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Kootenai County directs staff to draft ordinance to remove abandoned vessels
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Summary
County officials asked staff to draft a consolidated ordinance to add abandoned vessels to existing derelict-dock rules, give the sheriff authority to remove vessels and allow recovery of removal costs; sheriff's office cited disposal costs 'upwards of $10,000' and urged misdemeanor penalties.
Kootenai County commissioners directed staff on Feb. 24 to draft a consolidated ordinance that would allow the county to remove abandoned vessels from public waterways and recover removal costs, following a presentation from the sheriff's office and the Waterways Advisory Board.
The proposal, presented to the board by Doug Harris of the Waterways Advisory Board, was brought to the board by the sheriff's office. "This is a proposal that was brought to us by the sheriff's department," Harris said, and the advisory board recommended forwarding it to the county for action. Deputy O'Neil, a marine supervisor with the sheriff's office, told the board the intent is to add "vessels" to an existing county ordinance that currently covers derelict docks and float houses.
Why it matters: County officials said abandoned and derelict vessels pose environmental, navigational and safety risks, and current law provides no clear process to remove or recoup costs for large, difficult-to-dispose craft. "Most of the average cost that we've heard for disposing of vessels like that ... is upwards of $10,000," Deputy O'Neil said, describing specialized handling for sailboats with fixed keels and other costly disposal challenges.
Details of the proposal include adding vessels to the derelict-structure ordinance, creating a mechanism to assess owners for recovery and abatement costs when owners can be identified, and seeking a misdemeanor-level penalty rather than only an infraction as currently available. Deputy O'Neil emphasized the county's interest in distinguishing truly "abandoned" vessels from those lawfully anchored: "There's nothing that restricts someone from anchoring currently as long as it's properly registered, properly documented and properly lit at nighttime," he said.
Board members raised procedural questions about how abandonment would be determined and enforced. Commissioners discussed notice and outreach steps—tags, mailed notices, and a holding period—so removals are not arbitrary. The sheriff's office described current practices (48-hour tags and outreach attempts) and said, for past cases, owners were given two weeks to respond after notification.
Director Snyder (Parks and Waterways) offered to work with county counsel and the sheriff to develop a single ordinance that could cover unattended, abandoned and live-aboard situations, and to include timelines and public-notice procedures. He also suggested posting information on county channels and working with the sheriff on joint press outreach.
No formal vote was recorded during the discussion. The board instead gave staff direction to draft consolidated ordinance language and return it to the board for ratification; a participant said he would discuss an additional funding source after the meeting. The sheriff cited local problem locations including Buttonhook Bay, Carlin Bay and other spots on Pend Oreille and the Spokane River as examples where abandoned vessels have posed persistent problems.
Next steps: Staff and counsel will draft ordinance language (to incorporate enforcement steps, notice timelines and a funding/recovery mechanism) and present it to the board for ratification.
