reglab/housing_qa huggingface dataset:
RI Gen L § 46-6-1 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 46 - Waters and Navigation|Chapter 46-6 - Obstructions to Navigation|Section 46-6-1 - Deposit of dirt and other substances in public tidewaters.

§ 46-6-1. Deposit of dirt and other substances in public tidewaters.The director of the department of environmental management shall regulate the depositing of mud, dirt, and other substances in the public tidewaters of the state, and shall prescribe the places where they may be deposited; and every person who shall place or deposit mud, dirt, or other substances in the waters without obtaining proper authority therefor, shall be fined for each offense one hundred dollars ($100), one-half (½) thereof to the use of the state and one-half (½) thereof to the use of the complainant.History of Section.G.L. 1896, ch. 118, § 11; G.L. 1909, ch. 144, § 11; G.L. 1923, ch. 149, § 10; G.L. 1938, ch. 112, § 10; impl. am. P. L. 1939, ch. 660, § 100; G.L. 1956, § 46-6-1.
RI Gen L § 46-6-2 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 46 - Waters and Navigation|Chapter 46-6 - Obstructions to Navigation|Section 46-6-2 - Approval of plans for construction of wharves and piers.

§ 46-6-2. Approval of plans for construction of wharves and piers.All persons who shall build into or over public tidewaters, by authority of the department or by authority of the general assembly, any wharf, pier, bridge, or other structure, or drive any piles into the land under public tidewater, or fill any flats, shall, before beginning the work, give written notice to the department of environmental management of the work they intend to do, and submit plans of any proposed wharf or other structure and of the flats to be filled, and of the mode in which the work is to be performed; and no work shall be commenced until the plan and mode of performing the work shall be approved in writing by the director of the department of environmental management; and the director may alter the plans at his or her discretion and may prescribe the direction, limits, and mode of building the wharves or other structures; provided, that nothing herein contained shall be construed to impair the rights of any riparian proprietors to erect wharves authorized to be erected under any of the laws establishing harbor lines within the state or otherwise by the general assembly.History of Section.G.L. 1896, ch. 118, § 12; G.L. 1909, ch. 144, § 12; G.L. 1923, ch. 149, § 11; G.L. 1938, ch. 112, § 11; impl. am. P.L. 1939, ch. 660, § 100; G.L. 1956, § 46-6-2.
RI Gen L § 46-6-3 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 46 - Waters and Navigation|Chapter 46-6 - Obstructions to Navigation|Section 46-6-3 - Abatement of unauthorized encroachments on tidewater.

§ 46-6-3. Abatement of unauthorized encroachments on tidewater.Every erection made into or encroachment upon the public tidewaters of the state, not authorized by the general assembly or by the department of environmental management, shall be deemed to be a public nuisance and shall be prosecuted as such by the attorney general.History of Section.G.L. 1896, ch. 118, § 14; G.L. 1909, ch. 144, § 14; G.L. 1923, ch. 149, § 13; G.L. 1938, ch. 112, § 13; impl. am. P.L. 1939, ch. 660, § 100; G.L. 1956, § 46-6-3.
RI Gen L § 46-6-4 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 46 - Waters and Navigation|Chapter 46-6 - Obstructions to Navigation|Section 46-6-4 - Protection of Blackstone and Seekonk Rivers.

§ 46-6-4. Protection of Blackstone and Seekonk Rivers.No person shall put any substance in the Blackstone River or in the Seekonk River, or do any act or shall permit anything within his or her control to be done or shall do or permit anything within his or her control to be continued to be done, that shall cause any substance to be put or conveyed into those rivers in such way that the navigable waters of the Seekonk River shall be injured for the purposes of navigation or in such way that the navigable channel of the river shall be diminished either in width or depth. Every person violating the provisions of this section shall be fined twenty dollars ($20.00) for each offense.History of Section.G.L. 1896, ch. 118, § 3; G.L. 1909, ch. 144, § 3; G.L. 1923, ch. 149, § 3; G.L. 1938, ch. 112, § 3; G.L. 1956, § 46-6-4.
RI Gen L § 46-6-5 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 46 - Waters and Navigation|Chapter 46-6 - Obstructions to Navigation|Section 46-6-5 - Repealed.

