League City staff present proposed ordinance to address derelict boats, liveaboards and marina safety

League City staff on Oct. 28 presented a draft ordinance that would set seaworthiness standards for vessels, require liveaboard permits at marinas, and create a city-managed process for removing abandoned and derelict boats from Clear Lake and other League City waterways.

The draft would define a liveaboard as "a boat that is being utilized as a home for more than 10 days consecutively in a 30 day period," require liveaboards to obtain permits, and cap liveaboard occupancy within a marina at 15 percent of total slips, staff said. It would also declare derelict vessels a public nuisance and create notice, appeal and emergency-removal procedures.

Why it matters: Council members and staff said the draft is intended to reduce health, safety and navigation hazards and to lower long-term removal costs for vessels that sink or deteriorate. Staff and council members cited recent criminal incidents on marinas, the costs of salvage, and regional coordination needs with other cities and counties that share Clear Lake.

Key provisions and procedures - Seaworthiness standard: The ordinance would require vessels in League City waterways to be "seaworthy," a condition staff described as absence of significant structural damage, hull breaches, uncontrolled flooding, major electrical hazards or a lack of required propulsion/navigation capability. The draft includes…