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Whenever any person having charge of any vessel, craft, or float shall wish to move it past any bridge, reasonable time shall be allowed for the opening of the bridge, and any person who shall move any vessel, craft, or float against any bridge before it shall be opened and shall injure the bridge shall be liable to the city for that injury in addition to any fine which may be levied.
(Prior code § 38-25)
It shall be unlawful for any master, owner, or person in possession, charge, or control of any vessel, craft, or float to operate, navigate, keep, or maintain the same in the harbor unless the same shall have a name plainly and conspicuously displayed thereon which shall be large enough and in such a position as to be readily distinguishable and readable on both sides or from the rear thereof for a distance of at least 500 feet, and such name shall be of such distinctive character that any such vessel, craft, or float may be readily identified by it.
Any person violating this section shall be fined $100.00 for each offense.
(Prior code § 38-26; Amend Coun. J. 11-24-20, p. 24619, Art. III, § 1)
No steam vessel or other power craft while lying in the harbor or along the wharves or docks of the same shall work its engines; provided, that owners, masters, or other persons in charge of boats fitting out and desirous of working and testing their engines shall, before working or testing any such engine, station some person in such a place or position as will enable him to signal the engineer to stop such engine. Such engine shall be kept from working until all approaching vessels, craft, or floats shall have passed the wheel of said boat or boats by a distance of 200 feet. These provisions shall not apply to cases of fire.
(Prior code § 38-27)
It shall be unlawful for any person to smoke, carry or possess a lighted cigarette, cigar, pipe or match upon any bulkhead, dock, shipyard, pier, wharf, warehouse or shed, except such portions thereof as may be designated by the harbormaster, or to smoke, carry or possess a lighted cigarette, cigar, pipe or match on board any ship, lighter, scow, or other similar floating craft or equipment when berthed or moored at any dock, wharf, pier, or to a vessel made fast thereto, within the harbor.
(Prior code § 38-27.1)
Any vessel, craft, or float navigating the harbor shall be equipped with a whistle for signalling purposes which shall not be heard distinctly in ordinary weather at a distance of more than one-quarter of a mile. No person shall blow the whistle of any vessel, craft, or float at any time except as a signal to a bridge tender, or as a signal of danger, or as prescribed by the laws and regulations of the United States, and as provided by this Code.
(Prior code § 38-28)
No person shall operate, or authorize or knowingly permit the operation of, a vessel upon the waters of Lake Michigan or upon any waterway within the city:
(a) in such a manner as to endanger the life or limb, or damage the property, of others; or
(b) in such a careless or heedless manner as to be grossly indifferent to the person or property of others; or
(c) in such a manner as to disturb or destroy the peace and quiet of others; or
(d) within any area which has been marked by buoys or other distinguishing devices as a restricted area, except in case of emergency or for the purpose of entering or leaving any harbor or launching ramp; or
(e) within 150 feet of the shoreline of any public park or within 300 feet of any bathing beach, except in case of emergency or for the purpose of entering or leaving a pier, slip launching or docking area; or
(f) by a person under the age of 16 years unless properly supervised by an adult or as permitted by state law; or
(g) without yielding the right-of-way to any swimmer; or
(h) without complying with all applicable state and federal safety equipment requirements, including the requirements regarding personal flotation devices; or
(i) in violation of posted restrictions on wake or speed; or
(j) unless each occupant of a vessel used for recreational purposes is wearing an approved personal flotation device as defined in the Boat Registration and Safety Act, codified at 625 ILCS 45/1-l et seq., as amended. Provided, however, that this requirement shall not apply to persons who are (1) below deck, or (2) in a totally enclosed cabin space. Provided, further, that this requirement shall not apply to the occupants of (i) any commercial passenger vessel licensed under Chapter 4-250 of this Code, (ii) any vessel used for recreational purposes that is being operated on private property, (iii) any vessel used for recreational purposes that is docked, or (iv) any vessel used for recreational purposes that is 21 feet or more in length. For purposes of this subsection (j), the term "vessel used for recreational purposes" means any watercraft, sailboat, recreational boat, personal watercraft or specialty prop-craft as defined in the Boat Registration and Safety Act, as amended.
Any person who shall violate any provision of this section shall be fined not less than $100.00 nor more than $1,500.00, or imprisoned for not less than ten days nor more than six months, or both, for each offense.