§ 46-6-5. Repealed.
RI Gen L § 46-6-6 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 46 - Waters and Navigation|Chapter 46-6 - Obstructions to Navigation|Section 46-6-6 - Protection of upper Narragansett Bay.

§ 46-6-6. Protection of upper Narragansett Bay.No person shall deposit any mud, earth, sand, gravel, ashes, cinders, or other substances in the main channel of Providence River leading to the city of Providence, or in any part of the river or of Warren River or of Narragansett Bay lying east of the main channel and north of a line drawn east and west across the channel, and from the easterly line thereof to the eastern shore of the bay in the range of the lower buoy off Rumstick Point, or in the waters of Narragansett Bay within one mile of the shores of Bristol County or Hog Island; but this section shall not be so construed as to prevent the planting of oysters within the lines, or waters, or the property fitting the grounds under the waters for planting oysters thereon, or the construction of any wharf from the shores of the bay which may have been authorized by the general assembly. Every person violating any provision of this section shall be fined one hundred dollars ($100).History of Section.G.L. 1896, ch. 118, § 5; G.L. 1909, ch. 144, § 5; G.L. 1923, ch. 149, § 5; G.L. 1938, ch. 112, § 5; G.L. 1956, § 46-6-6.
RI Gen L § 46-6-7 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 46 - Waters and Navigation|Chapter 46-6 - Obstructions to Navigation|Section 46-6-7 - Protection of waters off Goat Island.

§ 46-6-7. Protection of waters off Goat Island.No person shall set any post, drive any spile, or erect or continue any obstruction into or upon the public waters adjoining to and on the westerly side of Goat Island in the harbor of Newport, between the island and the main channel which separates the island from the island of Conanicut, or interfere with or injure any wire, torpedo, or other implement or contrivance in the waters, placed there under the authority of the United States, for use in connection with the experiments in torpedo practice carried on from Goat Island; but nothing herein contained shall be so construed as to give to the United States jurisdiction over any of the public waters to an extent which they do not already have, and this section may be modified or repealed at the pleasure of the general assembly. Every person violating any provision of this section shall be fined one hundred dollars ($100).History of Section.G.L. 1896, ch. 118, § 7; G.L. 1909, ch. 144, § 7; G.L. 1923, ch. 149, § 6; G.L. 1938, ch. 112, § 6; G.L. 1956, § 46-6-7.
RI Gen L § 46-6-8 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 46 - Waters and Navigation|Chapter 46-6 - Obstructions to Navigation|Section 46-6-8 - Duty of department to remove obstructions.

§ 46-6-8. Duty of department to remove obstructions.Whenever a wrecked, sunken or abandoned vessel, an abandoned hulk, hull, barge or pilings, or any unlawful or unauthorized structure or thing is deposited or suffered to be or remain in the tidewaters of this state, and in the judgment of the director of the department of environmental management is, or is liable to cause or become an obstruction to the safe and convenient use of the waters for navigation and other lawful purposes, it shall be the duty of the department of environmental management, and, the department shall have power, to remove the obstruction, or cause the obstruction to be removed, in accordance with the provisions of this chapter.History of Section.G.L. 1896, ch. 118, § 18; G.L. 1909, ch. 144, § 18; G.L. 1923, ch. 149, § 17; G.L. 1938, ch. 112, § 17; impl. am. P.L. 1939, ch. 660, § 100; G.L. 1956, § 46-6-8; P.L. 1979, ch. 266, § 1.
RI Gen L § 46-6-9 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 46 - Waters and Navigation|Chapter 46-6 - Obstructions to Navigation|Section 46-6-9 - Notice to owner to remove obstruction - Penalty.

