USA, Georgia: Proposed Anchoring Restrictions
(Published June 12 – further updates Aug 7, 2019) – The Georgia Department of Natural Resources has proposed a number of amendments to the current rules for liveaboard boaters, concerning over-night and long-term anchoring in the estuarine area of the state.
Published 5 years ago
Update 7 August, 2019: While permits to anchor in the coastal waters of Georgia may still be required, cruisers won’t be charged for them.
Update 10 July, 2019: Discussions continue – as reported by Cruising World.
Update 17 June, 2019: Ed Tillett, editor-in-chief of Waterway Guide attended the public hearing that addressed new anchoring restrictions in Georgia’s estuarine and tidal waters and offers this report, courtesy of Cruising World.
Original Report:
The proposals are that cruisers will be restricted as to where they can anchor in the state (no areas have been designated as yet but will be published on the DNR website), will have to obtain a permit in order to anchor overnight (possibly for a nominal charge), and will have to secure the black water discharge valves and keep logs of pump-outs in Georgia (similar to what is currently required in the Great Lakes and Canada).
View the bill for more specifics.
Written public comment will be received through Monday, July 15, 2019.
Mail or email comments to: Kelly.Hill@dnr.ga.gov
Kelly Hill,
Coastal Resources Division,
One Conservation Way,
Brunswick, GA 31520.
A public hearing on the proposed amendments will be held in Brunswick, Georgia on Monday, June 17, 2019, 5:30 p.m. at the Coastal Regional Headquarters of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
Additional information is available at www.CoastalGaDNR.org.
Click on the “News and Notices”
Notice of Rule Making for Coastal Marshland Protection and Boating Regulations
Related to following destinations: Brunswick (Georgia), Savannah (Georgia), USA
As you’ve heard, last year’s House Bill 201 became law on 1/1/2020 and now Georgia has the distinction of having the nation’s most restrictive anchoring laws, stripping away the right to freely navigate on the waters the state holds in public trust. This impacts not only Georgia boaters but every boater, both domestic and international, who plans to navigate through Georgia waters.
HB201 was a complex and flawed hodge podge of regulations, but was sold in the House and the Senate at an absurdly high level of simplification, leaving out key components that were objectionable to boaters, and focusing instead on water quality and revitalization of a local shellfish industry.
So as we look to HB833 to remedy the wrongs of HB201, we must be able now to sell those points to our legislators under the gold dome of Atlanta. A core group of boating rights advocates have started a Georgia Anchoring Advocacy Fund to engage the services of a lobbyist to do exactly this. So far we have received support from:
America’s Great Loop Cruisers’ Association (AGLCA),
Facebook Group Save Georgia’s Anchorages
Waterway Guide
This is every boater’s fight. What is happening in Georgia can happen in your cruising waters. No amount is too small. Please consider supporting the fund at: http://www.greatloop.org/georgia
Here is a link to the list of articles, media mentions, youtube that I’ve seen on this topic. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1wFO-P8RsX4lKdn7CPQHNMBAzg1eLxJ-JCoOELGESd2I/edit?usp=sharing
Hello all. I just created a profile here today, in hopes to get the word out the a broader community of cruisers (esp. international) that this House Bill 201 is now law as of 1/1/2020. As I understand it, it is now a misdemeanor criminal offense and carries up to a 12 month jail sentence. I’m part of a grassroots effort over on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/SaveGeorgiasAnchorages/ with over 1100 members. We inventoried over 200 anchorages as found in ActiveCaptain, Waterway Guide and Cruisers’ Net and found 61% were impacted. Robert Sherer (aka Bob423) of ICW fame conducted a poll and found 77% of respondents stating they will go around Georgia (offshore). Please help get the word out. Georgia DNR I guess expects everyone to know to check their website about these new no overnight anchoring areas.
Government never stops trying to thicken the wallet with laws and permits.
This is not a bit close to the Great Lakes. On the Great Lakes boaters may anchor anywhere without restrictions as to length of stay and no permit or fee is required. Michigan in fact has a Harbor of Refuge program established where the state tries to maintain access to safe harbor at east every 50 miles. The Lakes are ZDZ and you could be inspected. We obtain a USCG Reserve courtesy inspection each spring and apply the compliance sticker to the hull. This tells all policing authorities we are not worth wasting their time. We have never been stopped on the water.
It is reasonable to establish a few No Anchor zones with valid reason. The opposite, no anchor except where and when I tell you and only with advanced request and fee is an unworkable and unacceptable imposition at the least. It is a burden on all boaters and an impediment to the entire boating industry. At its worst, this eliminates safe harbor in time of dire need and will result in damage, injury and deaths.