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HomeHarbors and Navigation CodeDiv. 3Ch. 3Art. 1§ 524 Stolen Or Abandoned Vessel Removal

§ 524 Stolen Or Abandoned Vessel Removal

Harbors and Navigation Code·California
AI Summary·Official Text·Key Terms·Related Statutes·References
AI SummaryVerified

§ 524 Stolen Or Abandoned Vessel Removal

This law lets police keep a boat they find on private land if it was reported stolen, or move a boat after a crash when the owner can't be reached, but it doesn't let them go beyond their normal area of authority.

Key Takeaways

  • •Police can store a boat found on private property if a theft report and warrant exist.
  • •Police can move a boat after a boating accident if the owner can't be found and after a reasonable wait, but not if the owner says no.
  • •The law does not give police extra power to go outside their normal jurisdiction.

Example

A boat is tied to someone's backyard and the owner has filed a theft report. Police can take the boat and store it safely until the owner is found.

Because there is a theft report and a warrant, the police are allowed to store the boat even though it was on private property.

AI-generated — May contain errors. Not legal advice. Always verify source.

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 524 Stolen Or Abandoned Vessel Removal

(a) Any peace officer, as described in Section 663, may store any vessel removed from private property when the vessel is found on, or attached to, private property and a report has previously been made that the vessel has been stolen or a complaint has been filed and a warrant thereon issued charging that the vessel has been embezzled. (b) Any peace officer, as described in Section 663, may, after a reasonable period of time, remove a vessel from private property if the vessel has been involved in, and left at, the scene of a boating accident and no owner is available to grant permission to remove the vessel. This subdivision does not authorize the removal of a vessel if the owner has been contacted and has refused to grant permission to remove the vessel. (c) Nothing in this section is intended to expand the territorial jurisdiction of peace officers beyond the provisions of Sections 830.1 and 830.2 of the Penal Code. (Amended by Stats. 1997, Ch. 930, Sec. 6. Effective January 1, 1998.)

Last verified: January 11, 2026

Key Terms

peace officervesselprivate propertystolenboating accidentterritorial jurisdiction

Related Statutes

  • § 281 Vessel Collision Avoidance Rules
  • § 520 Sheriff'S Wrecked Property Notice
  • § 522 Abandoned Watercraft Removal
  • § 523 Vessel Removal By Officers
  • § 526 Derelict Vessel Disposal Rules

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Harbors and Navigation Code. Section 524.
View Official Source