§ 46-6-9. Notice to owner to remove obstruction — Penalty.(a) If any person resident or being in the United States is known to the director as the owner of a vessel, or any interest therein, or as having or exercising any control over the vessel as master, agent, insurer, or otherwise, or, in case of any other unlawful or unauthorized obstruction, as having alone or with others built, deposited, or caused the obstruction, or as owning, maintaining, or using the obstruction in whole or in part, the director shall give notice in writing to the owner or other person to remove the vessel or other obstruction within thirty (30) days of the date of the notice, or such extension of time as may be granted by the director.(b) It shall be deemed a sufficient notice to all owners and other persons, if served upon any one or more of them by the director, or by the director's order, by delivering the notice in hand, or by leaving it at the usual place of business, residence, or abode, or by duly mailing it to the post office address of the owner or other person on whom the notice is to be served.(c) Failure to comply with the notice shall result in a fine of one hundred dollars ($100) per day until the obstruction is removed.History of Section.G.L. 1896, ch. 118, § 19; G.L. 1909, ch. 144, § 19; G.L. 1923, ch. 149, § 18; G.L. 1938, ch. 112, § 18; impl. am. P.L. 1939, ch. 660, § 100; G.L. 1956, § 46-6-9; P.L. 1979, ch. 266, § 1.
RI Gen L § 46-6-10 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 46 - Waters and Navigation|Chapter 46-6 - Obstructions to Navigation|Section 46-6-10 - Removal of obstruction by director - Payment of cost.

§ 46-6-10. Removal of obstruction by director — Payment of cost.(a) If the vessel or other obstruction is: (1) Not removed at or within the time specified in the notice, and in a manner and to a place satisfactory to the director, or (2) If the vessel or other obstruction is in immediate danger of sinking or has sunk, is breaking up or has broken up, or is posing a hazard to navigation; or (3) If the vessel or other obstruction poses an imminent threat to human health or safety, including a threat of environmental contamination; and (4) If no owner or other person is known to the director upon whom the notice can be served, the director or other authorized public entity may proceed to remove the vessel or other obstruction, or to complete the removal thereof, or to cause the removal to be done, in such manner and to such place as the director or other authorized public entity shall deem best; and the necessary cost and expense of the removal, if not paid by some owner or other person liable therefor, shall, when certified by the director, be paid out of the derelict and abandoned vessel and obstruction removal account or out of the treasury of the state out of any money appropriated therefor.(b) Before taking temporary possession of any vessel or other obstruction, the authorized public entity must make reasonable attempts to consult with the department of the United States Coast Guard to ensure that other remedies are not available. The basis for taking temporary possession of the vessel or other obstruction must be set out in writing by the authorized public entity within seven (7) days of taking action and be submitted to the owner, if known, as soon thereafter as reasonable. If the authorized public entity has not already provided the required notice, immediately after taking possession of the vessel or other obstruction, the authorized public entity must initiate the notice provisions in § 46-6-9(a). The authorized public entity must complete the notice requirements of § 46-6-9(a) before using or disposing of the vessel or other obstruction as authorized in § 46-6-10.1.History of Section.G.L. 1896, ch. 118, § 20; G.L. 1909, ch. 144, § 20; G.L. 1923, ch. 149, § 19; G.L. 1938, ch. 112, § 19; impl. am. P.L. 1939, ch. 660, § 100; G.L. 1956, § 46-6-10; P.L. 2012, ch. 370, § 2; P.L. 2012, ch. 389, § 2.
RI Gen L § 46-6-10.1 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 46 - Waters and Navigation|Chapter 46-6 - Obstructions to Navigation|Section 46-6-10.1 - Use or disposal of vessel or other obstruction.

§ 46-6-10.1. Use or disposal of vessel or other obstruction.(a) After taking possession of a vessel or other obstruction, pursuant to the terms and conditions of §§ 46-6-9 and 46-9-10, the authorized public entity may use or dispose of the vessel or other obstruction in any appropriate and environmentally sound manner without further notice to any owners, but must give preference to uses that derive some monetary benefit from the vessel or other obstruction, either in whole or in scrap. If no value can be derived from the vessel or other obstruction, the authorized public entity must give preference to the least costly, environmentally sound, reasonable disposal option.(b) If the authorized public entity chooses to offer the vessel or other obstruction for sale at public auction, either a minimum bid may be set or a letter of credit may be required, or both, to discourage future re-abandonment of the vessel or other obstruction.(c) Proceeds derived from the sale of the vessel or other obstruction must first be applied to any administrative costs that are incurred by the authorized public entity during the notification procedures set forth in § 46-6-9, removal and disposal costs, and costs associated with environmental damages directly or indirectly caused by the vessel or other obstruction. If the proceeds derived from the sale of the vessel or other obstruction exceed all such costs, the remaining moneys must be applied to satisfying any liens registered against the vessel or other obstruction.(d) Any value derived from the sale of a vessel greater than all liens and costs incurred shall revert to the derelict and abandoned vessel and obstruction removal account established in § 46-6-10.3.History of Section.P.L. 2012, ch. 370, § 1; P.L. 2012, ch. 389, § 1.
RI Gen L § 46-6-10.2 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 46 - Waters and Navigation|Chapter 46-6 - Obstructions to Navigation|Section 46-6-10.2 - Derelict and abandoned vessel and obstruction removal commission.

