All watercraft located or operating within the city shall be subject to subject to the following provisions.
(A) Registration of watercraft.
(1) Any watercraft located on city property, including the boat launching and storage area, shall be required to register with the City Department of Parks and Recreation, regardless of whether registration with the state is required under 625 ILCS 45/3-1.
(2) Registration stickers must be visibly posted on all watercraft when located on city property.
(B) Abandoned and apparently deserted watercraft.
(1) A watercraft shall be deemed abandoned if:
(a) Left unattended for a period of 24 hours in the boat launching basin; or
(b) Is located in the boat launching and storage area and has not been moved or used for seven consecutive days or more and is either:
1. Not properly registered with the city pursuant to division (A) above; or
2. Is apparently deserted as provided in division (B)(2) below.
(2) (a) Any boat or watercraft located on city property, including the boat launching and storage area, as described in § 97.066, is deemed to be apparently deserted when the owner of which is at least 30 days past-due on the payment of all applicable permit or storage fees.
(b) Until all past-due fines, storage, permit and administrative fees and charges have been paid in full, the boat or watercraft shall remain classified as apparently deserted.
(3) All abandoned watercraft are hereby declared a public nuisance and are subject to all applicable provisions of the city code in addition to those in this section.
(C) Impoundment and sale of abandoned watercraft.
(1) Abandoned watercraft shall be subject to impoundment by the city pursuant to 625 ILCS 45/3C-1 et seq. (the “Act”).
(2) Failure to pay all outstanding fines, storage, permit, administrative and impoundment fees and charges will result in disposal of said watercraft pursuant to the Act.
(3) No watercraft shall be released from impoundment to the owner, lienholder or other person legally entitled to the watercraft until all outstandingfines, storage, permit, administrative and impoundment fees and charges have been paid.
(4) Notwithstanding the terms of the Act, the owner, lien holder or other party legally entitled to the watercraft may request an administrative hearing prior to disposition of the watercraft.
(D) Administrative hearing. Prior to the disposition of any watercraft, an administrative hearing, under Chapter 11 of this city code of ordinances, shall be available to any owner, lienholder or other person legally entitled to the watercraft regarding the watercraft’s abandonment and the amount of outstanding fines, storage, permit, administrative and impoundment fees and charges.
(E) Storage lien. The provisions of this section shall be in addition to, and not a limitation upon, the rights that the city may have to file a storage lien against any watercraft that has failed to pay all outstanding fines, storage, permit, administrative and impoundment fees and charges as may be authorized by law.
(Ord. 2011-05, passed 2-7-2011; Ord. 2016-29, passed 5-2-2016; Ord. 2016-16, passed 6-20-2016) Penalty, see § 97.999