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Rules · Florida

At-risk and derelict vessels

F.S. 327.4107since 1 Jul 2026

Six conditions make a vessel at risk of becoming derelict; an owner who is not aboard must carry out the propulsion test within 48 hours after receiving notice.

Last checked 21 Oct 2026Not legal advice.

Six conditions, and none of them is about looks

This is the section a cruising boat meets by accident: laid up for a season, waiting for a part, listing a little at a mooring. It lists six conditions that make a vessel at risk of becoming derelict on the waters of the state — among them taking on water without a means of dewatering, listing, and having no effective means of propulsion.

The last one has a paper half: a vessel without effective propulsion whose owner cannot show receipts or other proof of ordering repair parts. Keeping the order confirmation aboard is part of staying outside the condition.

The propulsion test and the clock

An officer may ask for the test of the vessel’s effective means of propulsion that the section provides for. If the owner or operator is aboard, that can happen on the spot. If nobody is aboard, it has to be carried out within 48 hours after the owner or operator receives notice — which is the practical reason to leave a telephone number with the marina or the mooring field when you fly home.

Where the money is written

Not here. 327.4107 names no amount; the ladder is in the penalty section, and the second step has a condition the figure is usually quoted without: $100 for a first offence, $250 for a second offence occurring 30 days or more after a first offence, $500 for a third. Three or more violations within a 24-month period and the vessel must be declared a public nuisance.

Since 1 July 2026 a county or municipality may have its own code enforcement officers enforce these provisions, once the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has reviewed and approved the ordinance.

Worth knowing

  • The amounts are not in this section. 327.4107 names no sum. The ladder stands in s. 327.73(1)(aa): $100 for a first offence, $250 for a second offence occurring 30 days or more after a first offence, and $500 for a third. That condition on the second step belongs with the figure.F.S. 327.73(1)(aa)
  • Three violations make the boat a public nuisance. A vessel that is the subject of three or more violations of s. 327.4107(2) occurring within a 24-month period must be declared a public nuisance — again under the penalty section, not under 327.4107.F.S. 327.73(1)(aa)
  • The test can be asked for on the spot. If the owner or operator is aboard, the officer may ask for the test for effective means of propulsion there and then. If nobody is aboard, it is within 48 hours after the owner or operator receives notice.F.S. 327.4107
  • Ordered parts count for something. One of the six conditions is a vessel without an effective means of propulsion whose owner has no receipts or other proof of ordering repair parts. The paperwork is part of the condition.F.S. 327.4107(2)
  • Since 1 July 2026 a local officer may enforce it. A county or municipality may authorise its own code enforcement officers to enforce these provisions, once the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has reviewed and approved the ordinance.ch. 2026-36 What a city or county may regulate
  • A long stay is a different section. This one is about the state of the boat, not about how long it has been lying there. The days are counted somewhere else.F.S. 327.4107 The long-term anchoring permit

What changed on this rule

  1. 1 Jul 2026
    CS/CS/HB 1103 · ch. 2026-36
    Local enforcement of the vessel rulesin force

    Lets a county or municipality adopt an ordinance authorising code enforcement officers to enforce the at-risk vessel and long-term anchoring permit provisions. Such an ordinance may not take effect until the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reviews and approves it. Approved by the Governor on 20 April 2026, chapter number assigned 21 April 2026, effective date 7/1/2026.

    State law

  2. 1 Jul 2025
    CS/SB 164 · ch. 2025-147
    Vessel Accountabilityin force

    The Vessel Accountability act was approved by the Governor on 19 June 2025. Its enrolled text closes with "Except as otherwise provided in this act, this act shall take effect July 1, 2025." The act reworks the at-risk vessel provisions and the penalties that carry them.

    State law

Questions

What puts a boat at risk of becoming derelict in Florida?

The section lists six conditions. Among them are a vessel taking on water without a means of dewatering, a vessel listing, and a vessel without an effective means of propulsion whose owner has no receipts or other proof of ordering repair parts. Read the subsection for all six.

How quickly do I have to show that the boat moves?

If you are aboard, the officer may ask for the propulsion test on the spot. If nobody is aboard, the test has to be carried out within 48 hours after the owner or operator receives notice.

What does it cost?

$100 for a first offence, $250 for a second offence occurring 30 days or more after a first offence, and $500 for a third. The figures are in s. 327.73(1)(aa), not in 327.4107.

What happens after three violations?

A vessel that is the subject of three or more violations occurring within a 24-month period must be declared a public nuisance.

Sources & checks

Written by buoya editorial from the sources above. Every figure was checked against its source on 21 Oct 2026. Found something wrong? Report a correction.