reston Association headquarters building located at 12001 Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston, VA 20191 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday-Friday.

What if I don’t have permission to permanently moor a boat?A boat without permanent mooring authorization cannot be moored on Reston’s lake shorelines. All boats on Reston’s lakes must have either a Permanent Mooring Permit or a General Lake Access permit.

EnforcementAny boat kept in the water on a lake must be maintained and in sound structural or floating condition. Any boats moored along the Reston Association’s shoreline without being authorized by RA or maintained in violation of these rules must be removed immediately at the owner’s expense and risk.

Who has the right to remove my boat?Covenants Committee or Legal Committee, as appropriate, can cause the removal of any dock or boat from the lake if not in compliance with the Common Area Rules and Regulations Resolution 2 on Lake Use & Access or Use & Maintenance Standards Resolution 11 on Boats.

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How long do I have to fix my boat?After being notified, you have 60 days to correct the problem. If the problem is not corrected after 60 days, the next notification states you will have 10 days to remove the boat or RA will remove it or cause the boat to be removed, the costs for such removal shall be assessed against the owner.

What happens to boats that are found drifting on the lake?Any boat or vessel found on the Common Area unattended or drifting unattended on a lake or pond shall be considered “abandoned.” RA will secure the boat and try to find the owner if possible. If after two weeks, the owner is not found, RA staff will follow the abandoned boat protocol which is the following:

• All abandoned boats and vessels shall be re- moved from the Common Area and stored at the Association’s Central Services Facility, 12250 Sunset Hills Road, Reston, Virginia 20190. • The Association shall not be responsible for removing abandoned boats or vessels from Cluster or private property. Such boats and vessels must be removed by the Cluster or property owner. • Boats in poor or unsafe condition (i.e., hull is rotted, cracked, or has holes) will be disposed of as prescribed in items 5 - 7 of Resolution 9 Abandoned Boats: 5. The Association shall contact and provide information to Fairfax County Police of any abandoned boat or vessel found on the Common Area. 6. Reston Association shall maintain an abandoned Boat/Vessel Registration File which will include a photograph, detailed description, ID or serial number of the Boat/vessel, date and location the vessel was found. In addition, the record shall include a copy of the newspaper notice advertising the discovery of the vessel. 7. The Association shall make a good faith effort to locate the owner of the vessel. • The Association reserves the right to dispose of all abandoned boats and vessels that are not claimed in accordance with applicable law.