Every lake this site covers has a page on the state's website, and every one of those pages says something slightly different from the printed book the state hands to boaters. The 2026 Connecticut Boaters Guide, published by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, lists each state boat launch with its acreage, address, parking count and the regulations that apply the moment you back a trailer down the ramp. Here is what it prints for Candlewood, Squantz, Lillinonah, Zoar, Bantam and Waramaug, quoted as printed, with the places where the book and the web page disagree marked rather than smoothed over.
Every figure below is the guide's own. Where the site has already quoted DEEP's individual launch pages, the post that did so is linked, and the differences are noted.
The rules that apply at every state launch
Before the lake by lake entries, the guide sets out what it calls prohibited activities at boat launches, applying to "any boating access area which is under the control of the Department of Energy & Environmental Protection and is intended to provide public access, or parking related to such access." In the guide's words: "No person shall discard any fish or portion thereof"; "no person shall dispose of any litter" except into a receptacle, "and no person shall dispose at such facility of any litter not generated at such access area"; "no person shall wash or clean any vehicle except a boat trailer," and "a vessel or boat trailer may be cleaned only with plain water," with no detergent or chemical agent; "no person shall park a vehicle except in an area designated by the Commissioner for parking"; "no person shall kindle a fire"; "no person shall engage in camping"; and the facility may be used only for fishing where permitted, parking for fishing, boating, hunting or observing wildlife, launching boats, or observing wildlife from constructed decks. For a lake buyer that list explains why the state launch nearest your house is not a beach, a picnic ground or an overflow lot.
Candlewood Lake
The guide lists Candlewood at 5,064 acres, a figure the Candlewood Lake Authority's own fast facts put at about 5,420; both are the publishing body's number and the difference is not explained by either. Two launches carry the lake's regulations:
- Lattins Cove, Danbury (entry D1): 8 Forty Acre Mountain Road, "Parking: 100 spaces." Regulations as printed: "No registered vessels 26-ft or larger permitted unless authorized in advance by the Commissioner." "Slow-No-Wake in Lattins Cove from the south end north 2,500 ft. and in Squantz Cove from the causeway south 2,500 feet." "45 mph daytime limit, 25 mph limit 1/2 hour after sunset to 1/2 hour before sunrise." "M.S.D. (toilet) on vessels shall not be capable of overboard discharge."
- Squantz Cove, New Fairfield (entry N5): "Across from 255 CT-39," listed under Squantz Pond State Park, "Parking 75 spaces," regulations "See D1," which means the Lattins Cove rules above.
- Candlewood Lake Pumpout Boat (entry B21, Brookfield): "Services all of Candlewood Lake," operating "Memorial Day weekend to Columbus Day, Sat - Sun, 9 am - 5 pm." Read that with the overboard discharge rule above: the pumpout boat is how a cruiser with a head complies.
Two sources, two Squantz Cove numbers. The Candlewood Lake Authority's Parks and Launches page, read on September 4, 2026, says of the state launches: "State launches have a maximum capacity of 100 vehicles and will close when they reach capacity." The 2026 Connecticut Boaters Guide prints "Parking 75 spaces" for the Squantz Cove entry and "Parking: 100 spaces" for Lattins Cove. Both are printed here as they appear, and the difference is a reason to treat any parking count as a ceiling that the gate, not the guide, enforces on a summer weekend.
The 26 foot ceiling at the state launches is the one figure in this entry that surprises buyers with a larger boat; it is a launch rule, not a lake rule, and the town ramps in the five Candlewood Lake town beaches have their own terms.
Squantz Pond
Entry N6, "Squantz Pond - 270 acres (Squantz Pond State Park)," off Short Woods Road in New Fairfield, "Parking: 25 spaces." The regulations are the ones that make Squantz its own place: "Vessels launching from State boat launch are prohibited from using a motor or combination of motors in excess of 25 HP. Larger motors may be attached but the propeller must be removed and the motor inclined out of the water or as high as possible. No motorized vessels may land or unload passengers or equipment on DEEP-owned property outside of the launch area," plus the same 45 and 25 mph limits and the overboard discharge rule. The second sentence, about a larger motor with the propeller removed, is not on the web page this site quoted in Squantz Pond, the natural lake attached to Candlewood, and it answers the question every owner of a bigger boat near the pond asks.
Lake Lillinonah
Entry B20, "Lake Lillinonah - 1,547 acres (Steel Bridge)," gives the Bridgewater launch address as 880 Main Street South with "Parking: 50 spaces"; DEEP's web page for the same launch, quoted in Lake Lillinonah for a second home, gives 199 Main Street South. Entry N1, "Lake Lillinonah - 1,547 acres (Pond Brook)," gives 160 Hanover Road in Newtown where the web page gives 158, with regulations "See B20." The regulations as printed: "Vessels are prohibited from approaching within 300 feet on upstream side or 1,500 feet on downstream side of Shepaug Dam. Vessels are prohibited from approaching within 300 feet downstream of the Bleachery Dam. 45 mph limit daytime, 25 mph from 1/2 hour after sunset to 1/2 hour before sunrise." The guide's Southbury listing for Lillinonah simply points back to the same entry.
