Keep Lake Austin Safe: Prohibit Personal Watercraft (Jet Skis)
The Issue
To the Austin City Council, Austin Police Department, and City of Austin Officials:
We, the undersigned residents, property owners, lake users, and concerned members of the Austin community, respectfully request that the City of Austin take immediate action to improve public safety on Lake Austin by expanding the existing restrictions on personal watercraft, commonly known as jet skis, to establish a year-round prohibition—or, at minimum, a prohibition on weekends during the busiest months of the year.
Lake Austin is shared by families, swimmers, paddleboarders, kayakers, boaters, tubers, water skiers, wake surfers, and other recreational users. As lake activity and congestion have increased, the combination of high-speed personal watercraft, inexperienced operators, and impaired or reckless operation presents an increasingly serious public-safety concern. When existing regulations are difficult to enforce in a heavily congested environment, stronger preventive measures should be considered.
Texas law prohibits personal watercraft from operating within 50 feet of another vessel, person, stationary platform, object, or shore except at headway speed. On a heavily congested lake, maintaining these separation requirements becomes increasingly difficult, particularly where personal watercraft, boats towing skiers or surfers, swimmers, and other recreational users are sharing limited navigable space. We should not have to wait for a fatality before taking action.
Austin already recognizes the heightened safety concerns associated with personal watercraft on Lake Austin. Under § 8-5-81, the City currently prohibits the use or possession of jet skis, wet bikes, motorized surfboards, and similar devices during three major holiday periods: Memorial Day, Labor Day, and July 4th. We respectfully ask the City Council to evaluate whether those limited restrictions are sufficient given the current level of lake use and congestion.
Scope of the Requested Personal Watercraft Prohibition
For clarity, this petition’s request is specifically focused on traditional personal watercraft, commonly known as jet skis, and the unique public-safety risks associated with their operation on Lake Austin. We are not requesting a prohibition on paddleboards, kayaks, canoes, or other human-powered recreational activities, nor are we seeking to prohibit e-foil boards or other recreational devices that do not present the same operating characteristics and risks as traditional jet skis.
Our concern is specifically with the combination of high speed, maneuverability, proximity to other lake users, inexperienced operators, rental use, and the potential for impaired or reckless operation associated with jet skis. These characteristics create a distinct safety concern in a heavily congested waterway and are the reason we are asking the City to consider Lake Austin-specific restrictions on jet skis.
We are asking the City of Austin to:
- Prioritize public safety on Lake Austin and address the risks associated with personal watercraft.
- Expand § 8-5-81 to establish a year-round prohibition on personal watercraft (jet skis) on Lake Austin.
- If a year-round prohibition is not adopted, consider a Friday–Sunday prohibition from April 1 through October 1, when Lake Austin experiences its highest levels of recreational activity and congestion.
- Review the safety risks associated with rental personal watercraft, including the challenges presented by inexperienced operators.
- Evaluate whether existing regulations and enforcement mechanisms are sufficient to protect those who live on and recreate on Lake Austin.
- Engage Lake Austin residents and recreational users in a meaningful discussion about long-term lake safety.
- Take proactive measures to prevent serious injury or loss of life rather than waiting for a tragedy to occur.
- If the City is not prepared to enact a year-round or expanded weekend prohibition, we respectfully ask that it establish a Lake Austin-specific permitting and safety program with enhanced operator requirements, rental restrictions, and enforcement.
A fundamental question remains: Is the current regulatory framework sufficient to keep people safe on Lake Austin? If the answer is no, we urge the City to take meaningful action now.
We believe protecting the safety of children, families, swimmers, tubers, boaters, and all Lake Austin users should be a priority. We respectfully ask the City of Austin to act now, not after a preventable accident results in serious injury or loss of life.
Community Support & Endorsements
This effort to improve safety on Lake Austin has received support from residents, property owners, lake users, and community and business leaders who share concerns about the increasing congestion and safety risks associated with personal watercraft.
We are grateful to the individuals below who have expressed their support for further evaluation of PWC use and consideration of additional restrictions on Lake Austin.
