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AA3JY · 29-05-2019, 06:50

https://coastalgadnr.org/notice-rule...ng-regulations

Captain Bill · 29-05-2019, 07:15

Interesting that they say it may increase business. On the contrary if this passes I will do my absolute best to never spend another dime in Georgia. I enjoy visiting St.Mary's and Cumberland Island and spend money there every year. I guess Fernandina will enjoy the extra money.

I don't think this will stand up in court. The right to anchor is a well established right with the courts. Florida has tried this along the ICW several times and it has not been successful.

**a64pilot** · 29-05-2019, 07:32

While I didn’t read the whole thing, it’s not changing anything, it has been illegal to live on a boat, even in a marina for a long time in Ga.
Only fairly recently have you been allowed to stay in your boat for more than 30 days a year in the State of Ga., and only then in certain Marina’s, all on the Coast and then only after requesting a permit etc.
The paperwork issue has largely been ignored, but it is law.
But only in a Marina, you have not been allowed to be an anchor out, or liveabord whichever name you prefer, for a long time. This gives the Sheriff the ability to arrest you for breaking the law, and I assume impound and dispose of your boat.

You have a million dollar house boat on Lake Lanier? It’s illegal to stay on it more than a few weekends a year, but of course it’s not enforced, enforcement is based on complaints, which is exactly what was wanted, a way to get rid of those undesirable people, who knows what those bums are doing on those boats!

What California is going through with Richardson bay etc, Ga went through years ago, and their answer was to make it illegal to stay on your boat. The home owners on a river were the impetus for this law, they didn’t like the cheap boats in front of their houses, so they made them illegal, Democracy at work.

This is the wealth homeowners who desire having homes on the marsh and like that wide open view, and they don’t want to share it with people who didn’t pay for it and therefore don’t deserve it, and they certainly don’t want to be those people’s neighbors.

Montanan · 29-05-2019, 07:55

So this goes back to House Bill 201 which goes into effect January 1, 2020 and basically this announcement involves the proposed regulatory method of implementing that recently passed law requirements.

Reference: HB201 for specific guidance as to what rules are: http://http://www.legis.ga.gov/Legis...0192020/HB/201

You are going to need a permit to anchor [overnight], locations of allowable anchorages will be designated, the vessel will need to have a Type 1, 2 or 3 Marine Sanitation Device, the device will need to be locked from discharge to the water, and to keep records of all your pump outs for one year, name, location and dates of pump-out performed service.

The motivation stated to be complaints regarding vessels anchored in the estuarine area that are proving to be public nuisances as well as health hazards because of waste discharge.

HB201: A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Title 52 of the O.C.G.A., relating to waters of the state, ports, and watercraft; to authorize the Board of Natural Resources to promulgate rules and regulations regarding anchoring certain vessels within estuarine areas of the state; to authorize the Department of Natural Resources to establish anchorage areas; to amend Part 4 of Article 4 of Chapter 5 of Title 12 of the O.C.G.A., relating to coastal marshlands, so as to conform certain provisions; to provide for an effective date; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

**GordMay** · 29-05-2019, 08:07

“... Current live-aboard vessel law resides in the Coastal Marshlands Protection Act (CMPA, 12-5-280 et. seq.), which is enforced primarily through civil penalty.

As vessels, live-aboards are more appropriately regulated via Title 52, Chapter 7 (Registration, Operation, and Sale of Watercraft) where a violation would carry a criminal penalty.

In addition to removing live-aboard vessels from the CMPA, HB201 transferred their oversight to Title 52 and directs the Board to create an anchorage permit which would reside with boating regulations, 391-4-5.

HB201 also allows vessel owners who use eligible facilities (marinas with waste pump-out services) to live-aboard their vessel with no further interaction with the department.
Current law requires registration with the Department and doesn’t allow a live-aboard outside of an eligible marina.

HB201 provides opportunity for those who wish to use their vessel as a place of abode in the estuarine area to register with the Department and pay a modest fee while accepting the requirement to not discharge waste from their vessel.

It exempts those vessels owners who live aboard their vessel while in an eligible facility (marina with waste pump-out equipment) from registering or paying the fee. HB 201 also reinforced the department’s ability to establish anchorages in the estuarine area and to prohibit areas where overnight anchoring may occur ...”

Captain Bill · 29-05-2019, 08:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by a64pilot

While I didn’t read the whole thing, it’s not changing anything, it has been illegal to live on a boat, even in a marina for a long time in Ga.
Only fairly recently have you been allowed to stay in your boat for more than 30 days a year in the State of Ga., and only then in certain Marina’s, all on the Coast and then only after requesting a permit etc.
The paperwork issue has largely been ignored, but it is law.
But only in a Marina, you have not been allowed to be an anchor out, or liveabord whichever name you prefer, for a long time. This gives the Sheriff the ability to arrest you for breaking the law, and I assume impound and dispose of your boat.

You have a million dollar house boat on Lake Lanier? It’s illegal to stay on it more than a few weekends a year, but of course it’s not enforced, enforcement is based on complaints, which is exactly what was wanted, a way to get rid of those undesirable people, who knows what those bums are doing on those boats!

What California is going through with Richardson bay etc, Ga went through years ago, and their answer was to make it illegal to stay on your boat. The home owners on a river were the impetus for this law, they didn’t like the cheap boats in front of their houses, so they made them illegal, Democracy at work.

