General Lake Policies

Please see the latest Rules, Regulations & Directory for further details.
Below are the most commonly asked questions regarding basic lake rules.

Lake Patrolman

Lake Patrol: 405-831-5075
The patrolmen are authorized and instructed to enforce all lake rules.

Lake Guests & Visitors

The owner or an adult member of the immediate family must be on lake property when guests are present and using any of the facilities. Adult member of the immediate family is defined as an adult in the property owner’s household. All parties must be chaperoned by an adult lake member sponsor. It is the responsibility of the host to see that guests are advised of and obey lake rules.

Water Skiing

Skiing hours shall be regulated by the light on the dam. No skiing is allowed during the period when the light is on. The traffic pattern on the lake for skiing shall be counter clockwise around the lake –that is, travel north on the east side and south on the west side. Skiing on the closed side of the buoys is prohibited. All boats, when pulling a skier, shall stay two ski rope lengths from the dam, docks or shore.

Recreational Vehicles - Golf Carts, Motorbikes, 4-wheel drive Vehicles, etc.

All recreational vehicles must have an LH compliance sticker. The operation of motorcycles, motorbikes, or 4-wheel drive vehicles anywhere other than hard surface lake roads is expressly prohibited. Hard surface roads are defined to include the designated dirt road trails which extend from East and West Shore Drives around the south end of the lake but do not include hiking trails and walking paths. Vehicles such as golf carts and ATVs may be used on public access paths to access the lake. Please be mindful of your neighbors who maintain the greenbelt.

Fireworks

Use of all fireworks by individual property owners shall conform to the prevailing laws of the State of Oklahoma (Title 68, Article 16, Section 1621-1634). A copy of the current statutes is on file at the corporate offices. A public display may be authorized by the Board of Directors and will comply with State ordinances regarding Class B Display fireworks.

The use of fireworks is restricted to between 8 a.m. to 12 midnight from June 19 through July 19 and noon on December 31 to noon on January 1. Any other fireworks displays must be presented to the Board of Directors for approval.

Boats and Boat Permits

All boats operated on Lake Hiwassee must belong to a stockholder, bear an identification sticker, and be duly registered with the corporation. Each stockholder may register one primary power boat and one secondary power boat subject to set limitations and restrictions. See the current rulebook for permit and registration information.

Building Permits

A building permit shall be required for all new construction or remodeling of an existing structure. If construction is not started within 6 months of the issue of a permit, such permit shall be void and a new permit must be applied for prior to construction. No building permit shall be issued to a stockholder who is not current in their assessments. Please see the current rulebook for permit applications and penalties. Downloadable, printable forms will be provided under the Board menu link.