Watercraft Storage Enforcement: The "Ghost Ordinance" in Denham Springs

Public Announcement: Denham Springs Cracks Down on Watercraft Storage—Homeowners Face Uncertain Violations

DENHAM SPRINGS, LA—Residents of Denham Springs are raising concerns as the city intensifies enforcement against watercraft owners, issuing ordinance violations that many claim have no legal basis. Homeowners storing boats and jet skis on their own private property are receiving notices labeling their watercraft as "abandoned" or "nuisances," despite decades of precedent allowing such storage.

Code enforcement officials have reportedly instructed residents to move their boats from driveways to backyards, while others may have received citations without reference to a published ordinance restricting storage locations. With no clear municipal law prohibiting watercraft storage on private property, residents are calling these enforcement actions a "Ghost Ordinance"—rules imposed without official documentation or legislative approval.

This unexpected crackdown, led by municipal code enforcement within the city's building department, has alarmed water-loving homeowners who fear arbitrary penalties for simply owning recreational vessels. In Louisiana's Sportsman's Paradise, where boating is a way of life, the city's aggressive stance toward watercraft storage has raised questions about property rights and government overreach.

Inspection Reports Highlight Watercraft Enforcement

City inspectors have documented multiple violations, citing boats and jet skis in yards, driveways, and alongside homes, further reinforcing concerns about the scope of enforcement:

• 6-5-2025 - Clinton Dr. Boat in front yard. (2nd Report)
• 5-29-2025 - Clinton Dr. Party barge boat in front yard. (1st Report)
• 4-3-2025 – Don Ave: A boat and trailer stored in the side yard of a corner lot home was reported, with high grass and weeds indicating it hadn't moved in a long time. The report cited the boat was abandoned.
• 1-6-2025 – Cathryn Dr: A boat on private property was documented and declared by city code enforcement that the boat was abandoned on private property.
• 7-15-2024 – June Drive: Inspector Stephen Davidson noted: "...boat and jet skis remained in the front yard."
• 7-11-2024 – Bay St: A boat was noted in the side yard of a house.
• 2-12-2024 – Carroll St: Davidson documented the presence of a "boat and utility trailer" on private property.
• 1-18-2024 – Don Ave: The inspection report cited a boat in side yard with weeds around it.
• 2-9-2021 – Robbie St: A separate inspection listed an "abandoned boat" in the left side yard, allegedly causing a nuisance.
• 2-8-2021 – Robbie St: The inspector noted an "unable to locate boat" entry, while searching for a boat stored when not in use on the side of the home for over 30 years.
• 7-19-2017 – Montgomery Dr: Inspector Davidson reported a boat in a driveway.

No evidence of the city making contact with the boat owners before filing a Notice of Violation against the property owner.

Local residents are urged to review their violations carefully, seek legal counsel if necessary, and come together to demand transparency from city officials. As the battle over watercraft ownership intensifies, homeowners may need to push back against enforcement tactics that lack clear legal grounding.

Sec. 5.01. - Uses permitted.

  5.01.1 Principal uses.

• Detached single family dwellings.
• Uses permitted in accordance with "land use chart," section 2.16, table 3.
• Accessory uses.

  Buildings and uses customarily incidental to the principal uses permitted in this district when located on the same lot and not involved in the conduct of a business, except for home occupations approved by the office of the building official. Accessory uses include private garages, boat trailers or camping trailer storage, swimming pools, game courts lighted or unlighted, bath houses for the use of occupants and their guests, play houses without plumbing and limited to 150 square feet, other accessory uses and buildings customarily incidental to the herein listed uses with a permit by the building office.

Summary of the Zoning Language

This zoning language outlines what kinds of accessory uses are allowed on a residential lot—meaning secondary structures or activities that support the main residential use but aren’t standalone businesses.