This is the wealth homeowners who desire having homes on the marsh and like that wide open view, and they don’t want to share it with people who didn’t pay for it and therefore don’t deserve it, and they certainly don’t want to be those people’s neighbors.

I would say that requiring you to pay for a permit to anchor overnight and to anchor in only designated anchorages is a major change for transient boaters.

**GordMay** · 29-05-2019, 08:30

A public hearing on the proposed amendments will be held in Brunswick, Georgia on Monday, June 17, 2019, 5:30p.m.at the Coastal Regional Headquarters of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

Written public comment will be received through Monday July 15, 2019. Comments should be legible, concise and limited to the proposed rule change. Following the comment period, the Board of Natural Resources will consider the proposed rule on August 27, 2019 at 9:00 AM at its Board Room located at 2 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, SE, Suite 1252, Atlanta, Georgia.

Mail or email comments to: Kelly Hill,
Coastal Resources Division, One Conservation Way, Brunswick, GA 31520.
Email ☞ Kelly.Hill@dnr.ga.gov
Additional information is available at www.CoastalGaDNR.org. Click on the “News and Notices” tab.

Singularity · 29-05-2019, 09:18

Workload of a US Sheriff in charge of a municipal waters in 1985:
-spending days/nights monitoring and policing dozens of boaters, keeping the public peace

Workload of a US Sheriff in charge of the same waters in 2025:
-only 3 people have jumped through the hurdles of obtaining a permit; spend days/night watching youtube at your desk

Internet forum 2019:
"But it's a democracy, there are levers present for everyone to pull"

Developing world country municipal waters 2019:
-only 3 people have jumped through the hurdles of obtaining a permit; spend days/night watching youtube at your desk

People who haven't been around so much have a very simplistic sense of how the real world works. Race to the bottom politics (effectively outlawing everything to reduce the demands on the regulator) does not serve the public. Insofar as there are tens of thousands of issues subject to discussion, the fact that this policy is an agenda item demonstrates that it's the agenda. To think that it's just business as usual is fanciful.

sailorboy1 · 29-05-2019, 09:25

There's no reason to attend the meeting or write etc. What makes people think that there is any "voice" other than Georgia voters (meeting landowners for the most part) that have any say what so ever in the matter.

**a64pilot** · 29-05-2019, 12:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by Captain Bill

I would say that requiring you to pay for a permit to anchor overnight and to anchor in only designated anchorages is a major change for transient boaters.

Think about how you go about accomplishing this,
Try to buy a permit, I bet it’s difficult, especially to someone transiting up the ICW in a boat.
We will have to see how it pans out.
I believe the impetus for all of this was one or two Marina owners in Ga, at least one is from a very influential family that has been developing land for generations in the coastal Ga area. If you couldn’t live on a boat then it hurt his Marina badly.
Not complaining because in effect his interests and mine coincide, that is he wanted it to be legal to live in his marina, and I wanted it to be legal to live on a boat in Ga.

We will have to see where this goes, before this I don’t think there was any prohibition of anchoring in Ga, but I may be wrong, what there was a prohibition of was living aboard at anchor, or at least for staying for more than 30 days.
People who anchored overnight and were on their way the next day were left alone, but now they will have to have a permit to anchor?
Or am I misinterpreting this?

**a64pilot** · 29-05-2019, 12:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by Captain Bill

I would say that requiring you to pay for a permit to anchor overnight and to anchor in only designated anchorages is a major change for transient boaters.

After reading your comment again, I think in actuality we are on the same sheet of music, my contention is that for quite some time Ga has been very unfriendly towards boaters, especially Cruisers and people who live aboard, and it’s not changing either.
From the beginning the excuse has always been sewage discharge, but as far as I know no water quality testing to support the concern.
All you have to do is be upset and stand up in a meeting and yell, “those people are discharging human waste where our kids swim” and that does it.
Not that I have ever seen anyone swimming in a Ga Marsh, they are really more mud hole than you can imagine, important yes, but terrible swimming beaches.

By the way, I was born in Ga, and lived a large portion of my life there, so I’m not an outsider complaining about others, I identify myself as being from the area.

In truth I wouldn’t want to stay in an anchorage in a Ga Marsh, and have never understood why the expensive houses want to be located on the Marsh.
Having grown up there I associate it with stinking knee deep mud, saw grass and every form of bug that eats you in existence.
I do acknowledge it’s importance to the environment

Captain Bill · 29-05-2019, 15:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

There's no reason to attend the meeting or write etc. What makes people think that there is any "voice" other than Georgia voters (meeting landowners for the most part) that have any say what so ever in the matter.

Who ever gets the first court case is going to certainly have a say especially since their moving the offense from civil law to criminal law. I usually spend a couple of days in St. Mary's and spend a bit of money there. I wonder what the restaurants and other businesses transients boats frequent will think when we just pass them by. This is just another short sited knee jerk reaction to long term anchor outs and liveaboards. They go after them because they can't afford to fight, but going after transients they're bound to come up against a well heeled lawyer who will clean their clock in court.

geoleo · 29-05-2019, 15:17

Darien Georgia is the worst place in the USA . Avoid it at all costs. They hate outsiders there--especially outsiders in a boat. The sheriff is the leader of the haters- he also runs a speed trap on I-95. BEWARE!