Local anchoring restrictions on the Mississippi

[Jammer]

Recently cruised up to downtown Minneapolis.


The Mississippi sees virtually no traffic of any kind upstream of the confluence with the Minnesota River. There is no longer any commercial traffic whatsoever. The area between the Minnesota River and St. Anthony Falls (in downdown Minneapolis) is only accessible (through a lock) from downstream. Except for a law-enforcement-only dock, and facilities reserved for two excursion boats, there are no docks, no mooring facilities, and no boat ramps.


We were there on a beautiful Saturday afternoon and saw no other craft except for two 16' fishing boats and a couple of kayaks and canoes.


There are natural sand beaches, which are poorly maintained, suffering an accumulation of trash. Substantially all the land making up the banks is part of the city parks system.


The city has a park ordinance prohibiting anchoring without a permit that has been on the books since the 1960s. It is also prohibited to land a boat anywhere along the banks, though this restriction has pretty clearly been pre-empted by a state law passed in 1990 that specifically allows hand-carried, human-powered boats to access the water from any public lands.


The city has not responded to my inquiries regarding anchoring permits. It is my suspicion that they don't have a process in place for issuing them.


Does anyone know whether local restrictions like this are valid?


Is there any sort of centralized list of the cities, counties, etc., that restrict anchoring on the inland rivers?


I am reluctant to ignore the rules, and am reluctant to pay an attorney to do "research" in an area where they have no background. Aside from anchoring somewhere else, does anyone have any advice?