Louisiana Parish May Crack Down on Owners of Abandoned Boats

Terrebonne Parish officials are considering a law to crack down on owners of sunken boats who abandon the vessels and leave the Louisiana parish with the bill for removal.

If approved, the ordinance will authorize officials who find sunken vessels to identify the owners and issue warnings. If a warning is ignored, a citation would be issued. Possible penalties include a fine of up to $500 and up to 60 days in jail.

The Courier reports that current parish law allows sunken boats to sit for 60 days, after which the parish would declare abandonment and gain ownership. But original owners are not punished if they don’t remove the boats.

A public hearing on the tougher ordinance is set for May 23.