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Liveaboards and artists urge League City to narrow derelict-vessel ordinance, citing risk of displacement
Summary
Several residents told the League City Council the recently passed derelict-vessel ordinance is overly broad, could allow seizure of seaworthy boats and may criminalize people who live and work aboard vessels; speakers urged council to clarify definitions and permit timelines.
Residents urged the League City Council on Jan. 27 to narrow the city's derelict- and nuisance-vessel rules, arguing the ordinance's language and timelines could make living aboard a vessel effectively illegal and would have collateral impacts on local artists and small businesses.
Gordon Johnson told the council the ordinance's definition—under Section 70.111—was too broad and could allow the city to treat operable boats as "derelict." He asked who within city government is trained to determine whether a boat is navigable or operable and said the code appears to contradict state standards on abandoned vessels.
"If you're not gonna determine whether it's operable, how are you gonna deem that you expect it to be inoperable under the transportation code that you wrote?" Johnson said.
Another speaker, Dustin Dietrich of Clear Lake, who said he was working with TowBoatUS at a recent boat show, told council the ordinance's permitting requirements are invasive and the timelines impractical.
"This ordinance is designed to keep people from living on their boats," Dietrich said. He described a permit process he called "near impossible" and warned that a 12-month reapplication bar after a denial could make people homeless.
Local artist Natalia Victoria, who said she lives aboard and paints and restores vessels as her livelihood, urged council to exempt or rewrite the provision that prohibits operating a business from a vessel. "Under this ordinance, I am now considered a criminal," she said, adding that her work contributes to tourism, public programming and environmental stewardship.
Speakers asked the council to distinguish truly derelict, abandoned, or unsafe vessels from liveaboards who maintain and use their boats as homes and workplaces. Several urged clearer criteria for inspections and more realistic timelines for compliance, citing the Coast Guard auxiliary's limited capacity to perform the inspection volume the ordinance would require.
The public commenters urged council to revisit the ordinance language to avoid unintended enforcement outcomes. The meeting record shows these remarks occurred during the public-comment period; there was no immediate amendment or vote on these provisions at this meeting.
