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Delavan Lake, Wisconsin — view across the water toward the south shore

Delavan Lake

Restored resort lake with walleye and Lake Lawn

About the lake

Life on Delavan Lake

1,906 acres
Surface area
52 ft
Max depth
Walworth
County
798400
WBIC

Settled in the 1830s and home to the Wisconsin school for the deaf since 1852, Delavan grew up as a circus town — more than two dozen 19th-century circuses wintered here, and several of the early founders are buried in Spring Grove and St. Andrew’s cemeteries. The lake itself is 1,906 acres of spring-fed glacial water with a maximum depth of 52 feet, fed by Jackson Creek through the Delavan Inlet at the north end. After a high-profile restoration in the early 1990s, Delavan became one of the strongest walleye fisheries in southern Wisconsin, and the south shore — anchored by Lake Lawn Resort — still reads like a classic Wisconsin resort lake. Buyers here tend to be a mix of Illinois weekenders and Milwaukee-area primary residents who wanted Geneva proximity without Geneva pricing.

Delavan allows powerboats, sailing, water skiing, and wake sports across most of the lake, with slow-no-wake zones near shorelines and inside the Delavan Inlet. Traffic builds on summer weekends; the Town of Delavan Lake Committee sets local ordinances and the Walworth County Sheriff’s marine unit patrols in season.

Fishing

WalleyeLargemouth BassSmallmouth BassNorthern PikeMuskyBluegillYellow PerchCrappie

Where it is

Tap a pin to explore

Tap a pin for each town’s listings on Delavan Lake.

North shore & downtown

Delavan

The City of Delavan sits a couple of miles north of the lake — a working downtown with a tree-lined main street, year-round restaurants, the Phoenix Park bandshell, and Lake Lawn-bound traffic running through every summer. Most of the north-shore lakefront sits in the Town of Delavan or unincorporated lake neighborhoods rather than the city itself, so the city is the address you’ll use for schools, services, and groceries even when the lake is a couple of blocks away.

Beaches & parks

Boat launches

Local

Lakefront Homes in Delavan

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Lake shoreline & Lake Lawn area

Town of Delavan

The Town of Delavan wraps the lake itself — most of the lakefront addresses, the Lake Lawn Resort corridor on the south shore, and the cluster of lake-access neighborhoods inland from the water. The town runs its own lake committee, sanitary district, and beach — a quieter, more residential counterpart to the city downtown a couple of miles north. Schools and most services route through the City of Delavan or Williams Bay.

Beaches & parks

Boat launches

Local

Lakefront Homes in Town of Delavan

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Around the lake

Local favorites

Our hand picked haunts we think are worth a visit.

Lake information

Rules, Associations & Resources

Official sources for rules, water levels, fish surveys, and the associations that steward the lake.

Frequently asked

About Delavan Lake

Can you live on Delavan Lake year-round?

Yes. The City of Delavan and the Town of Delavan are both full, year-round municipalities with public schools, full services, and lakefront neighborhoods that stay active through the winter. Summer is the social peak, but a large share of homes on Delavan are primary residences — plowed roads, open restaurants, and a working downtown run year-round.

Do lakefront homes on Delavan Lake come with a private pier?

Most lakefront parcels carry riparian rights, which allow the owner to install a pier extending into the lake. Slip counts depend on frontage and are coordinated with the Town of Delavan Lake Committee and the Delavan Lake Sanitary District. Non-lakefront homes often secure water access through a deeded easement, a shared-pier association, or a slip at one of the public launches.

What’s the difference between a lakefront and a lake-access home?

A lakefront home owns shoreline on Delavan Lake with riparian rights — private pier, exclusive use of the frontage, direct water access. A lake-access home doesn’t touch the water but secures use of the lake through a deeded easement, a shared-pier association, or proximity to a public launch or beach. Pricing and what conveys with the sale differ significantly between the two.

Are short-term rentals allowed on Delavan Lake?

Rental rules are set at the municipal level — the City of Delavan and the Town of Delavan each have their own short-term and vacation-rental ordinances covering licensing, minimum stays, occupancy, and zoning. Check with the clerk for the municipality a specific property sits in before assuming it can be rented.

How far is Delavan Lake from Milwaukee and Chicago?

Delavan Lake sits about 50 miles southwest of Milwaukee — roughly an hour’s drive — and about 85 miles northwest of downtown Chicago, typically a 1.5-to-2-hour drive depending on traffic. That two-metro pull, paired with Lake Lawn Resort and a working downtown, is a big part of what shaped Delavan as a weekend destination.

What is Delavan Lake’s restoration story?

Decades of farm runoff and shoreline development pushed Delavan into a serious algae problem by the 1980s. A landmark restoration in the early 1990s — dredging, an alum treatment, biomanipulation of the fishery, and watershed work — turned the lake around and produced the walleye-heavy fishery anglers know today. Water-quality work continues through the Town of Delavan Lake Committee and the Delavan Lake Improvement Association.

When is the best time to buy a home on Delavan Lake?

Lakefront inventory is tightest in spring and early summer, when buyers are most active and sellers list at seasonal peaks. Fall and winter tend to see fewer new listings but less competition — properties that linger often see price improvements. Katy will set up a custom search so you see new listings the moment they hit the market regardless of season.

Drawn to Delavan Lake?

Let’s set up a custom search

Tell Katy which town, which features, and which budget matter most — we’ll send the right homes the moment they hit the market.