§ 46-6-10.2. Derelict and abandoned vessel and obstruction removal commission.(a) There is hereby created a commission known as the derelict and abandoned vessel and obstruction removal commission which shall consist of five (5) members as follows:(1) One member who shall be engaged in the marine trades industry, to be appointed by the governor with advice and consent of the senate;(2) One member who shall represent a private, nonprofit environmental advocacy organization whose purposes include protecting and preserving Narragansett Bay, to be appointed by the governor with advice and consent of the senate;(3) One member who shall be a municipal harbormaster, to be appointed by the governor with advice and consent of the senate;(4) The director of the department of environmental management or his or her designee; and(5) The executive director of the coastal resources management council or his or her designee.(b) The chairperson shall be elected by the members of the commission.(c) The members appointed by the governor shall serve three (3) year terms, and be eligible for re-appointment.(d) The purpose of the commission shall be to prioritize the disbursement of funds from the derelict and abandoned vessel and obstruction removal account established in § 46-6-10.3.(e) The commission shall be advisory to the director and shall provide recommendations to the director for fund disbursement.(f) The commission shall develop criteria, in the form of guidelines, to prioritize removal projects undertaken pursuant to this chapter, and in accordance with the use of the derelict and abandoned vessel and obstruction removal account established in § 46-6-10.3. The guidelines shall also include guidance to the authorized public entities as to what removal activities and associated costs are reasonable and eligible for coverage by the fund. The director shall review and approve, approve with conditions, or reject these guidelines within thirty (30) days of receipt. The commission may seek to revise the guidelines at any time, by submitting such revisions to the director for review and approval. The guidelines shall be made publicly available.History of Section.P.L. 2012, ch. 370, § 1; P.L. 2012, ch. 389, § 1.
RI Gen L § 46-6-10.3 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 46 - Waters and Navigation|Chapter 46-6 - Obstructions to Navigation|Section 46-6-10.3 - Derelict and abandoned vessel and obstruction removal account.

§ 46-6-10.3. Derelict and abandoned vessel and obstruction removal account.(a) All fees assessed pursuant to § 46-6-10.4 shall be deposited into a restricted receipt account, hereby created and known as the derelict and abandoned vessel and obstruction removal account. The account is also authorized to receive fund transfers and appropriations from the general fund, and from any moneys collected pursuant to § 46-6-12. Funds from the account may only be used to cover the costs of removing, disposing, and/or selling derelict and abandoned vessels and other obstructions, including any associated administrative or environmental remediation costs, in accordance with the provisions of this chapter.(b) Priority for use of funds from the account is for (1) The removal of derelict and abandoned vessels that are in danger of sinking or have sunk, are breaking up or have broken up, pose a hazard to navigation, and/or pose threats to the environment; and (2) The removal of obstructions that pose a hazard to navigation, and/or pose threats to the environment.(c) The department shall keep all authorized public entities apprised of the balance of the derelict and abandoned vessel and obstruction removal account and the funds available for disbursement.History of Section.P.L. 2012, ch. 370, § 1; P.L. 2012, ch. 389, § 1.
RI Gen L § 46-6-10.4 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 46 - Waters and Navigation|Chapter 46-6 - Obstructions to Navigation|Section 46-6-10.4 - Derelict and abandoned vessel and obstruction removal fee.

