• Watercraft equipped with internal combustion boat motors.
• Inflatable boats less than six feet in length. Inflatable boats not constructed of durable reinforced fabric. Inflatable boats that do not have at least two separate buoyancy chambers. Boats must be able to float with only one chamber.
• Inner tubes, inflatable mattresses, rafts, tube boats and float tubes.
• Windsurfing boards and paddleboards.
• Watercraft rented or leased from a non-City of Tempe boat concessionaire may not be used on Tempe Town Lake.

Boat owner responsibility
Each watercraft owner assumes responsibility for each person using his/her boat.

Watercraft launch site
All public watercraft must be launched at a designated boat launch facility. Signs are posted at each boat feature identifying the types of facilities available. International symbols for telephone, restrooms and picnic facilities appear on red circles on the lower part of the sign poles.

A numbered yellow triangle appears at the top of each pole. This feature helps identify specific locations if you are meeting someone at the lake or calling for help. Green or blue rectangles appear below the yellow triangle. Green identifies boat landings. Blue identifies boat tie-ups.

Another way to identify the boat features is by the red circle with a picture of the use. There are 20 boat tie-ups, nine boat landings, two boat ramps and one boat beach.

Boat tie-ups have cleats, where you may dock your boat for a short visit to the park. No tie-ups exist for all day or overnight docking. Please be courteous to other boaters who may want to use park facilities in this area.

Large tour boats dock at the boat landings. Do not use these landings for your personal boat. The stairs are at a height designed for large boats and it is unsafe to dock at these facilities.

Trailered boats may be launched from the launch ramp at the SRP Marina on the north bank. 
 

Car-top carried boats may be launched from the boat beach. This is a sandy area on the north bank. Do not block the boat beach with chairs or use the sand for recreation. When launching from the boat beach, do not drive off of the Lake View Drive. Stay on the street, unload your boat and exit the loading zone. Parking is available in designated spaces. Do not park in the loading zone.

Large yellow bulletin boards are located at the four major boat launch facilities. These cabinets hold postings about lake closures, events and weather conditions.

Look for blue signs that provide information on lake hours and park rules, and green signs that provide interpretive information about the park. Red circles are used to identify areas by name, or identify uses for a particular area. 

Swimming
Town Lake is constructed with vertical walls on both sides of the lake. There is no long sloping beach and no shallow areas in the lake that would make the lake conducive to swimming. Therefore, swimming or voluntarily entering the water from the lake edge is prohibited except during special sporting events that are organized through the Parks and Recreation Division. 
  
Watercraft speed
A wakeless speed is the maximum boat speed. No individual shall operate a watercraft at a greater speed than prudent under the prevailing conditions. Speed and direction of travel shall be controlled to avoid a collision.

Emergency Warning System
The emergency warning system alerts boats of lightning, wind, and evacuation. Lights and sirens have been mounted on tall poles at three locations around the Tempe Town Lake, providing critical information about circumstances that may affect your safety. These poles are located on the lake:

• North side at the downstream dam
• South side at the upstream dam and
• North side just west of the lagoon, midway between Rural Road and the Mill Avenue bridges

A WHITE light will start flashing anytime the wind observed at that location reaches 15 miles per hour. The frequency of the light flashes will increase as the velocity of the wind increases.

A YELLOW light will start flashing when lighting is detected anywhere within 10 miles of the butte on the south side of Tempe Town Lake.

A flashing RED light and SIREN means that you must evacuate the Tempe Town Lake and secure your boat as quickly as possible.

Weather forecast information is posted daily at the Town Lake Operations Center. You can go to the Town Lake weather page for the latest weather conditions.

Navigational rules
Public boating navigational rules specific to the Tempe Town Lake include, but are not limited to, the following:

Regulatory marker buoys
All watercraft shall be operated in the manner prescribed by regulatory markers. No individual shall moor or fasten a watercraft to any regulatory marker, or remove, obstruct or interfere with any regulatory marker.

Lake edge
There is a narrow concrete safety ledge underwater along the sides of the lake. Additionally, there are numerous culvert-type inlets along the lake edge that boaters should avoid.

Tempe Town Lake bridge clearances
(All dimensions are approximate and measured from full water elevation level to the underside of the bridge.)
 

Watercraft boating regulations
The Arizona Revised Statutes (Title 5), the Arizona Game and Fish Department Commission Regulations, the City of Tempe Code and Rio Salado administrative operating policies apply to the Tempe Town Lake.

• All watercraft must be equipped with at least one United States Coast Guard approved personal flotation devise, Type I, II or III, for each person on boat. Such devices must be in good and serviceable condition, readily accessible and must fit the person for whom they are intended.
• All watercraft 16 feet or more, except a canoe or kayak, shall have one Type IV throwable personal flotation devise and one Type I, II or III personal flotation devise for each person on board.
• Children 12 years of age or younger on board a watercraft shall wear a U.S. Coast Guard approved Type I, II or III personal flotation devise whenever the watercraft is underway. All other boaters are strongly encouraged to wear a personal flotation devise.
• No overloading boat capacity. All watercraft 20 feet or less in length sold or manufactured in Arizona after January 1, 1971, must have a capacity plate attached and readily visible from the position normally occupied by the operator of the watercraft. No watercraft may be loaded beyond the safe carrying capacity indicated on this plate. Such plates are not required on canoes and sailboats.
• Alcohol is prohibited on the Tempe Town Lake except when served by a licensed boat concessionaire. No individual who is under the influence of liquor or non-prescription drugs or who is mentally or physically incapable of operating a watercraft under the prevailing circumstances, shall be in physical control of any watercraft.
• No watercraft is permitted beyond the upstream or downstream buoy/boom line, which marks the boundaries for the dams.
• Anchoring or cruising within 100 feet of designated launch sites is prohibited. Boats leaving or entering launch sites shall do so as quickly as possible.
• Tying or otherwise fastening a watercraft to any bridge pier, navigational buoy or boom is prohibited.
• Sailboat and other watercraft operators shall use caution when navigating around and under bridges that might have limited clearance. Navigate these areas at your own risk.
• Watercraft operators shall obey all warning signals.
• Excessive noise is prohibited.
• Watercraft owners and operators are liable for the safety of their passengers and for damages resulting from any boating accidents.
• Watercraft owners should maintain public liability insurance covering water and boating hazards.

Accident: Duties of operator
If you are involved in a water accident notify the Tempe Police Department. In an emergency dial 911; if there is an non-emergency dial 480-350-8311. A police officer of Park Ranger will report to the scene and take a report. Leaving the scene of an accident where there is damage is considered a misdemeanor Hit & Run accident. Leaving the scene of an accident where there is injury is a felony Hit & Run accident. An accident is defined as boats with a fixed object, boat vs. boat, damage involving City owned property (which is anything around the lake) and boat vs. person.

Boat tie-ups
Public boat tie-ups are located along the shoreline of the lake. Note that some boat tie-ups are reserved for special uses.

Do not feed the ducks and/or wildlife
For public health and safety, to maintain water quality and for aviation considerations, please do not feed the ducks and wildlife.I

Fishing
Fishing at Tempe Town Lake is permitted with a valid Arizona "General" Fishing License. Arizona Revised Statutes, Arizona Game and Fish Commission Rules, City of Tempe Code and Rio Salado operating policies apply at the lake. For a fishing license you can go Arizona Game and Fish Department.

Water sport activities and special events
A Special Event Permit is required for any individual or group wishing to conduct a water sport activity or special event on the Tempe Town Lake. Water Sport Activity and Special Events application forms are available at the Town Lake Operations Center.