New this week$1,895,000Lake Mendota4218 Bluff Point RoadMaple Bluff, WI · Waterfront5 bd4 ba4,210 sq ftThe specialty
Frontage, read properly
Ninety-two feet of east-facing Mendota shoreline and ninety-two feet of west-facing are two different products. This is the page where we explain why.
Frontage properties
Homes with their own shoreline
Each of these has been walked, measured and checked. Frontage figures come from the recorded plat, not the tax record.
- New this week$1,895,000Lake Mendota4218 Bluff Point RoadMaple Bluff, WI · Waterfront5 bd4 ba4,210 sq ft
Active$865,000Lake Monona3320 Winnequah RoadMonona, WI · Waterfront4 bd3 ba2,640 sq ft
Active$749,000Lake Waubesa5904 Dockside LaneMcFarland, WI · Waterfront3 bd2 ba2,180 sq ft
Offer pending$1,095,000Lake Mendota6825 Century Shore DriveMiddleton, WI · Waterfront4 bd4 ba3,460 sq ft
Active$2,350,000Lake Mendota148 Governors Island RoadWestport, WI · Waterfront5 bd5 ba5,120 sq ft
Active$399,000Lake Ripley7715 Ripley Bay RoadCambridge, WI · Cottage2 bd1 ba980 sq ft
Exposure
Which way your water faces
The prevailing wind on this chain comes from the west. That single fact decides how your landing behaves, how hard your pier works and whether you can put a kayak in on an August afternoon.
- East facing
- Sunrise over the water, calm landing in the lee of the wind, less wear on pier structures. The most sought-after exposure on Mendota, and priced accordingly.
- West facing
- Sunset from your own lawn, which plenty of buyers will pay for. Takes the weather, so check rip-rap, seawall condition and how the pier is anchored.
- Protected bay
- Flat water most evenings even when the main lake is rough. Worth a premium to paddlers, rowers and families with small children.
- Point lots
- Water on two sides, the shortest run to open water and the rarest supply. On Governors Island these come up perhaps twice a decade.
Due diligence
Eight things we check before you write
Six of them are on this page. The other two depend on which municipality your parcel sits in.
Frontage measured
Against the recorded plat, not the tax record. We have found listings eleven feet short of the sheet.
Pier permits verified
Permitted, legally non-conforming or never permitted at all. The distinction decides what you can rebuild.
Depth at the pier head
Taken at the current lake level, thirty feet out, before you buy a boat that will not clear it.
Shoreland zoning read
Setbacks, impervious limits and rebuild rights for your specific parcel, summarised in plain English.
Shared pier agreements
Pulled from the register of deeds and explained before your contingency period runs out.
Exposure and weather
East, west, bay or point. It changes the landing, the pier wear and how the house feels in August.
Sample market data
What frontage costs, by lake
Per front foot is the number that actually drives waterfront pricing. These are sample ranges, and individual properties sit well outside them.
| Lake | Per front foot | Median sale | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Mendota | $14,000 - $26,000 | $1,285,000 | Point and east-facing lots continue to clear asking within two weeks. |
| Lake Monona | $9,000 - $15,000 | $742,000 | The peninsula is the busiest sub-market on our map this season. |
| Lake Waubesa | $6,500 - $11,000 | $596,000 | Best value per foot in the county, with the shallowest water. |
| Lake Wingra | No private frontage | $688,000 | Entirely park-ringed, so every sale here is a near-water sale. |
| Lake Kegonsa | $5,500 - $9,500 | $512,000 | Stoughton side offers the longest lots for the money. |
| Lake Ripley | $5,000 - $8,500 | $418,000 | Seasonal cottages take longer to sell outside the summer window. |
Sample figures for demonstration only. Not an appraisal or a valuation of any property.
The alternative
Near-water, at roughly half the tax bill
Active$1,240,000Lake Mendota1107 Shorewood BoulevardShorewood Hills, WI · Near water4 bd3 ba3,180 sq ft
Active$529,000Lake Monona2 Founders Quay, Unit 410Madison, WI · Condo2 bd2 ba1,320 sq ft
Active$479,000Lake Waubesa917 Waubesa Ridge CourtMcFarland, WI · Near water3 bd2 ba1,760 sq ft
Active$615,000Lake Monona4451 Birch Hollow RoadMonona, WI · Near water3 bd2 ba1,940 sq ft
Straight answers
Piers, permits and shoreline rules
The questions that decide what you can build, rebuild and keep at your own pier.
Still wondering about something? Call the office and you will get a person, not a form.
(608) 555-0149All frequently asked questionsThe state holds the bed of a navigable lake in public trust. What a waterfront owner holds is riparian rights: reasonable use of the water in front of the property, including a pier within the rules that apply to that lake and municipality.
No, and this is the single most common surprise in a lake purchase. A pier can be permitted, legally non-conforming, or never permitted at all. It matters most when you want to replace or extend it. We verify the status on every shoreline property our buyers get serious about.
Dane County shoreland zoning governs setbacks from the water, impervious surface limits and what can be rebuilt after a loss. It is the reason a boathouse that exists today may not be replaceable. We read the ordinance for your specific parcel during due diligence.
Limited manual removal is generally allowed, and chemical treatment or dredging usually requires a DNR permit. Some lakes also have an active lake district with its own management program. Ask before you start, not after.
Bring us the listing you are considering
Send the address and we will measure the frontage, check the pier permit and tell you what we find. No obligation either way.
Four agents, one office on Monona Avenue, replies within one business day.