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1998 SESSION

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CHAPTER 531 An Act to amend and reenact § 29.1-744.1 of the Code of Virginia, relating to personal watercraft ordinance enforcement. [H 817] Approved April 15, 1998

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That § 29.1-744.1 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:

§ 29.1-744.1. Local regulation of personal watercraft distance from shore.

A. Any county, city, or town may, by ordinance, regulate the distance personal watercraft in operation shall maintain from the shore, docks, and swimmers, provided that such distance is not greater than fifty feet from the shore and docks, and 100 feet from swimmers. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit access to and from waters where operation is not restricted.

Any such ordinance adopted by a county, city, or town may provide for penalties not exceeding those applicable to Class 4 misdemeanors. Game wardens, sheriffs and all other law-enforcement officers are empowered to enforce the provisions of any such local ordinance.

B. For purposes of this section, "personal watercraft" is a type of motorboat and means a small Class A-1 or A-2 vessel motorboat less than sixteen feet in length which uses an outboard motor, or an inboard motor powering a jet pump, as its primary motive power and which is designed to be operated by a person sitting, standing, or kneeling on, rather than in the conventional manner of sitting or standing inside the vessel.