Community & Business Leaders
Sam Decker — Chairman / Fair Worlds
Preston Flynn — President / Flynn Construction
Sapan Shahani — CEO / S4 Ventures
Stuart Bernstein — Partner / OEW Advisors
Rob Bridges — CEO / Marsh McLennan Agency SW Region
Larry Stokes — President & CEO / KORMAN
Seth Streeter — Co-Founder / Mission Wealth
Frank Barbella — CEO / Insurance Expert Network
Matthew Briggs — CEO / Four Hands
Dan Sharplin — Chairman of the Board / FlashParking
Luis Serrano — CEO / Sunshine Retirement Living
Barrett Foster — CEO / In Charge Electrical Services
Will Hardeman — Partner / Continental Automotive Group
Brooke Hovey — Chief Revenue Officer / KUNGFU.AI
Jonathan Stanner — President & CEO / Summit Hotel Properties
Mike Xhaxho — CEO / Waterboy
Nick Guillen — Founder / Back Nine Ventures
Emerson Smith — CEO / Pushnami
Jessica Alonso — Founder / La Casa Eterna
Will Wright — Partner / WSC & Company
Kirk Goehring — CEO / Benchmark Energy
Roy Burns — Managing Director / TA Associates
Joe Warnock — CEO / Seamless Capital
Chris Doyle — CEO / Billd
Allison Moreno — CEO / Oak Haven Massage
Jack Goehring — CEO / Hyde Park Ventures
Matt Stuart — Founder / Sellfire
Madeleine McCall — DSF Analyst / CBRE
Clayton Spencer — CEO / Poncho
Olivia Vegas — Associate / Legend Labs
Caroline Rizzo — Operations Manager / Legend Labs
Raymond McCall — Controller / Jimmy Evans Company
Dr. Sam Miller — Dell Medical
Lina Flake — Spouse of Q2 CEO / Q2
Residents, Parents & Lake Users
Beth Utley — Parent
Lisle Whitworth — Concerned Citizen
Brad Johl — Member / Young Presidents' Organization
Cary Johl — Member / Young Presidents' Organization
Elise Bridges — Mom
Dr. Nicole McLagan
Alana Ackerson — Resident & Lake User
Their support reflects growing community interest in finding thoughtful, effective solutions to protect the safety and enjoyment of Lake Austin for residents and visitors alike.
We encourage other Lake Austin residents, property owners, boaters, and lake users who share these concerns to add their voices by signing this petition and supporting meaningful action.
SIGN THE PETITION
By signing below, I am expressing my support for the City of Austin to pursue a year-round prohibition of personal watercraft (jet skis) on Lake Austin as a public-safety measure.
*No financial contribution is requested. Your signature is the only support we are asking for.
1,634
The Issue
To the Austin City Council, Austin Police Department, and City of Austin Officials:
We, the undersigned residents, property owners, lake users, and concerned members of the Austin community, respectfully request that the City of Austin take immediate action to improve public safety on Lake Austin by expanding the existing restrictions on personal watercraft, commonly known as jet skis, to establish a year-round prohibition—or, at minimum, a prohibition on weekends during the busiest months of the year.
Lake Austin is shared by families, swimmers, paddleboarders, kayakers, boaters, tubers, water skiers, wake surfers, and other recreational users. As lake activity and congestion have increased, the combination of high-speed personal watercraft, inexperienced operators, and impaired or reckless operation presents an increasingly serious public-safety concern. When existing regulations are difficult to enforce in a heavily congested environment, stronger preventive measures should be considered.
Texas law prohibits personal watercraft from operating within 50 feet of another vessel, person, stationary platform, object, or shore except at headway speed. On a heavily congested lake, maintaining these separation requirements becomes increasingly difficult, particularly where personal watercraft, boats towing skiers or surfers, swimmers, and other recreational users are sharing limited navigable space. We should not have to wait for a fatality before taking action.
Austin already recognizes the heightened safety concerns associated with personal watercraft on Lake Austin. Under § 8-5-81, the City currently prohibits the use or possession of jet skis, wet bikes, motorized surfboards, and similar devices during three major holiday periods: Memorial Day, Labor Day, and July 4th. We respectfully ask the City Council to evaluate whether those limited restrictions are sufficient given the current level of lake use and congestion.
Scope of the Requested Personal Watercraft Prohibition
For clarity, this petition’s request is specifically focused on traditional personal watercraft, commonly known as jet skis, and the unique public-safety risks associated with their operation on Lake Austin. We are not requesting a prohibition on paddleboards, kayaks, canoes, or other human-powered recreational activities, nor are we seeking to prohibit e-foil boards or other recreational devices that do not present the same operating characteristics and risks as traditional jet skis.
Our concern is specifically with the combination of high speed, maneuverability, proximity to other lake users, inexperienced operators, rental use, and the potential for impaired or reckless operation associated with jet skis. These characteristics create a distinct safety concern in a heavily congested waterway and are the reason we are asking the City to consider Lake Austin-specific restrictions on jet skis.
