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HomeHarbors and Navigation CodeDiv. 3Ch. 3Art. 4§ 571 Salvaged Goods Reporting Duty

§ 571 Salvaged Goods Reporting Duty

Harbors and Navigation Code·California
AI Summary·Official Text·Key Terms·Related Statutes·References
AI SummaryVerified

§ 571 Salvaged Goods Reporting Duty

This law says if you take or keep stuff that washed up from a ship or was found in a waterway and you don’t give it to the sheriff or tell the sheriff you’ll give it back within 30 days, you can be charged with a misdemeanor.

Key Takeaways

  • •You must turn over or notify the sheriff about any goods taken from a stranded vessel, washed ashore, or found in a bay/creek.
  • •You have 30 days to do this after you get the goods.
  • •If you don’t, you can be charged with a misdemeanor and face up to $1,000 in fines, up to six months in jail, or both.

Example

A person walks on a beach, finds a wooden box full of canned food that washed ashore from a broken boat, takes it home and never contacts the sheriff about returning it.

Because the person kept the goods and didn’t tell the sheriff they were ready to give them back within 30 days, they could be charged with a misdemeanor and face a fine up to $1,000, up to six months in jail, or both.

AI-generated — May contain errors. Not legal advice. Always verify source.

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 571 Salvaged Goods Reporting Duty

(a) A person who takes away any goods from a stranded vessel, or any goods cast by the sea upon the land, or found in a bay or creek, or who knowingly has in his or her possession any goods so taken or found, and does not deliver them to the sheriff of the county where they were found, or notify him or her of his or her readiness to do so within 30 days after they have been taken by him or her or have come into his or her possession, is guilty of a misdemeanor. (b) A person found guilty of a misdemeanor violation of this section shall be subject to a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000) or imprisonment in the county jail not to exceed six months, or both that fine and imprisonment. (Amended by Stats. 2009, Ch. 610, Sec. 30. (SB 717) Effective January 1, 2010.)

Last verified: January 11, 2026

Key Terms

stranded vesselmisdemeanorsheriff30 daysfine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000)imprisonment in the county jail not to exceed six months

Related Statutes

  • § 71.2 Harbor Protection And Enforcement
  • § 131 Obstructing Navigable Waters
  • § 132 Port Ballast Dumping Ban
  • § 133 Oil Discharge Prohibition
  • § 134 Lumber Waste In Humboldt Bay

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Harbors and Navigation Code. Section 571.
View Official Source