New law for dock owners begins January 1st

KSDK -- A new state law takes effect January 1, 2010 requiring dock owners -- including those at Table Rock Lake and Lake of the Ozarks -- to begin posting addresses on buildings facing the water.

The addresses, which must be the closest emergency address to the dock's location, are meant to speed up response times when emergency workers are called to incidents on the water and to help locate lost or disabled boaters, according to a news release from the Missouri Water Patrol.

The new law affects docks on Lake of the Ozarks and all Missouri lakes managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The water patrol recommends dock owners use lettering at least three inches high to post the addresses, which must be "the appropriate '911' address or in the absence of a '911' system, the physical address nearest to the dock by land."

The agency also recommends that addresses be printed in a contrasting color or with a reflective coating and be located so they can be seen from the water.

Dock owners who are unsure of what address they should use may contact their local emergency services office or sheriff's department to find out the closest emergency or 911 address, the patrol said.

Docks on various Missouri lakes may face additional posting requirements, the release said, depending on whether they are permitted by the Corps of Engineers or, at Lake of the Ozarks, Ameren UE.

"For convenience, the dock permit number, which in most instances must already be displayed, can be posted alongside the emergency address," the release said.

Anyone with questions about the new law may call the water patrol at 573-751-3333.

For more information about Ameren's posting requirements, go to www.ameren.com/Lake Ozarks/ADC_911Posting.asp.

A listing of Corps of Engineers project offices is available at www.usace.army.mil/about/Pages /Locations.aspx.