We are asking the City of Austin to:
- Prioritize public safety on Lake Austin and address the risks associated with personal watercraft.
- Expand § 8-5-81 to establish a year-round prohibition on personal watercraft (jet skis) on Lake Austin.
- If a year-round prohibition is not adopted, consider a Friday–Sunday prohibition from April 1 through October 1, when Lake Austin experiences its highest levels of recreational activity and congestion.
- Review the safety risks associated with rental personal watercraft, including the challenges presented by inexperienced operators.
- Evaluate whether existing regulations and enforcement mechanisms are sufficient to protect those who live on and recreate on Lake Austin.
- Engage Lake Austin residents and recreational users in a meaningful discussion about long-term lake safety.
- Take proactive measures to prevent serious injury or loss of life rather than waiting for a tragedy to occur.
- If the City is not prepared to enact a year-round or expanded weekend prohibition, we respectfully ask that it establish a Lake Austin-specific permitting and safety program with enhanced operator requirements, rental restrictions, and enforcement.
A fundamental question remains: Is the current regulatory framework sufficient to keep people safe on Lake Austin? If the answer is no, we urge the City to take meaningful action now.
We believe protecting the safety of children, families, swimmers, tubers, boaters, and all Lake Austin users should be a priority. We respectfully ask the City of Austin to act now, not after a preventable accident results in serious injury or loss of life.
Community Support & Endorsements
This effort to improve safety on Lake Austin has received support from residents, property owners, lake users, and community and business leaders who share concerns about the increasing congestion and safety risks associated with personal watercraft.
We are grateful to the individuals below who have expressed their support for further evaluation of PWC use and consideration of additional restrictions on Lake Austin.
Community & Business Leaders
Sam Decker — Chairman / Fair Worlds
Preston Flynn — President / Flynn Construction
Sapan Shahani — CEO / S4 Ventures
Stuart Bernstein — Partner / OEW Advisors
Rob Bridges — CEO / Marsh McLennan Agency SW Region
Larry Stokes — President & CEO / KORMAN
Seth Streeter — Co-Founder / Mission Wealth
Frank Barbella — CEO / Insurance Expert Network
Matthew Briggs — CEO / Four Hands
Dan Sharplin — Chairman of the Board / FlashParking
Luis Serrano — CEO / Sunshine Retirement Living
Barrett Foster — CEO / In Charge Electrical Services
Will Hardeman — Partner / Continental Automotive Group
Brooke Hovey — Chief Revenue Officer / KUNGFU.AI
Jonathan Stanner — President & CEO / Summit Hotel Properties
Mike Xhaxho — CEO / Waterboy
Nick Guillen — Founder / Back Nine Ventures
Emerson Smith — CEO / Pushnami
Jessica Alonso — Founder / La Casa Eterna
Will Wright — Partner / WSC & Company
Kirk Goehring — CEO / Benchmark Energy
Roy Burns — Managing Director / TA Associates
Joe Warnock — CEO / Seamless Capital
Chris Doyle — CEO / Billd
Allison Moreno — CEO / Oak Haven Massage
Jack Goehring — CEO / Hyde Park Ventures
Matt Stuart — Founder / Sellfire
Madeleine McCall — DSF Analyst / CBRE
Clayton Spencer — CEO / Poncho
Olivia Vegas — Associate / Legend Labs
Caroline Rizzo — Operations Manager / Legend Labs
Raymond McCall — Controller / Jimmy Evans Company
Dr. Sam Miller — Dell Medical
Lina Flake — Spouse of Q2 CEO / Q2
Residents, Parents & Lake Users
Beth Utley — Parent
Lisle Whitworth — Concerned Citizen
Brad Johl — Member / Young Presidents' Organization
Cary Johl — Member / Young Presidents' Organization
Elise Bridges — Mom
Dr. Nicole McLagan
Alana Ackerson — Resident & Lake User
Their support reflects growing community interest in finding thoughtful, effective solutions to protect the safety and enjoyment of Lake Austin for residents and visitors alike.
We encourage other Lake Austin residents, property owners, boaters, and lake users who share these concerns to add their voices by signing this petition and supporting meaningful action.
SIGN THE PETITION
By signing below, I am expressing my support for the City of Austin to pursue a year-round prohibition of personal watercraft (jet skis) on Lake Austin as a public-safety measure.
*No financial contribution is requested. Your signature is the only support we are asking for.
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Petition created on August 20, 2026