(Prior code § 38-29; Amend Coun. J. 12-10-97, p. 59008; Amend Coun. J. 9-9-09, p. 70529, § 1)
(a) No person shall operate a vessel in such a way that the boat creates a wake in any of the following areas in the Lake Michigan portions of the Chicago Harbor or upon any waterway within the City, except in the case of an actual emergency:
(1) within 150 feet of any buoy marking a bathing beach or swimming area;
(2) within 150 feet of the shoreline or a breakwater;
(3) within 150 feet of any other vessel;
(4) within 150 feet of any boat launching ramp;
(5) within 150 feet of any portion of the Chicago River Locks structure;
(6) west of the east line of Navy Pier, between the south line of Navy Pier and the south line of the Chicago River locks structure;
(7) west of the east line of Navy Pier, between the north line of Navy Pier and the south line of the Jardine Water Filtration Plant;
(8) the main branch of the Chicago River, from the Chicago River controlling Locks west to Wolf Point L, the junction of the main north and south branches.
(9) the south branch of the Chicago River, from Wolf Point to the Lake Street Bridge.
(10) the north branch of the Chicago River, from Wolf Point to the Kinzie Street Bridge.
(11) at any other location where no wake signs or markings are posted by the commissioner of transportation pursuant to subsection (b) of this section.
(b) The commissioner of transportation shall post appropriate markings or signs to identify the no-wake areas listed in subsection (a) of this section. The commissioner may also mark additional no-wake areas as directed from time to time by the city council, and where an appropriate state or federal agency indicates the need for such restriction. All such signs and markings shall comply with applicable state and federal regulations;
(c) Any person who violates any provision of subsection (a) of this section shall be subject to a fine of not less than $100.00 and not more than $500.00.
(Added Coun. J. 12-10-97, p.59008; Amend Coun. J. 7-29-98, p. 75119; Amend Coun. J. 11-8-12, p. 38872, § 193)
It shall be unlawful for any person to take possession of or make use of for any purpose, alter, deface, destroy, move, injure, obstruct by fastening a boat or vessel thereto or otherwise tie a boat or vessel to, or in any manner whatever impair the usefulness of, any bridge, any special purpose buoy or any marine navigational aid established and maintained by the City of Chicago, Chicago Park District, or any subdivision of said governments.
(Prior code § 38-29.1)
All vessels, craft, or floats lying in or navigating the harbor shall be respectively governed by the following further provisions:
(a) Every vessel using steam shall have its smoke pipe or pipes so constructed and managed as to prevent sparks or coals of fire escaping therefrom, and shall be moved slowly at a speed not exceeding four miles per hour under a low head of steam. Every tugboat or steam vessel used chiefly for towing shall have a joint in its smoke pipe or pipes, and shall be constructed in all respects in such a manner as to be able to pass under any bridge which is not less than 13 feet above the surface of the water.
(b) No master or other person owning or having charge of any vessel, craft, or float shall leave the same in the harbor without having on board or in charge thereof some competent person to control, manage and secure the same, without first obtaining permission of the harbormaster.
(c) All vessels, craft, or floats, whether using steam or otherwise, while lying in the harbor, shall have and keep their anchors on board, and their lower yards cockbilled, and the upper yards braced up sharp.
They shall likewise have and keep out on board during the night time a conspicuous white light, and shall have extinguished or safely secured at dark all fires which may be kept on board.
(d) No vessel, craft, or float shall be suffered to lie in the harbor adrift or insecurely fastened.
(e) Vessels, craft, or floats moving with the current shall have the right-of-way.
(f) In case one vessel desires to pass another going in the same direction in the harbor the pilot of the vessel astern shall give the proper signal, indicating the side upon which he wishes to pass. Upon the pilot of one vessel astern of another giving such signal, the pilot of the vessel ahead shall immediately answer by giving the same signal; but if he does think it safe for the vessel astern to attempt to pass at that point he shall immediately signify the same by giving several short and rapid blasts of the whistle, and under no circumstances shall the steamer astern attempt to pass the steamer ahead until such time as they have reached a point where it can be safely done, when such vessel ahead shall signify her willingness by blowing the proper signals and the vessel astern shall pass the overtaken vessel, giving the overtaken vessel as wide a berth as possible.
(g) The vessel dispatcher shall keep a record of the movements of all vessels and through the bridge telephone operators give such directions to the bridge tenders or persons in charge of the bridges in regard to the opening of bridges that the provisions of this Code may be carried out.
(h) Vessels exceeding 200 tons navigating the harbor shall not proceed at a speed greater than four miles per hour.
(Prior code § 38-030)
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