---
title: HB 195. Watercraft; require probable cause for summonses and boarding vessels
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb195
cite_as: HB 195, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb195
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb195.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb195/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69704
date: 2025-02-04
status: introduced
corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13
license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
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previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb194.md
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omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 129
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb195.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 195
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2025-01-30
last_action: House Second Readers
sponsors:
- Jordan Ridley
- Jason Ridley
- Mitchell Horner
- Steve Tarvin
- Matt Reeves
- Noelle Kahaian
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB195/2025
upstream_id: 1949600
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- boating law
- law enforcement searches
- probable cause
- watercraft regulation
- Department of Natural Resources
---
# HB 195. Watercraft; require probable cause for summonses and boarding vessels
## Text
House Bill 195
By: Representatives Ridley of the 22nd, Ridley of the 6th, Horner of the 3rd, Tarvin of the 2nd,
Reeves of the 99th, and others
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Code Section 52-7-25 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to
enforcement of rules and regulations regarding registration, operation, and sale of watercraft,
so as to require probable cause for summonses and boarding vessels; to provide for related
matters; to provide for a short title; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
This Act shall be known and may be cited as the "Constitutional Rights for Hunters and
Boaters Act."
SECTION 2.
Code Section 52-7-25 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to enforcement of
rules and regulations regarding registration, operation, and sale of watercraft, is amended by
revising subsection (a) and paragraphs (4) and (4.1) of subsection (b) as follows:
"(a) Any person empowered to enforce this article and any rule or regulation adopted
pursuant hereto who finds or has probable cause to believe that a law of this state or any
rule or regulation of the board has been violated shall have the authority to stop and board
any vessel subject to this article or any such regulation for the purpose of inspection or
determining compliance with this article and is empowered to issue a summons for
appearance in court or before a magistrate for all violations of this article or of the rules and
regulations prescribed hereunder. Vessels of law enforcement personnel shall be marked
to identify them as designated enforcement vessels."
"(4) To board vessels in use, for purposes of examining any documents and safety
equipment, and to search without warrant any vessel which is not at its regular mooring
or berth when he believes probable cause exists that any law of this state or any rule or
regulation of the Board of Natural Resources board relating to boating has been violated;
(4.1) To board vessels in use or floating, whether moored or not, for purposes of
examining any marine toilets, holding tanks, and documents related to them, including
records of pump-out and certificates of compliance, and to search without warrant any
such vessel to determine compliance with the provisions of this article related to marine
toilets when the officer believes probable cause exists that any of said provisions of this
article relating to marine toilets have been violated;"
SECTION 3.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.
## Summaries written by Georgia Commons
The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary.
A Georgia House bill would require law enforcement to have probable cause before stopping, boarding, or searching a boat, or issuing a summons under the state's watercraft law.
### Plain-language summary
Current Georgia law lets officers enforcing boating rules stop, board, and inspect any vessel to check compliance, without first needing a specific legal reason. This bill, titled the "Constitutional Rights for Hunters and Boaters Act," changes that standard.
It amends O.C.G.A. § 52-7-25 so that officers may stop and board a vessel or issue a summons only when they find a violation or have probable cause (a reasonable, fact based belief) that state boating law or a Board of Natural Resources rule has been broken. It applies the same probable cause standard to warrantless searches of vessels away from their mooring and to inspections of marine toilets and holding tanks aboard boats. The bill also updates a reference from the "Board of Natural Resources" to simply "the board." It repeals conflicting laws and does not state a separate effective date.
### What it does
- Adds a probable cause requirement before officers can stop, board, or issue a summons to a vessel under Georgia's boating enforcement law (O.C.G.A. § 52-7-25).
- Replaces the subjective standard of an officer's personal belief with an objective probable cause standard for warrantless searches of vessels away from their mooring.
- Applies the same probable cause standard to warrantless inspections of marine toilets, holding tanks, and related compliance records aboard boats.
- Renames the short title of the amended law provisions as the 'Constitutional Rights for Hunters and Boaters Act.'
- Updates a statutory reference from 'Board of Natural Resources' to 'the board' for consistency.
### Who it affects
Boaters and vessel owners operating on Georgia waters, and law enforcement officers and conservation rangers who enforce watercraft registration, operation, and marine sanitation rules under the Department of Natural Resources.
### Why it matters
Boaters would gain a legal standard limiting when officers can stop, board, or search their vessels, similar to protections used in other law enforcement contexts. Officers would need a specific, articulable reason tied to a suspected violation rather than general authority to board any vessel for inspection.
### Key provisions
- Section 1 names the Act the 'Constitutional Rights for Hunters and Boaters Act.'
- Section 2 revises subsection (a) of O.C.G.A. § 52-7-25 to require that an officer find or have probable cause of a violation before stopping and boarding a vessel or issuing a summons.
- Section 2 also revises paragraph (4) to replace an officer's subjective belief with a probable cause standard for warrantless vessel searches away from mooring.
- Section 2 revises paragraph (4.1) to apply the probable cause standard to warrantless inspections of marine toilets and holding tanks.
- Section 3 repeals all laws and parts of laws in conflict with the Act.
## Status
- Status: Introduced (2025-01-30)
- Last action: House Second Readers (2025-02-04)
- Sponsors: Jordan Ridley, Jason Ridley, Mitchell Horner, Steve Tarvin, Matt Reeves, Noelle Kahaian
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69704
> The history, votes, and amendments (129 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb195.md?full=1