§ 46-6-10.4. Derelict and abandoned vessel and obstruction removal fee.There is hereby established a derelict and abandoned vessel and obstruction removal fee which shall be in addition to the vessel registration fee assessed pursuant to § 46-22-4(a)(1). The fee shall be assessed biennially at the time vessel registration fees are assessed by the department pursuant to § 46-22-4(a)(1). All derelict and abandoned vessel and obstruction removal fees shall be deposited in the derelict and abandoned vessel and obstruction removal account established pursuant to § 46-6-10.3. The fees shall be assessed as follows:   Overall Vessel Length (Ft) User Fee    1-15 feet $2.00    16-20 feet $2.00    21-25 feet $6.00    26-30 feet $8.00    31-35 feet $12.00    36-40 feet $14.00    41-45 feet $16.00    46-50 feet $18.00    51 feet and above $20.00  Pursuant to § 46-22-4(a)(1)(iii), vessels over thirty feet (30′) may, upon request, pay the derelict and abandoned vessel and obstruction removal fee, along with the registration fee annually at the rate of one-half (1/2) the biennial fee for a vessel of the same length.History of Section.P.L. 2012, ch. 370, § 1; P.L. 2012, ch. 389, § 1.
RI Gen L § 46-6-11 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 46 - Waters and Navigation|Chapter 46-6 - Obstructions to Navigation|Section 46-6-11 - Liability for cost of removing obstruction - Action for recovery.

§ 46-6-11. Liability for cost of removing obstruction — Action for recovery.The owner of any vessel or of an interest in any vessel willfully or maliciously wrecked, sunken, or abandoned and removed as provided in § 46-6-10, whether owning, at the time the vessel first became an obstruction, or at any subsequent time before the removal is completed, and all persons having or exercising any control over the vessel or any part thereof, and, in the case of any other obstruction so removed, the person or persons originally building, depositing, or causing the obstruction, or at the time of the removal, or at any time prior thereto, owning, maintaining, or using the obstruction in whole or in part, shall be liable to pay the cost and expenses of the removal, or to repay the cost when paid out of the derelict and abandoned vessel and obstruction removal account or treasury as aforesaid; and the cost may be recovered in a civil action brought by the director in the name of the state against the owners or other persons, or against any one or more of them. The attorney general shall conduct and commence the suits. All moneys so repaid or recovered shall be paid into the derelict and abandoned vessel and obstruction removal account or treasury of the state. Any person who pays on a judgment or otherwise more than his or her proportional part of the costs and expenses aforesaid, shall have a claim for contribution against all other parties liable therefor according to their respective interests.History of Section.G.L. 1896, ch. 118, § 21; G.L. 1909, ch. 144, § 21; G.L. 1923, ch. 149, § 20; G.L. 1938, ch. 112, § 21; impl. am. P.L. 1939, ch. 660, § 100; G.L. 1956, § 46-6-11; P.L. 2012, ch. 370, § 2; P.L. 2012, ch. 389, § 2.
RI Gen L § 46-6-12 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 46 - Waters and Navigation|Chapter 46-6 - Obstructions to Navigation|Section 46-6-12 - Sale of object removed to pay cost of removal.

§ 46-6-12. Sale of object removed to pay cost of removal.If the cost and expenses of removing a vessel or other obstruction as aforesaid are not paid or repaid by some owner or other person liable therefor within ten (10) days after the removal is completed, the director of the department of environmental management may sell the vessel or other obstruction, or the materials and appurtenances thereof, at public or private sale, and the net proceeds of the sale shall be paid into the derelict and abandoned vessel and obstruction removal account or treasury of the state and deducted from the amount to be repaid or recovered as provided in § 46-6-11.History of Section.G.L. 1896, ch. 118, § 22; G.L. 1909, ch. 144, § 22; G.L. 1923, ch. 149, § 21; G.L. 1938, ch. 112, § 21; impl. am. P.L. 1939, ch. 660, § 100; G.L. 1956, § 46-6-12; P.L. 2012, ch. 370, § 2; P.L. 2012, ch. 389, § 2.
RI Gen L § 46-6-13 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 46 - Waters and Navigation|Chapter 46-6 - Obstructions to Navigation|Section 46-6-13 - Insurer of lost vessel not liable for cost of removal.

§ 46-6-13. Insurer of lost vessel not liable for cost of removal.No insurer of a vessel, who has paid the loss thereon, shall, by reason of the insurance, be held liable to remove the vessel, or to pay the cost and expenses of the removal, under the provisions of this chapter, unless the insurer has exercised some act of ownership or control over the vessel or some part or appurtenance thereof, or received the proceeds of the sale thereof.History of Section.G.L. 1896, ch. 118, § 23; G.L. 1909, ch. 144, § 23; G.L. 1923, ch. 149, § 22; G.L. 1938, ch. 112, § 22; G.L. 1956, § 46-6-13.