HB519 Summary

• Makes it unlawful for a person to leave a derelict vessel in Alabama waters in Gulf of Mexico border counties; applies only to counties bordering the Gulf of Mexico.

• Owner who refuses or fails to remove a derelict vessel within 30 days of department request is guilty of a Class C misdemeanor and must reimburse the department for all enforcement expenses including seizure, removal, transportation, storage, and disposal.

• Department of Conservation and Natural Resources may exercise authority over derelict vessels, post written notice on the vessel and send notice by registered mail to registered owners and lienholders, then dispose of the vessel if not repossessed within 20 days.

• Derelict vessels not repossessed within 20 days shall be sold at public auction through oral tenders or sealed bids after newspaper advertisement, unless appraised value is under $100, in which case the department may sell by negotiation, donate to a governmental agency, or destroy the vessel.

• Department and its agents are immune from liability for actions taken to enforce this act; bill becomes effective the first day of the third month following passage and approval.