The Great Lakes water levels fluctuate over a variety of time scales. One way to protect homes and other structures located along the coasts of the Great Lakes from the dangers of fluctuating water levels, floods, waves, and erosion is to place the structures further from the water. Laws dictating how far a structure should be built from a lake and adjacent landforms, such as bluffs or dunes, are called setbacks. Setback requirements exist in state law and in local ordinances. However, states that choose to regulate setbacks vary in how much protection they afford homeowners. The table and executive summary below compare the setback regulations of the eight Great Lakes states: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. The table contains key provisions from each state’s shoreland zoning laws that relate to setbacks from the Great Lakes, and the accompanying executive summary discusses the major commonalities and differences among the states. This research highlights the risks of placing structures close to the Great Lakes and asks readers to consider the effectiveness of their state or local Great Lakes shoreland zoning laws and the necessity of updates to setbacks laws throughout the Great Lakes region.
Citation:
Ehrlich, E., Anderson, S., Sutherland, C., Scanlan, M. (2025). Too Close for Comfort: State Regulation of Setbacks From the Great Lakes. University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee Publications
Read the Executive Summary:
Too Close for Comfort: State Regulation of Setbacks From the Great Lakes
Download the excel table comparing Great Lakes states laws here:
Featured Image Credit: Cory Morse / The Grand Rapids Press