Lake Zoar
Entry S9, "Lake Zoar - 975 acres," at 210 Scout Road in Southbury, "Parking: 60 spaces." Regulations: "45 mph limit daytime, 25 mph from 1/2 hour after sunset to 1/2 hour before sunrise; vessels are prohibited from approaching within 300 feet on upstream side or 700 feet on downstream side of Stevenson Dam." The Monroe, Oxford and Shelton listings for Zoar point to the same entry. The acreage is worth a second look beside Lake Zoar for a second home, which used the figure on DEEP's web page; if the two differ, both are the state's, printed in different places.
Bantam Lake
Entry M19, "Bantam Lake - 947 acres," gives the Morris launch as 50 Palmer Road with "Parking: 20 spaces," where DEEP's web page quoted in Bantam Lake for a second home gives 16 Palmer Road. The regulations as printed: "6 mph limit in Nick's Cove. Boats towing waterskiiers not permitted within 150 feet of shore, except taking off or landing, no riding on deck, no motors 11 pm to 5 am, no kite skiing or parasailing without permission." The 150 foot towing rule, which the Bantam Lake Protective Association also publishes, is here in the state's own book, and the guide notes separately that the Bantam River is closed to internal combustion engines.
Lake Waramaug
Entry K2, "Lake Waramaug - 656 acres (Lake Waramaug State Park)," 30 Lake Waramaug Road in Kent, describes the launch as "Approximately 150 ft. carry to water." Its regulations are the fullest statement of the lake's rules in any state document: "From May 15 through Sep 15, inclusive, Slow-No-Wake in the cove adjacent to the State Park in northernmost 1,300 feet of the cove. 12 HP limit. Seaplanes prohibited. Call 860-868-6427 for vessel inspection prior to launching. A total of only 20 non-residents are allowed on the water through the town and state park launches. The use of wake enhancing devices is prohibited." That confirms, from the state's side, the three rules Lake Waramaug for a second home took from the Lake Waramaug Association and the Town of Washington: inspection before launch, the 20 non-resident cap, and the car top horsepower limit.
What to do with this
- Use the launch entry, not the lake page, for the ramp you will actually use. Addresses differ between the book and the web by a few hundred feet on three lakes; the parking counts and the horsepower and length limits are the figures that decide whether a given boat can go in.
- Read the dam distances as a map of where you cannot be, especially on Lillinonah and Zoar, where the exclusion zones sit at the ends of the lake near the houses that sell as "quiet water."
- Treat the prohibited activities list as the definition of a state launch. No fires, no camping, no washing, no parking outside the marked area; a listing that describes a state launch as "your beach" is describing something the state forbids.
Common questions about state boat launches on these lakes
Is there a boat length limit at the Candlewood state launches?
Yes, at the state launches. The guide's entry for Lattins Cove, which Squantz Cove follows, says no registered vessels 26 feet or larger are permitted unless authorized in advance by the Commissioner. Town ramps have their own rules.
Can I launch a bigger boat on Squantz Pond if I do not use the motor?
The guide says larger motors "may be attached but the propeller must be removed and the motor inclined out of the water or as high as possible," while any motor used may not exceed 25 horsepower from the state launch.
How far from the dams must a boat stay?
Lillinonah: 300 feet upstream and 1,500 feet downstream of the Shepaug Dam, and 300 feet downstream of the Bleachery Dam. Zoar: 300 feet upstream and 700 feet downstream of the Stevenson Dam. All from the 2026 guide.
Why do the book and the website give different addresses?
They are two publications of the same agency, updated on different schedules. This article prints the 2026 guide's figures and names the web page figure where the two differ; use either to find the ramp and the town's own records for anything legal.
Is there a state launch on Lake Waramaug?
Only the carry-in launch at the state park, with a 12 horsepower limit and an inspection call required before launching; the guide says a total of 20 non-residents are allowed on the water through the town and state park launches combined.
Sources: 2026 Connecticut Boaters Guide, Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, "Prohibited Activities at Boat Launches" and the boat launch listings for Danbury (D1, D2), New Fairfield (N5, N6), Bridgewater (B20), Newtown (N1), Southbury (S9), Morris (M19), Kent (K2) and the Brookfield pumpout boat (B21), read September 4, 2026. Candlewood Lake Authority, Fast Facts and Map page, for the 5,420 acre figure. Every quotation is as printed; the guide is reissued each year and the 2027 edition will supersede it.
Related reading:Candlewood Lake bass tournaments in 2025, the state's own count, who launches on Candlewood Lake, the Authority's 2025 steward report, Mount Tom State Park as the state describes it, Kettletown State Park as the state describes it, Lake Waramaug State Park as the state describes it, Squantz Pond State Park as the state describes it, Connecticut boat registration, the AIS stamp most Candlewood boaters missed and Candlewood, Lillinonah or Bantam.
If the boat is part of the decision, the launch rules are part of the price. Reach me through ConnorCTHomes.com.
Connor Kostyra, Licensed Real Estate Salesperson, CT Lic. RES.0836348.
Connor CT Homes is a marketing brand. Real estate services are provided through RE/MAX Rise, 1297 Main Street, Watertown, CT 06795.
This article is general information, not legal advice. Launch regulations, addresses, parking counts and acreages are quoted from the 2026 Connecticut Boaters Guide as printed and change with each edition; confirm current rules with DEEP and the launch's own posted signs before relying on anything here.
